The caller is Hanae L, a high school student who is about to take the exam next spring. According to Hanae L, Eiken has been raising the examination fee almost every year for the past few years, which is about 2018 to 1.5 times higher than in 2.The number of examinees is the largest, and the examination fee for the third grade, which is common as an introductory grade, has more than doubled from 3 yen to 3 yen in the last three years.The number of Eiken examinees is on the rise, and it is suspected that the price will be set based on the feet of the examinees due to rising demand. ..

　Regarding the reason for the price increase, the Eiken Foundation of Japan cites securing a venue and measures to prevent infection under the epidemic of the new coronavirus infection.However, there are voices from the examinees saying that sufficient measures have not been taken.In many school venues, school teachers collect examination fees and prepare and operate the venue free of charge during non-working hours, raising questions about the increase in labor costs, which is one of the reasons for the price increase.

　External English exams such as Eiken have become indispensable for high school students who want to expand their chances of taking the exam in English, such as being used for application requirements, score conversion, and point addition in university entrance exams.

　According to the Toyoshima Tsuguo Office, which operates the university search site "Yonnavi" that uses external English exams, as of September 2022, 2021, 9 universities nationwide are using external English exams in the 8 private university general entrance exams. (222%) *.It is used by 38.0% of universities in the Tokyo area, followed by 52.6% in the Kinki area.Looking at the utilization rate by English external examination, Eiken had the highest rate of 51.7% in 2021 and 98.6% in 2022.

　Hanae L said, "In the situation where there are many students who have been financially hit by the corona disaster, students whose part-time job shifts have been reduced, and students who pay the examination fee by themselves, the opportunity to take the Eiken is an economic situation. It is a factor that creates an educational gap depending on the economy. "If the online signature reaches the target of 10,000 approvals, the Japan English Examination Association will be asked to review the examination fee.

* The usage survey of the English external examination was conducted for the entrance examination guide and the university homepage.

reference:[Toyoshima Tsuguo Office] English External Examination Usage Method Implementation Status

reference:[Yon Navi] 2022 English External Exam <By Score> Available University Search

reference:[Change.org] Widening the educational gap #Protesting the price increase of Eiken