Japan intends to welcome 2 000 students from Central Asia within three years ahead.
Information on all the Japan’s universities will be given in order to contribute to the development of further collaboration, deputy press secretary of Foreign Affairs Minister, director of international press department under Japan’s MFA secretariat Noriyuka Shikata told a briefing today in Astana.
Kazakhstan is an important partner for Japan, Mr Shikata said. Japan is interested in developing human resources, infrastructure, and improvement of healthcare service.
Kazakhstan expects direct investments including transfer of high technologies, widening collaboration in sphere of petrochemistry and electronics, Shikata added.
http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=144166
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Tanigaki eyes doubling number of foreign students by early 2010s
Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki, running in the race to become Japan's next prime minister, on Wednesday proposed doubling the number of foreign students in Japan from the current 120,000 by the early 2010s, a move he said will help improve the nation's relations with China and South Korea.
"With this plan, young people responsible for the future of Asia can learn from each other and deepen their mutual understanding. Japanese universities can also turn themselves into a crucible of intellect, so as to train people to be active parts of an ever diversified world," he said.
However, Tanigaki did not go into details when he unveiled the proposal during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
Restoring relations with China and South Korea, which he says are currently "abnormal," is one of Tanigaki's key policy planks in his bid to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who will step down next month.
Tanigaki repeated he will not visit Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which China and South Korea see as a symbol of Japan's militarist past, if he becomes premier, and that he proposed establishing a hotline with Chinese and South Korean leaders to discuss bilateral and regional issues.
Koizumi's visits to the Shinto shrine, where 2.5 million war dead along with 14 Class-A war criminals are enshrined, have angered the two neighboring countries, which have refused to hold summit talks with Koizumi.
Tanigaki also said that if he becomes prime minister, he will upgrade Japan's ties with India, an emerging economic power. He also called for maintaining the Japan-U.S. security alliance, saying it is "natural" to craft Japan's defense policy based on it.
Other major contenders in the Sept. 20 presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Aso. The winner will become prime minister given the LDP's dominance in the powerful House of Representatives.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060823/kyodo/d8jm02v80.html
"With this plan, young people responsible for the future of Asia can learn from each other and deepen their mutual understanding. Japanese universities can also turn themselves into a crucible of intellect, so as to train people to be active parts of an ever diversified world," he said.
However, Tanigaki did not go into details when he unveiled the proposal during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan.
Restoring relations with China and South Korea, which he says are currently "abnormal," is one of Tanigaki's key policy planks in his bid to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who will step down next month.
Tanigaki repeated he will not visit Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which China and South Korea see as a symbol of Japan's militarist past, if he becomes premier, and that he proposed establishing a hotline with Chinese and South Korean leaders to discuss bilateral and regional issues.
Koizumi's visits to the Shinto shrine, where 2.5 million war dead along with 14 Class-A war criminals are enshrined, have angered the two neighboring countries, which have refused to hold summit talks with Koizumi.
Tanigaki also said that if he becomes prime minister, he will upgrade Japan's ties with India, an emerging economic power. He also called for maintaining the Japan-U.S. security alliance, saying it is "natural" to craft Japan's defense policy based on it.
Other major contenders in the Sept. 20 presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Aso. The winner will become prime minister given the LDP's dominance in the powerful House of Representatives.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060823/kyodo/d8jm02v80.html
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Over 200 Chinese students welcomed in Japan for exchange tour
Japanese Foreign Ministry welcomed Tuesday a team of 250 Chinese high school students in Tokyo, who will begin their 9-day exchange tour in Japan.
"Exchanges between Japanese and Chinese people, especially those between the juniors who shoulder the future, are very important," Yasuhisa Shiozaki, senior Japanese vice-minister for foreign affairs said at the welcoming ceremony.
Shiozaki said that he hoped the teenage students can know more about Japan and make Japanese friends during their tour in several Japanese prefectures including Yamagata, Akita, Aomori, Kanagawa and Tochigi.
