Companies wanting to gain a competitive edge in the global marketplace are looking to hire foreign graduates of Japanese universities, especially those from China.
And students are eager to grab the opportunities, with the number of foreign students after graduation who changed their visa status to work in Japan in 2005 nearly double that of 2002.
Osaka-based electronics titan Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. currently has 120 foreigners on the payroll. But the company plans to hire an additional 100 over a three-year period starting in 2008.
Foreign students from Japanese universities also make up about 10 percent of the entire intake of new hires at the company's overseas subsidiaries in China and elsewhere.
"We can't do without the international viewpoint in order to manufacture and market products that pass muster around the globe," a recruiter for the company said.
Sumitomo Chemical Co., based in Tokyo, began hiring foreign students in 2005, coinciding with expansions of operations in China and South Korea. The company usually hires two foreign students in Japan every year, but plans to take in more in the future.
Sumitomo Chemical's overseas subsidiaries hire around 10 foreign graduates of Japanese universities every year. Hiroshi Niinuma, of the company's human resources department, said: "We are looking for skilled foreign personnel who can handle international projects in Japan; and for our overseas arms, we are seeking personnel who can serve as their liaison with Japanese operations. Foreign students studying in Japan prove a valuable pool of talent."
According to immigration authorities, 5,878 foreign students changed their visa status in 2005 to work in Japan. The figure amounted to 20 percent of all foreign graduates here that year.
Of those graduates, 4,186 were from China and 747 were from South Korea.
Even companies that have no overseas operations are trying to secure foreign students.
Cainz Home, a major home improvement retailer based in Gunma Prefecture, hired 18 employees from China in the last three years and will hire more in spring.
Cainz is looking for staff who can procure goods from China and collaborate with Chinese companies to develop new products.
"(Chinese recruits) are extremely ambitious and tackle brand new projects with a kind of gung-ho spirit," a Cainz human resources officer said.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry conducted a survey this spring asking listed companies about their plans to recruit graduates who can function in the global environment. Of the 289 companies that responded to the questionnaire, about 40 percent said they hoped to hire foreign students who have studied in Japan.
Foreign students studying in Japan are also keen on finding jobs with Japanese companies. In late May, the International Foreign Students Association, a nonprofit organization based in Tokyo, hosted a joint recruiting fair. A 22-year-old fourth-year student studying at Saitama University said she hoped to land a job with a big Japanese firm with a subsidiary in Malaysia so she could return home.
A 28-year-old Chinese student attending university in Tokyo was hoping to land a job with a cosmetics company. "My first choice would be a major company that handles overseas operations," she said. "But when you are a foreign student, it is not that easy to get an official offer--not like my Japanese counterparts."(IHT/Asahi: July 25,2007)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200707250094.html
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Govt to crack down on fake univ. credentials
Concern that an increasing number of overseas institutions award fake university degrees has prompted the Education, Science and Technology Ministry to investigate whether any faculty members at universities nationwide have obtained such bogus diplomas.
The ministry hopes to make its report public by autumn this year.
The institutions in question reportedly grant fake doctorates and other university degrees, although they do not actually engage in educational activities.
The education ministry suspects that organizations registered in Australia, Britain, China and the United States have issued degrees without being accredited in these countries.
(Jul. 25, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070725TDY02002.htm
The ministry hopes to make its report public by autumn this year.
The institutions in question reportedly grant fake doctorates and other university degrees, although they do not actually engage in educational activities.
The education ministry suspects that organizations registered in Australia, Britain, China and the United States have issued degrees without being accredited in these countries.
(Jul. 25, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070725TDY02002.htm
Monday, July 23, 2007
No. of students entering colleges in Sept. decreasing
Of 153 colleges which allowed new students to join them in September in fiscal 2005, only 63, about 40 percent, actually had new students entering at times other than in April, the usual start of Japan's academic year, the education ministry said Sunday.
The number of such students, including those from overseas, stood at 1,569, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
The numbers both of such colleges and students declined from the previous fiscal year, indicating that students remain reluctant to enter colleges in September as they cannot then immediately gain employment after graduation. The new business year in Japan also starts in April.
The 153 colleges comprise 27 national ones, eight local government-run universities and 118 private schools.
