Non-Japanese applicants hoping to
become certified nurses could see the government's notoriously rigorous exams get easier with the
inclusion of English-language tests and a new set of communication exams
based on basic Japanese.
Non-Japanese hoping to become care
workers took the certification test for the first time Sunday, while those aspiring to become certified
nurses have been applying for the exam since fiscal 2008. But the low pass
rate is prompting the
Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to consider changing the system. "We've
had discussions with experts on the topic since last month," an official
in charge of the issue at the health ministry told The Japan Times on Monday.
According to ministry statistics, none
of the 82 Indonesian applicants passed the nurse test in 2009 and just two of
the 195 candidates passed in 2010. In 2011, only 15 of the 285 Indonesian candidates
made the grade.
Those from the Philippines are also struggling, with only two passing
since 2009.
The government has tried easing the language burden on
non-Japanese candidates by listing pronunciations next to difficult kanji. But
the health ministry panel is pondering
other ways, including allowing non-Japanese applicants to take the test in
English or Indonesian. The new communication exams, similar to the Japanese
language proficiency test administered
by the Japan Foundation, are also being explored as a way to ensure
non-Japanese nurses can adapt to the new working environment in Japan.
Candidate nurses who come to Japan
must have at least two years of professional experience in their home
countries and "hold fine expertise as nurses," said Sachie Shirai,
a spokeswoman at Bima Cooperation for Overseas Nurses and Care Workers. "The
only thing they lack is Japanese proficiency — not technical knowledge,"
she added in explaining her support for a new testing system.
Japan started accepting nurse and
caregiver candidates from the Philippines and Indonesia after the countries
reached individual economic partnership agreements with Japan.
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VOCABULARY
1.
Aspiring
(adj.) - hoping to
be successful in a particular job, activity, or way of life
2.
Prompting
(v) - making
someone decide to do something
3. Struggling (v) - to try extremely
hard to achieve something, even though it is very difficult
4. Easing (v) - making a process, happen more easily
5. Ponder (v) - to spend time thinking carefully and seriously
about a problem, a difficult question, or something that has happened [= consider]
6. Administered (v) - to manage the work
or money of a company or organization
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Do you think
Japanese language is difficult? How?
2. Share some tips on
how to study Japanese kanji?
3. Discuss about
language barrier.
4. Do you agree that
certification exam for non-Japanese nurses should be given in English? Why?
5. Talk about economic
partnership agreement.