"It is of great significance to promote all kinds of exchanges between the two countries when the bilateral relations are in difficulty," Kong Xuanyou, acting ambassador for Chinese Embassy in Japan said. He expressed his hope that the tour can contribute to enlarging youth exchanges and improving friendship with Japan.
The students, from various parts of China including Beijing, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shaanxi, Hebei and Hubei, arrived in Japan on Monday, under a high school student exchange program between Japan and China.
According to the program, a total of 1,100 Chinese students will visit Japan, stay with Japanese families and attend exchanging activities with their Japanese counterparts. This group is the second batch of such exchange tours.
Source: Xinhua
http://english.people.com.cn/200608/22/eng20060822_295735.html
"Exchanges between Japanese and Chinese people, especially those between the juniors who shoulder the future, are very important," Yasuhisa Shiozaki, senior Japanese vice-minister for foreign affairs said at the welcoming ceremony.
Shiozaki said that he hoped the teenage students can know more about Japan and make Japanese friends during their tour in several Japanese prefectures including Yamagata, Akita, Aomori, Kanagawa and Tochigi.
"It is of great significance to promote all kinds of exchanges between the two countries when the bilateral relations are in difficulty," Kong Xuanyou, acting ambassador for Chinese Embassy in Japan said. He expressed his hope that the tour can contribute to enlarging youth exchanges and improving friendship with Japan.
The students, from various parts of China including Beijing, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shaanxi, Hebei and Hubei, arrived in Japan on Monday, under a high school student exchange program between Japan and China.
According to the program, a total of 1,100 Chinese students will visit Japan, stay with Japanese families and attend exchanging activities with their Japanese counterparts. This group is the second batch of such exchange tours.
Source: Xinhua
http://english.people.com.cn/200608/22/eng20060822_295735.html
Incentives aim to lure top Asian students to stay
The government plans to offer scholarships for Asian students to study at universities and graduate schools in Japan to encourage them to stay and work for domestic companies after graduation.
According to sources, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will launch the scholarship system in fiscal 2007 in cooperation with domestic firms interested in recruiting students from China, South Korea and other Asian countries.
The idea is to raise the number of skilled foreign nationals working in the corporate sector, the sources said.
Figures released by the industry ministry show that of about 30,000 overseas students who graduated from Japanese universities and graduate schools in fiscal 2004, only 5,700 of them found jobs here.
The program will involve special two-year courses that meet the specific needs of companies from the consumer electronics, information technology and ecology-related sectors. Classes to teach students the Japanese language will also be offered along with company internships.
The sources said the ministries are considering grants of between 200,000 and 300,000 yen a month to cover the students' tuition fees, rent and living costs.
The scholarships will be awarded annually to about 2,000 students, putting them on the fast track for corporate posts.
The ministries are also to ask the participating schools to come up with measures to help the scholarship students gain a good command of Japanese and better understand Japanese corporate culture.
Insufficient language ability and a lack of understanding of business practices here are commonly cited as reasons foreign graduates are reluctant to pursue work with Japanese firms.
Courses are to be selected following a ministry screening of university and graduate school programs nationwide.
The two ministries plan to request 6 billion yen from the fiscal 2007 budget to cover costs. That will include programs to help foreign students already enrolled on existing government scholarships to find jobs after graduating, the sources said.(IHT/Asahi: August 21,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200608210099.html
According to sources, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will launch the scholarship system in fiscal 2007 in cooperation with domestic firms interested in recruiting students from China, South Korea and other Asian countries.
The idea is to raise the number of skilled foreign nationals working in the corporate sector, the sources said.
Figures released by the industry ministry show that of about 30,000 overseas students who graduated from Japanese universities and graduate schools in fiscal 2004, only 5,700 of them found jobs here.
The program will involve special two-year courses that meet the specific needs of companies from the consumer electronics, information technology and ecology-related sectors. Classes to teach students the Japanese language will also be offered along with company internships.
