Tokyo, June 23 (Jiji Press)--The English proficiency of public junior high school and senior high school students in Japan continues to improve, an education ministry survey for fiscal 2024 showed Monday.
   The proportion of junior high school third graders with English skills equivalent to Grade 3 or higher in the country's Eiken proficiency tests stood at 52.4 pct, up by 2.4 percentage points from the previous fiscal 2023 survey.
   The share of senior high school third graders with English skills equivalent to Grade Pre-2 or higher Eiken levels was up 1.0 point at 51.6 pct.
   The government aims to raise the both figures to at least 60 pct by fiscal 2027.
   The ministry has conducted the survey every year since fiscal 2013, except fiscal 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest survey was based on data for students who had a qualification or score from external certification tests such as Eiken and those who were judged by their school teachers to have equivalent English language skills as of December 2024.

(2025/06/23-18:12)

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