Although the government has urged colleges to introduce a September-entrance system, some have stopped recruiting students for the fall semester due to the decrease in the number of the applicants.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070722/kyodo/d8qhgs100.html
The number of such students, including those from overseas, stood at 1,569, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
The numbers both of such colleges and students declined from the previous fiscal year, indicating that students remain reluctant to enter colleges in September as they cannot then immediately gain employment after graduation. The new business year in Japan also starts in April.
The 153 colleges comprise 27 national ones, eight local government-run universities and 118 private schools.
Although the government has urged colleges to introduce a September-entrance system, some have stopped recruiting students for the fall semester due to the decrease in the number of the applicants.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070722/kyodo/d8qhgs100.html
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Interest growing in Arabic language
"As-salaamu Alaykum." In other words, "Konnichi wa." Although it has been long regarded as a minor language that is studied by a limited number of people such as researchers, Arabic is becoming popular with an increasing number of learners. To explain its new popularity, some point to the increased media attention the Arabic-speaking world has been drawing in light of war, political confusion and the other hardships facing the people there.
The Arabic Islamic Institute in Tokyo, which is run by the Saudi Arabian government, has been offering free Arabic classes since April 2001. The classes started with about 100 students in their first year, but have been taken by about 160 students annually since 2003.
The institute offers the free classes in two semesters starting in April and September. Students are divided into four levels, with beginners classes being the most popular. Although each class can accept up to 30 students, the beginners' class attracted about 50 applicants for each of the two most recent semesters.
When The Yomiuri Shimbun recently visited an upper-intermediate Level 3 class, the second highest level, the students were practicing writing.
Egyptian instructor Gamal Zaitoun, 46, asked in Arabic, "What did you do over the weekend?" One of the students, Yoshiyuki Sato, 26, of Sumida Ward, Tokyo, replied, "I enjoyed having zosui [rice stew]." The instructor told Sato to write the sentence down.
Sato walked to a whiteboard at the front of the room and began spelling out his words in Arabic letters that flowed from right to left.
"Mumtaaz [Splendid]," Zaitoun said.
In addition to the institute, an increasing number of other organizations have begun offering Arabic classes. NHK launched a televised Arabic course in 2003, while the University of the Air--which offers correspondence courses via television and radio--also started such a course last year.
More and more universities have been following the move. In 2001, there were 27 Arabic courses offered at the university level nationwide. By 2005, that figure had nearly doubled, to 52.
There is also a small private Arabic school in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. Gallery PoRto LibRE turns itself into an Arabic school every Tuesday night. One of the instructors there is Michiko Suzuki, 60, who runs a bar next door. The school was "launched" when Suzuki's regular customers asked her to teach them Arabic as she once studied in Egypt.
The nation's first Arabic proficiency examination is now under way. Keiko Miyakawa, 35, of Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture, whose husband works at the Japanese Embassy in Cairo, has established a nonprofit organization named the Japanese Organization for Arabic Language Examinations. The first test will be set for the end of October in Tokyo and Osaka.
Arabic is spoken in more than 20 countries in the Middle East. It may be unfamiliar to many in Japan, but there are many words that are familiar to Japanese that are said to have originated from the language--such as coffee, lemon, orange, massage, candy and sherbet.
Nonetheless, many hurdles face Japanese in improving their Arabic skills. For example, the language has a variety of sounds similar to "ka" and "sa" in Japanese, so it is difficult for Japanese students to distinguish them in speaking and listening.
However, students learning at the Arabic Islamic Institute in Tokyo said the language had some attractive aspects that they could not find in others.
"It's an Arabic custom that when they invite guests, they say, 'Please give me an honor," said Sachi Akita, 25, a temp staff worker from Tachikawa, Tokyo. "I've found that the language is filled with hospitality."
On the other hand, Shinichi Sato, a 24-year-old part-time worker from Shinjuku Ward, is attracted by the beauty of Arabic handwriting.
"Arabic also has an art of calligraphy. I've found an indescribable flavor in their winding shapes," he said.
(Jul. 19, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/20070719TDY14001.htm
The Arabic Islamic Institute in Tokyo, which is run by the Saudi Arabian government, has been offering free Arabic classes since April 2001. The classes started with about 100 students in their first year, but have been taken by about 160 students annually since 2003.