The sources said the ministries are considering grants of between 200,000 and 300,000 yen a month to cover the students' tuition fees, rent and living costs.
The scholarships will be awarded annually to about 2,000 students, putting them on the fast track for corporate posts.
The ministries are also to ask the participating schools to come up with measures to help the scholarship students gain a good command of Japanese and better understand Japanese corporate culture.
Insufficient language ability and a lack of understanding of business practices here are commonly cited as reasons foreign graduates are reluctant to pursue work with Japanese firms.
Courses are to be selected following a ministry screening of university and graduate school programs nationwide.
The two ministries plan to request 6 billion yen from the fiscal 2007 budget to cover costs. That will include programs to help foreign students already enrolled on existing government scholarships to find jobs after graduating, the sources said.(IHT/Asahi: August 21,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200608210099.html
Morning class a hit with Nagoya early birds
NAGOYA--Juggling work and family commitments and still having the time to meet friends or study is hard, granted.
Perhaps, say some analysts, that happens even more so in Nagoya, where the economy is on a roll and an increasing number of salaried workers are urged to work overtime.
But, in line with the cyclical highs of a healthy economy, Nagoya workers stretched for time are creating a new market for educators.
In fact, early-morning classes, in everything from English to bookkeeping to yoga, are catching on here like nowhere else in the country.
Nagoya Ohara Gakuen Colleges, which offer courses in accounting and financial planning, among others in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures, started morning classes at two branches in Nagoya two years ago.
According to school officials, about 250 students took early-bird classes last year.
About 70 percent of them were women around 30 years old.
Kumiko Jinza, 28, attends a 7:30 a.m. bookkeeping class at the Sakae branch in central Nagoya.
"I would be too tired from work to concentrate on lectures at night. Learning in the morning for a short period of time is more efficient," says Jinza.
Although the Ohara group has schools all over the country, the early study sessions, which are generally cheaper than the regular courses, are only offered in the Nagoya region.
"We are catering to people who could not attend classes at night because of their overtime work," says Masao Koga, who heads the adult class division at Ohara. "There are also people who are taking the courses for the low fees."
Meanwhile, the Asahi Culture Center is also finding success with early risers.
It offers English conversation classes at a Starbucks coffee shop near Sakae Station twice a week.
Two thousand yen covers the cost of the hour-long, 7:30 a.m. class as well as a coffee and a croissant.
Forty-year-old Masanari Iwamoto, who takes the English class, says he previously took night classes but work always kept him from going, and he ended up wasting his money.
"The course is a good deal as it includes breakfast. I have also found friends outside work," he said.
The number of people here who head off to early gym sessions or yoga classes is also on the rise.
Pacific Sports Club, for example, offers special prices for morning workouts.
Members pay just 4,000 yen a month and can use the facilities from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
According to a club spokesperson, many people who work in central Nagoya area use the gym two or three times a week.
"Morning members say that they have raised their metabolic rates and are making better progress at work," the spokesperson added.(IHT/Asahi: August 21,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200608210090.html
Perhaps, say some analysts, that happens even more so in Nagoya, where the economy is on a roll and an increasing number of salaried workers are urged to work overtime.
But, in line with the cyclical highs of a healthy economy, Nagoya workers stretched for time are creating a new market for educators.
In fact, early-morning classes, in everything from English to bookkeeping to yoga, are catching on here like nowhere else in the country.
Nagoya Ohara Gakuen Colleges, which offer courses in accounting and financial planning, among others in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures, started morning classes at two branches in Nagoya two years ago.
According to school officials, about 250 students took early-bird classes last year.
About 70 percent of them were women around 30 years old.
Kumiko Jinza, 28, attends a 7:30 a.m. bookkeeping class at the Sakae branch in central Nagoya.
"I would be too tired from work to concentrate on lectures at night. Learning in the morning for a short period of time is more efficient," says Jinza.
Although the Ohara group has schools all over the country, the early study sessions, which are generally cheaper than the regular courses, are only offered in the Nagoya region.
