Ministry plans to reorganize grad schools

A five-year program to create a better study environment for graduate students and young researchers has been announced by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry. The program, to begin this academic year, aims to rein in autocratic professors and stimulate international competitiveness.

According to the ministry, the program is meant to end the conventional "academic unit system" structure, a hierarchical, apprenticeship-style faculty practice under which a professor bosses around younger researchers.

While the number of students continuing into post-graduate study has rapidly increased in recent years, many graduate schools have been criticized by the business sector and from abroad for poor education levels, officials said Saturday.

Enhancing of the quality of graduate schools is a prerequisite for boosting Japan's international competitiveness in business and technology, the ministry said.

Toward the end of March, the ministry eliminated the academic unit system from the prerequisites for university charters. It also worked out a five-year project called "An Outlook of Measures Necessary for the Promotion of Postgraduate Education."

Under the academic unit system, the head professor in each specialty has a dominant say over assistant professors and other research assistants in his unit regarding personnel affairs and research methods.

Criticism of the apprenticeship-like system has increased among graduate students and other young researchers who say they feel like they are treated as low-paid employees of professors.

The ministry quoted some young researchers complaining that their head professors had monopolized decisions on the content of their research and that they are made to do odd jobs for the professors.

Following the ministry's decision to abolish the system, universities from this academic year have been allowed to create new education-research systems.

Effective from next academic year, the post of assistant professor will be abolished and replaced by the new post of associate professor. Associate professors will be capable of exercising discretion in educating students and undertaking research activities, the officials said.

They said the time has come to revamp the conventional faculty system under which graduate students and other young researchers are supposed to acquire expert knowledge by being assistants to senior professors.

The business community also has criticized the system for lacking flexibility in allowing academic knowledge to be applied for industrial purposes.

In response, the ministry plans to introduce an evaluation system by a third-party organ of individual graduate courses, effective this academic year, the ministry said.

In addition, new steps will be taken to expand financial assistance programs for young researchers, it said.

The ongoing project, the 21st Century Center of Excellence program designed to provide government subsidies for universities and postgraduate courses if they are officially recognized as doing high-level research, will be replaced by a new one. Priority in recasting the Center of Excellence program either this fiscal year or next will be placed on boosting the quality and international competitiveness of postgraduate education, according to the officials.

The number of students enrolled nationwide in postgraduate courses stood at about 87,000 in 1988. The number jumped to about 254,000 in 2005, the ministry said.
(May. 1, 2006)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060501TDY01002.htm