The AET program began in Mito in the early 90s. Initially, there were AET’s placed in just a few Jr. High Schools. Since then the program has undergone many changes. Currently there are 24 AET’s working in all public Elementary Schools, Kindergartens, and Pre-schools in Mito.
Mito High Schools and Jr. High Schools also have foreign English teachers, either from the JET program or other companies. In Japan, students generally begin studying English in Jr. High School, and continue throughout High School. Recently, more Elementary Schools have been implementing English programs. In many of these schools it is not uncommon for students to have English class just a few times a year. Mito is unique in that, since 2005, English has been a part of the official city curriculum, and there are regular native-English speaking teachers in every school, allowing the students to have class every week, rather than just a few times a year.
