The government*s plan to improve the English proficiency of students has yielded dismal results, according to the education ministry*s latest survey of junior high and high school students.

The fiscal 2016 survey on English education, released Wednesday, showed that 36.1 percent of Japan*s third-year junior high school students had achieved an English proficiency equivalent to Grade 3 or higher on the Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency.

That*s down 0.5 point from the previous year and well below the government*s goal of 50 percent.