The institute offers the free classes in two semesters starting in April and September. Students are divided into four levels, with beginners classes being the most popular. Although each class can accept up to 30 students, the beginners' class attracted about 50 applicants for each of the two most recent semesters.
When The Yomiuri Shimbun recently visited an upper-intermediate Level 3 class, the second highest level, the students were practicing writing.
Egyptian instructor Gamal Zaitoun, 46, asked in Arabic, "What did you do over the weekend?" One of the students, Yoshiyuki Sato, 26, of Sumida Ward, Tokyo, replied, "I enjoyed having zosui [rice stew]." The instructor told Sato to write the sentence down.
Sato walked to a whiteboard at the front of the room and began spelling out his words in Arabic letters that flowed from right to left.
"Mumtaaz [Splendid]," Zaitoun said.
In addition to the institute, an increasing number of other organizations have begun offering Arabic classes. NHK launched a televised Arabic course in 2003, while the University of the Air--which offers correspondence courses via television and radio--also started such a course last year.
More and more universities have been following the move. In 2001, there were 27 Arabic courses offered at the university level nationwide. By 2005, that figure had nearly doubled, to 52.
There is also a small private Arabic school in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. Gallery PoRto LibRE turns itself into an Arabic school every Tuesday night. One of the instructors there is Michiko Suzuki, 60, who runs a bar next door. The school was "launched" when Suzuki's regular customers asked her to teach them Arabic as she once studied in Egypt.
The nation's first Arabic proficiency examination is now under way. Keiko Miyakawa, 35, of Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture, whose husband works at the Japanese Embassy in Cairo, has established a nonprofit organization named the Japanese Organization for Arabic Language Examinations. The first test will be set for the end of October in Tokyo and Osaka.
Arabic is spoken in more than 20 countries in the Middle East. It may be unfamiliar to many in Japan, but there are many words that are familiar to Japanese that are said to have originated from the language--such as coffee, lemon, orange, massage, candy and sherbet.
Nonetheless, many hurdles face Japanese in improving their Arabic skills. For example, the language has a variety of sounds similar to "ka" and "sa" in Japanese, so it is difficult for Japanese students to distinguish them in speaking and listening.
However, students learning at the Arabic Islamic Institute in Tokyo said the language had some attractive aspects that they could not find in others.
"It's an Arabic custom that when they invite guests, they say, 'Please give me an honor," said Sachi Akita, 25, a temp staff worker from Tachikawa, Tokyo. "I've found that the language is filled with hospitality."
On the other hand, Shinichi Sato, a 24-year-old part-time worker from Shinjuku Ward, is attracted by the beauty of Arabic handwriting.
"Arabic also has an art of calligraphy. I've found an indescribable flavor in their winding shapes," he said.
(Jul. 19, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/20070719TDY14001.htm
Friday, July 13, 2007
Study of Chinese, Korean increasing / High schools lead the way in hope of deepening friendship with neighbors
More and more high schools are offering language lessons in Chinese and Korean, with many hoping this will help deepen friendship with the countries.
About 30,000 students are currently taking courses in these two languages at more than 800 high schools, according to the Education, Science and Technology Ministry.
Chinese and Korean have become more popular at high schools than French or German, the main foreign languages aside from English that have been studied at schools since the Meiji era (1868-1912).
A ministry survey found 553 high schools were teaching Chinese in 2005--about three times the 1995 total of 192. In the same period the number of high schools offering Korean almost quadrupled from 73 to 286.
However, the number of high schools teaching French or German has not increased so rapidly. The number offering French increased from 147 to 248 in the same 10-year period, and the number holding German classes grew from 75 to 105.
The National Center for University Entrance Examinations added Chinese in 1997 and Korean in 2002 as examination subjects in addition to English, French and German, which have been studied since the organization was established in 1977.
After English, students this year primarily took Chinese in their entrance examinations, followed by Korean, French, and German.
"As economic and cultural exchanges with China and South Korea are flourishing, schools emphasizing education for international understanding have chosen to allow their students to learn the languages of our neighboring countries," a ministry official said.
The majority of high schools teaching Chinese and Korean offer classes as an optional subject once or twice a week, and reportedly use textbooks independently produced by a group of teachers.