"We are catering to people who could not attend classes at night because of their overtime work," says Masao Koga, who heads the adult class division at Ohara. "There are also people who are taking the courses for the low fees."
Meanwhile, the Asahi Culture Center is also finding success with early risers.
It offers English conversation classes at a Starbucks coffee shop near Sakae Station twice a week.
Two thousand yen covers the cost of the hour-long, 7:30 a.m. class as well as a coffee and a croissant.
Forty-year-old Masanari Iwamoto, who takes the English class, says he previously took night classes but work always kept him from going, and he ended up wasting his money.
"The course is a good deal as it includes breakfast. I have also found friends outside work," he said.
The number of people here who head off to early gym sessions or yoga classes is also on the rise.
Pacific Sports Club, for example, offers special prices for morning workouts.
Members pay just 4,000 yen a month and can use the facilities from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
According to a club spokesperson, many people who work in central Nagoya area use the gym two or three times a week.
"Morning members say that they have raised their metabolic rates and are making better progress at work," the spokesperson added.(IHT/Asahi: August 21,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200608210090.html
Wine used to lure students
Faced with slumping student numbers, a university in Kofu has hit upon a possible way to keep enrollments up--sell wine on campus.
Yamanashi University, the only university in Japan to have a wine research institute, hopes its wines will give it a competitive advantage in attracting students.
Wines, made by four local wineries using yeast developed by the university's Institute of Enology and Viticulture, will be sold at a convenience store that will open on campus early next year.
Six major convenience store chain operators have expressed interest in opening an outlet on campus. Next month, the university will choose which operator will run the store.
In April 2004, the Education, Science and Technology Ministry relaxed university management regulations to enable universities to adopt new measures to improve amenities for students and staff.
In the same month, state-run universities, including Yamanashi University, became independent administrative corporations.
"To compete with private universities in the area and the many universities in Tokyo, we must rack our brains to [find ways to] increase our entrance examination applicants," said Hideaki Nukui, president of the university.
The convenience store will open from early morning until late at night. "The existing co-op and the new convenience store will compete with each other to upgrade services," Nukui said.
The news has been hailed by students, particularly those in graduate courses who often have to study late.
Faculty members are also pleased because they will no longer need to leave the campus during lunch hour to avoid packed canteens run by the co-op.
In December 2004, Kyoto University became the first state-run university to have a convenience store open an outlet on its campus. Tokyo, Saitama, Nagoya and other universities have since followed suit.
Yamanashi University had previously planned to sell wine on campus, but the plan fell foul of government regulations that placed restrictions on new retailers of alcoholic beverages to protect existing retailers. The restrictions will be lifted on Aug. 31.
The legal drinking age is 20 in Japan.
(Aug. 21, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/culture/20060821TDY17003.htm
Yamanashi University, the only university in Japan to have a wine research institute, hopes its wines will give it a competitive advantage in attracting students.
Wines, made by four local wineries using yeast developed by the university's Institute of Enology and Viticulture, will be sold at a convenience store that will open on campus early next year.
Six major convenience store chain operators have expressed interest in opening an outlet on campus. Next month, the university will choose which operator will run the store.
In April 2004, the Education, Science and Technology Ministry relaxed university management regulations to enable universities to adopt new measures to improve amenities for students and staff.
In the same month, state-run universities, including Yamanashi University, became independent administrative corporations.
"To compete with private universities in the area and the many universities in Tokyo, we must rack our brains to [find ways to] increase our entrance examination applicants," said Hideaki Nukui, president of the university.
The convenience store will open from early morning until late at night. "The existing co-op and the new convenience store will compete with each other to upgrade services," Nukui said.
The news has been hailed by students, particularly those in graduate courses who often have to study late.
Faculty members are also pleased because they will no longer need to leave the campus during lunch hour to avoid packed canteens run by the co-op.
In December 2004, Kyoto University became the first state-run university to have a convenience store open an outlet on its campus. Tokyo, Saitama, Nagoya and other universities have since followed suit.
