For context, Yutori era is somewhere between 2002~2011 (2012?) when Japan attempted to approach education more ‘holistically’, cutting down on primary and elementary school hours per year somewhat so that the leftover hours could be focused on other activities.
As far as I know, it backfired quite badly, leading to a slight decrease in nationwide PISA scores as well as fostering a negative reputation of public schools, encouraging parents to send their kids to private elementary and middle schools.
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It’s still pretty yutori. Very few things changed after 2011.
There really hasn’t been any difference in scores before or after. All it’s done is make teachers and students who wanted to take advantage of weekends for their own hobbies unable to do them now. All those who wished to study more could still continue through cram school or their own studies. In fact, as we’ve learned more about how the brain works, humans need time to think and process what they’ve learned. Being stuck in a constant focus mode actually leads to less learning and innovations.