The Tokyo metropolitan government-run Hibiya High School is known as a fast-track school and both Korean and Chinese are taught to its second-year students.
"I think studying the languages will be useful in my future work," a student taking Chinese said.
A student studying Korean said, "I want to be able to read difficult characters."
"Those who open their minds can grow as people," school Principal Naoomi Nagasawa said.
The Tokyo metropolitan government-run Roppongi High School takes in students that have played truant from or dropped out of other schools.
Since its establishment in 2005, it has offered courses in Chinese and Korean, reasoning that students who found English tough may put up less resistance to languages with a script that does not use the Roman alphabet.
In areas where many Chinese and Koreans with permanent residency in Japan reside, many high schools offer courses in those languages in a bid to deepening understanding between students with different backgrounds.
"People are increasingly learning the languages of our neighboring countries from a young age and this helps foster cooperation and friendship between the people of these countries," said Kayoko Nakano, the secretary general of The Japan Forum, a group that promotes foreign language education at schools.
(Jul. 12, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070712TDY02005.htm
About 30,000 students are currently taking courses in these two languages at more than 800 high schools, according to the Education, Science and Technology Ministry.
Chinese and Korean have become more popular at high schools than French or German, the main foreign languages aside from English that have been studied at schools since the Meiji era (1868-1912).
A ministry survey found 553 high schools were teaching Chinese in 2005--about three times the 1995 total of 192. In the same period the number of high schools offering Korean almost quadrupled from 73 to 286.
However, the number of high schools teaching French or German has not increased so rapidly. The number offering French increased from 147 to 248 in the same 10-year period, and the number holding German classes grew from 75 to 105.
The National Center for University Entrance Examinations added Chinese in 1997 and Korean in 2002 as examination subjects in addition to English, French and German, which have been studied since the organization was established in 1977.
After English, students this year primarily took Chinese in their entrance examinations, followed by Korean, French, and German.
"As economic and cultural exchanges with China and South Korea are flourishing, schools emphasizing education for international understanding have chosen to allow their students to learn the languages of our neighboring countries," a ministry official said.
The majority of high schools teaching Chinese and Korean offer classes as an optional subject once or twice a week, and reportedly use textbooks independently produced by a group of teachers.
The Tokyo metropolitan government-run Hibiya High School is known as a fast-track school and both Korean and Chinese are taught to its second-year students.
"I think studying the languages will be useful in my future work," a student taking Chinese said.
A student studying Korean said, "I want to be able to read difficult characters."
"Those who open their minds can grow as people," school Principal Naoomi Nagasawa said.
The Tokyo metropolitan government-run Roppongi High School takes in students that have played truant from or dropped out of other schools.
Since its establishment in 2005, it has offered courses in Chinese and Korean, reasoning that students who found English tough may put up less resistance to languages with a script that does not use the Roman alphabet.
In areas where many Chinese and Koreans with permanent residency in Japan reside, many high schools offer courses in those languages in a bid to deepening understanding between students with different backgrounds.
"People are increasingly learning the languages of our neighboring countries from a young age and this helps foster cooperation and friendship between the people of these countries," said Kayoko Nakano, the secretary general of The Japan Forum, a group that promotes foreign language education at schools.
(Jul. 12, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070712TDY02005.htm
Students pooling cash to invest in their futures
University students anxious about their pensions or hoping to find well-paid jobs are increasingly pooling their money and forming investment clubs to buy and sell shares.
The entrepreneurial students hope to learn about how the economy works and gain expertise in asset management through investing in stocks.
However, some analysts fear that students who get absorbed in these investment undertakings might end up gaining an interest in money for the wrong reasons.
Every Friday evening, on Keio University's Hiyoshi Campus in Kohoku Ward, Yokohama, students carrying magazines with information on stocks attend a meeting of SPEC (Keio Stock Club).
The club, established in 2004, is made up of 35 first-, second- and third-year students, about 30 percent of whom have trading experience.
In the meetings, senior members teach the fundamentals of stock trading such as terminology and how to read financial statements.
Thirty of the members paid 10,000 yen each to form a trial fund that was established in April. In the meetings they discuss which stocks to buy.
"There's a degree of guilt associated with stock trading, but it's an excellent way to learn about economics," said Hideki Sekito, 20, a representative of the club and a student in the university's science and technology department.