Yamanashi University had previously planned to sell wine on campus, but the plan fell foul of government regulations that placed restrictions on new retailers of alcoholic beverages to protect existing retailers. The restrictions will be lifted on Aug. 31.
The legal drinking age is 20 in Japan.
(Aug. 21, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/culture/20060821TDY17003.htm
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Ministry to help universities attract foreign research funds
The Education, Science and Technology Ministry plans to begin next academic year drawing up measures to improve cooperation between Japanese universities and foreign firms, according to ministry sources.
Currently, the number of research projects for which foreign companies commission Japanese universities is very small, while that of studies farmed out to foreign universities by Japanese companies is large. The new measures are aimed at rectifying the situation, the sources said.
The ministry will select 10 universities and budget tens of millions of yen annually per university to improve systems and staffing for cooperation with foreign companies, the sources said.
According to the sources, the ministry's survey of 966 universities nationwide showed that 16,936 research projects had been funded by the private sector in the 2005 academic year, but only 41 of those--a mere 0.24 percent--were paid for by foreign firms.
Japanese firms, meanwhile, farm out research far more often to foreign universities than they do Japanese universities, spending 198.5 billion yen in fiscal 2003, the sources said.
The ministry has concluded that the universities' failure to establish a policy for cooperation with foreign firms has led to the current situation, and intends to help domestic universities improve such activities.
The ministry plans to assist universities cooperating with the private sector to establish an office within their intellectual property departments in charge of negotiating with foreign companies.
It is also considering posting experts in other countries' patent laws and those knowledgeable about who owns the rights to the research.
The ministry will use the system to promote the use of business management firms acting as negotiators with foreign companies.
(Aug. 6, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060806TDY02002.htm
Currently, the number of research projects for which foreign companies commission Japanese universities is very small, while that of studies farmed out to foreign universities by Japanese companies is large. The new measures are aimed at rectifying the situation, the sources said.
The ministry will select 10 universities and budget tens of millions of yen annually per university to improve systems and staffing for cooperation with foreign companies, the sources said.
According to the sources, the ministry's survey of 966 universities nationwide showed that 16,936 research projects had been funded by the private sector in the 2005 academic year, but only 41 of those--a mere 0.24 percent--were paid for by foreign firms.
Japanese firms, meanwhile, farm out research far more often to foreign universities than they do Japanese universities, spending 198.5 billion yen in fiscal 2003, the sources said.
The ministry has concluded that the universities' failure to establish a policy for cooperation with foreign firms has led to the current situation, and intends to help domestic universities improve such activities.
The ministry plans to assist universities cooperating with the private sector to establish an office within their intellectual property departments in charge of negotiating with foreign companies.
It is also considering posting experts in other countries' patent laws and those knowledgeable about who owns the rights to the research.
The ministry will use the system to promote the use of business management firms acting as negotiators with foreign companies.
(Aug. 6, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060806TDY02002.htm
No. of people firms plan to hire for mid-career programs rises 30%
The number of people Japanese companies were planning to hire at the start of fiscal 2006 under their mid-career recruitment programs shot up 30.1 percent over a year earlier to 695,900, Recruit Co. said Wednesday.
The job placement ad magazine publisher said the findings, based on a survey it conducted in February and March, indicate that Japanese companies are facing worker shortages as a result of an economic rebound.
A Recruit analyst said the mid-career programs at big companies are "also designed to remedy" the shortages of young workers in their workforces.
The shortages have arisen from the companies' decisions in recent years to limit the number of fresh graduates from universities and colleges they employ prior to the start of their new business years.
The number of people which the companies whose workers on regular payrolls are 299 or less were planning to hire under such recruitment plans rose 26.5 percent to 546,600, Recruit said.
The number of mid-career recruits to be hired at firms with a regular payroll between 300 and 999 rose 37.5 percent to 59,800, while the number at firms with a regular payroll of over 1,000 jumped 51.6 percent to 89,600.
