Education is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge or skills, as for a profession that develops reasoning and judgment skills, and generally to prepare themselves or others intellectually for mature life. Before education was not popular, the idea that children needed to go to school is new. As it happens, you need a high school diploma to get into college, and most jobs require you to have some type of education. So it's a necessity, more than a want nowadays. Some places around the world have better educational outcomes than others, putting them higher on the list. This article will discuss these differences. In Britain and Japan the schools were mainly for a small elite. Most of the children were child laborers who worked alongside their parents on peasant farms and did jobs that their parents could not do. Until industrialization did not need basic education as part of the Japanese government's reforms. Japanese education traditionally emphasizes discipline, order, harmony, and a great deal of study and memorization. Subsequently the focus shifted to mathematics and science. “Standardized testing, which has become popular in the United States, has also played an important role in Japanese education, especially in advancing students to higher levels.” Their graduation rate is much higher than that of the United States, over 90% higher. Space at most major universities is limited, meaning fewer than half of graduates can go on to college. “This makes the university process extremely important for Japanese people. It is not so much based on how rich your family is or how many extra curricular activities you have, but is decided by standardized tests as it is the key criterion. Without high testing…half of the paper…basic education wants to be extended to all, but the quality and availability of education is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. Focusing on formal education is their best advancement. Now that we have taken a look at the school systems of other countries, it is best to try to understand where we are lacking as a country and individually. Every school system is different, but education is universal. Everyone tries to grasp the essence of it to benefit them in every possible way. Today, education is conventional, and the way the world thinks about it today is different from how it was seen many years ago. People and societies are looked down upon if they do not seek an education or if they do not have a degree and a stable career by a certain age. I believe education is important, prestigious or not. The little that is known can still offer opportunities.