A group of about 10 students at Doshisha University, all novices in stock trading, are hoping to set up a club there this summer.
"Our generation is worried about the future because of pension concerns and other issues," a member of the group said. "So we thought we'd better start learning about asset management now."
Agents is a well-known investment club for Tokyo University students. Its members wrote and published a simple stock-trading textbook in 2004 that sold more than 130,000 copies.
Fifteen universities, including the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Meiji University and Osaka City University, are known to have investment clubs, with most club members investing about 10,000 yen each.
Investment clubs were first recognized in Japan in 1996 and are considered to be associations under the Civil Code. Most of them have established accounts with securities companies.
The number of clubs has increased by about 30 percent over the past two years, bringing the level to about 500 clubs, according to nonprofit organization Aprosis.
These university clubs are said to be beneficial in helping find employment for students interested in learning how to assess matters such as management strategies, areas of potential growth and acquisition targets.
Aside from the educational aspects of these clubs, some students expect they can profit if their investments perform well.
However, Takuro Morinaga, a professor of labor economics at Dokkyo University's economics department and author of several economic best sellers, warns against this. "One false step, and you could turn into a money-worshipper and make some foolish moves," he said.
"It's not about making a profit or a loss. It's about learning why you invested in a certain company's stocks," said Chiaki Wakazono, head researcher at the Japan Securities Research Institute.
(Jul. 12, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070712TDY04005.htm
The entrepreneurial students hope to learn about how the economy works and gain expertise in asset management through investing in stocks.
However, some analysts fear that students who get absorbed in these investment undertakings might end up gaining an interest in money for the wrong reasons.
Every Friday evening, on Keio University's Hiyoshi Campus in Kohoku Ward, Yokohama, students carrying magazines with information on stocks attend a meeting of SPEC (Keio Stock Club).
The club, established in 2004, is made up of 35 first-, second- and third-year students, about 30 percent of whom have trading experience.
In the meetings, senior members teach the fundamentals of stock trading such as terminology and how to read financial statements.
Thirty of the members paid 10,000 yen each to form a trial fund that was established in April. In the meetings they discuss which stocks to buy.
"There's a degree of guilt associated with stock trading, but it's an excellent way to learn about economics," said Hideki Sekito, 20, a representative of the club and a student in the university's science and technology department.
A group of about 10 students at Doshisha University, all novices in stock trading, are hoping to set up a club there this summer.
"Our generation is worried about the future because of pension concerns and other issues," a member of the group said. "So we thought we'd better start learning about asset management now."
Agents is a well-known investment club for Tokyo University students. Its members wrote and published a simple stock-trading textbook in 2004 that sold more than 130,000 copies.
Fifteen universities, including the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Meiji University and Osaka City University, are known to have investment clubs, with most club members investing about 10,000 yen each.
Investment clubs were first recognized in Japan in 1996 and are considered to be associations under the Civil Code. Most of them have established accounts with securities companies.
The number of clubs has increased by about 30 percent over the past two years, bringing the level to about 500 clubs, according to nonprofit organization Aprosis.
These university clubs are said to be beneficial in helping find employment for students interested in learning how to assess matters such as management strategies, areas of potential growth and acquisition targets.
Aside from the educational aspects of these clubs, some students expect they can profit if their investments perform well.
However, Takuro Morinaga, a professor of labor economics at Dokkyo University's economics department and author of several economic best sellers, warns against this. "One false step, and you could turn into a money-worshipper and make some foolish moves," he said.
"It's not about making a profit or a loss. It's about learning why you invested in a certain company's stocks," said Chiaki Wakazono, head researcher at the Japan Securities Research Institute.
(Jul. 12, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070712TDY04005.htm
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Universities not eager for grad teaching programs
Universities planning to launch postgraduate courses in education next spring to provide prospective teachers with in-depth, wide-ranging training number only 21 across the country, apparently reflecting universities' skepticism about the wisdom of offering such courses.
The planned postgraduate courses for those aspiring to teach are a centerpiece of recommendations the Central Council for Education, an advisory body to the education, science and technology minister, made in its report in July 2006, for improving the quality and competence of teachers.