Recruit said the survey represented the firm's first-ever probe into Japanese companies' mid-career recruitment programs.
Recruit polled some 7,469 companies with a workforce of five persons or more. Of the polled, 4,068 responded.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060802/kyodo/d8j8b3700.html
The job placement ad magazine publisher said the findings, based on a survey it conducted in February and March, indicate that Japanese companies are facing worker shortages as a result of an economic rebound.
A Recruit analyst said the mid-career programs at big companies are "also designed to remedy" the shortages of young workers in their workforces.
The shortages have arisen from the companies' decisions in recent years to limit the number of fresh graduates from universities and colleges they employ prior to the start of their new business years.
The number of people which the companies whose workers on regular payrolls are 299 or less were planning to hire under such recruitment plans rose 26.5 percent to 546,600, Recruit said.
The number of mid-career recruits to be hired at firms with a regular payroll between 300 and 999 rose 37.5 percent to 59,800, while the number at firms with a regular payroll of over 1,000 jumped 51.6 percent to 89,600.
Recruit said the survey represented the firm's first-ever probe into Japanese companies' mid-career recruitment programs.
Recruit polled some 7,469 companies with a workforce of five persons or more. Of the polled, 4,068 responded.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060802/kyodo/d8j8b3700.html
Rough road ahead for private universities
The expansionary policy of private universities and the establishment of new universities in an attempt to lure students has backfired.
According to the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan, the percentage of private universities whose enrollment following the spring entrance examinations failed to meet their intake quotas hit a record high of 40.4 percent, exceeding the 40 percent mark for the first time.
The environment surrounding private universities has changed significantly in recent years.
The Education, Science and Technology Ministry abolished its policy on the establishment of new universities and new departments. Joint-stock companies may now open universities in special structural reform zones.
The deregulation has resulted in many new types of universities and departments being opened around the country.
According to the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation, eight new universities and 41 departments were created this spring, excluding those opened by joint-stock companies and those offering only correspondence courses.
As a result, the total intake quota increased by 9,258 from the previous spring to about 440,000, which was a key factor contributing to the unmet enrollment in the survey.
The number of university applicants, however, has declined.
According to the ministry, the number of 18-year-olds dropped from about 1.73 million in academic year 1996 to about 1.33 million this year, with that population expected to fall to about 1.17 million in 2018.
Tadao Kiyonari, a university affairs consultant at Hosei University, said the phenomenon was irrational from the viewpoint of supply and demand.
Why has supply failed to reflect demand? As competition for students intensifies among universities, each university has done its best to recruit students by opening departments in popular fields, such as nursing and welfare, and primary education.
On the other hand, the number of applicants for the less popular departments, such as engineering and pharmacy, which was recently changed from a four-year course to a six-year course, declined.
A Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation official said it is not easy for universities to integrate or scrap existing departments when they consider the interests of the professors and students in those departments.
In other words, the expansionary policies that some universities have followed and the establishment of new universities--all to recruit more students--has resulted in a vicious cycle that has aggravated the environment for all private universities.
However, with the number of applicants for the popular nursing and welfare course leveling off, the official also pointed out such courses have their limits in attracting students.
A senior official from the education ministry said the ministry had no intention of tightening controls on universities again because the deregulation is a government policy.
As such, the number of universities that will go bankrupt after failing to recruit students is expected to rise.
The ministry has already begun mapping out measures to deal with possible university bankruptcies. In May last year, the education ministry released steps to deal with financially troubled academic institutions, including a program to protect students of bankrupt universities.
In the event that a university goes under, neighboring universities will be asked to accept students of the bankrupt university, reduce enrollment fees and accept the students' credits.
Meanwhile, a group of experts from the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation also released an interim report in mid-July on steps to deal with bankrupt universities. They proposed the introduction of a "yellow card" system under which the corporation will offer business advice to universities confirmed to have financial troubles.
