Over the years, education officials in East Asia, including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, have experimented with so-called specialist schools. In Japan, one such type is known as 'free schools', where children who refuse to go to school are sent. But, as described by education-in-japan.info, a resource for parents and teachers in Japan, some of these schools are regarded as offering an alternative education to the mainstream schools. They are sought by parents for the unique education they offer.

Many of them are also 'democratic schools'. Supporters of 'democratic education' include the Institute for Democratic Education in America, which, according to its website, aims to ensure that young people 'participate meaningfully in their education and gain the tools to build a just, democratic, and sustainable world'.

At one senior secondary school in Taiwan, pupils are taught Chinese language, poetry and cooking through learning how to make dishes that appear in classic Chinese literature.