In the event that such universities cannot improve their finances, the corporation will then take "red card" measures against them, such as terminating the provision of subsidies and loans and suspending student recruitment.
Next year, the number of applicants will match the enrollment quota.
To prevent private universities from going belly up, each university has to do its best to improve its finances. The latest survey showed that small universities whose enrollment quotas were fewer than 100 students increased their enrollment rates from the previous year.
As such, some universities might have to streamline their operations by reducing their number of departments and their enrollment quota. Some of the less-popular universities have offered job-hunting assistance and unique courses for students as ways to differentiate themselves from other universities.
However, instead of seeking immediate returns by opening popular new departments, universities should carry out concrete reforms, such as improving their quality, to impress students and firms.
(Aug. 1, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060801TDY04003.htm
According to the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan, the percentage of private universities whose enrollment following the spring entrance examinations failed to meet their intake quotas hit a record high of 40.4 percent, exceeding the 40 percent mark for the first time.
The environment surrounding private universities has changed significantly in recent years.
The Education, Science and Technology Ministry abolished its policy on the establishment of new universities and new departments. Joint-stock companies may now open universities in special structural reform zones.
The deregulation has resulted in many new types of universities and departments being opened around the country.
According to the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation, eight new universities and 41 departments were created this spring, excluding those opened by joint-stock companies and those offering only correspondence courses.
As a result, the total intake quota increased by 9,258 from the previous spring to about 440,000, which was a key factor contributing to the unmet enrollment in the survey.
The number of university applicants, however, has declined.
According to the ministry, the number of 18-year-olds dropped from about 1.73 million in academic year 1996 to about 1.33 million this year, with that population expected to fall to about 1.17 million in 2018.
Tadao Kiyonari, a university affairs consultant at Hosei University, said the phenomenon was irrational from the viewpoint of supply and demand.
Why has supply failed to reflect demand? As competition for students intensifies among universities, each university has done its best to recruit students by opening departments in popular fields, such as nursing and welfare, and primary education.
On the other hand, the number of applicants for the less popular departments, such as engineering and pharmacy, which was recently changed from a four-year course to a six-year course, declined.
A Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation official said it is not easy for universities to integrate or scrap existing departments when they consider the interests of the professors and students in those departments.
In other words, the expansionary policies that some universities have followed and the establishment of new universities--all to recruit more students--has resulted in a vicious cycle that has aggravated the environment for all private universities.
However, with the number of applicants for the popular nursing and welfare course leveling off, the official also pointed out such courses have their limits in attracting students.
A senior official from the education ministry said the ministry had no intention of tightening controls on universities again because the deregulation is a government policy.
As such, the number of universities that will go bankrupt after failing to recruit students is expected to rise.
The ministry has already begun mapping out measures to deal with possible university bankruptcies. In May last year, the education ministry released steps to deal with financially troubled academic institutions, including a program to protect students of bankrupt universities.
In the event that a university goes under, neighboring universities will be asked to accept students of the bankrupt university, reduce enrollment fees and accept the students' credits.
Meanwhile, a group of experts from the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation also released an interim report in mid-July on steps to deal with bankrupt universities. They proposed the introduction of a "yellow card" system under which the corporation will offer business advice to universities confirmed to have financial troubles.
In the event that such universities cannot improve their finances, the corporation will then take "red card" measures against them, such as terminating the provision of subsidies and loans and suspending student recruitment.
Next year, the number of applicants will match the enrollment quota.
To prevent private universities from going belly up, each university has to do its best to improve its finances. The latest survey showed that small universities whose enrollment quotas were fewer than 100 students increased their enrollment rates from the previous year.
As such, some universities might have to streamline their operations by reducing their number of departments and their enrollment quota. Some of the less-popular universities have offered job-hunting assistance and unique courses for students as ways to differentiate themselves from other universities.
However, instead of seeking immediate returns by opening popular new departments, universities should carry out concrete reforms, such as improving their quality, to impress students and firms.
(Aug. 1, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060801TDY04003.htm
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