In response to surging public criticism of the decline in teachers' ability to instruct their students and manage other school affairs, the council called for the creation of the postgraduate teacher training courses along with the introduction of a teaching certificate renewal system.
Like postgraduate law schools that were established in April 2004 to foster highly specialized judicial knowledge and skills, the master's courses for future teachers are supposed to equip enrollees with sufficient competence to serve as full-fledged teachers immediately after obtaining teaching positions.
The courses are also intended to train teachers currently working in primary, middle and high schools to help them play a leading role in dealing with a host of problems facing today's education system.
The education council in its report in July last year noted that about 40 percent of instructors of the postgraduate courses for teachers should have years of experience running classrooms.
Some universities have already set up two-year postgraduate education expert training programs. Among them is one in which instructors from the universities give practical advice to school principals by accompanying them while they are on duty at their respective schools.
The 21 universities--15 state-run and six private ones--that have applied for ministry approval to commence the new postgraduate courses seems to be unexpectedly low number compared with the number of universities with education departments where students can qualify for teaching certificates.
As of April 2006, 570 universities were offering four-year undergraduate programs in education for those seeking teaching licenses, including 47 state-run universities that are exclusively for students who aspire to be teachers.
The 21 universities that have plans to open the teaching specialist postgraduate courses are located in various regions of the country, but about half of the nation's prefectures will have no such courses at the start of the system next spring.
This compares with the 72 universities that made applications for government approval to open postgraduate law schools in the system's initial year of 2004.
A key factor behind the small number of universities set to establish postgraduate courses in education seems to be the heavy burdens involved in setting up such programs.
Most of the courses are expected to have several dozen students enrolled, while each university planning to offer the program is required to have at least 11 full-time instructors.
Because of the high instructor-to-student ratio, many universities appear to find it difficult to make such courses compatible with existing postgraduate programs aimed at training research specialists in various fields.
Under the circumstances, a plan is being studied by a number of universities in the Kansai region to jointly establish a single postgraduate teacher-training course.
From the viewpoint of university management, schools understandably see more advantage to providing training to current teachers seeking to renew their licenses.
One university professor who will be in charge of the university's postgraduate course in education said: "Postgraduate courses have so far been mostly for the purpose of teaching enrollees professional knowledge in specified fields of learning. The courses for teaching specialists, by contrast, are for developing enrollees' practical capabilities as teachers, or a kind of artisan in educational activities."
However, there will be no differences in the degrees of teaching certificates between those finishing the conventional postgraduate courses and those undergoing the courses specializing in boosting teaching capabilities.
In addition, it is unclear what better working conditions current teachers will be entitled to when they finish the postgraduate courses.
Furthermore, as a result of mass retirement of teachers of the baby-boomer generation, job offers for prospective teachers are sharply rising, more than 1,000 a year at primary schools alone in major cities.
Given the situation, many analysts say there will be not so many students opting to continue on to postgraduate courses to become teachers.
The launch of the postgraduate teacher-training courses will certainly tighten the relationship between universities and boards of education that employ teachers at public schools.
The universities with plans to establish postgraduate courses have found it indispensable to strengthen their collaboration with boards of education to ensure that the boards will help course enrollees find schools where they intern. The universities also hope to see the boards of education help the students of the courses find teaching positions.
Noteworthy in this connection is that an increasing number of local governments, including the Tokyo metropolitan government, have set up their own programs for undergraduates who want to be teachers, in a bid to secure competent prospective teachers to weather the teacher shortage.
The launch of the postgraduate courses for students wishing to acquire specialist job skills as teachers will be certain to change the relationship between those who employ teachers and those who train them.
Nakanishi is a senior writer of The Yomiuri Shimbun.
(Jul. 10, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070710TDY04003.htm
The planned postgraduate courses for those aspiring to teach are a centerpiece of recommendations the Central Council for Education, an advisory body to the education, science and technology minister, made in its report in July 2006, for improving the quality and competence of teachers.
In response to surging public criticism of the decline in teachers' ability to instruct their students and manage other school affairs, the council called for the creation of the postgraduate teacher training courses along with the introduction of a teaching certificate renewal system.
Like postgraduate law schools that were established in April 2004 to foster highly specialized judicial knowledge and skills, the master's courses for future teachers are supposed to equip enrollees with sufficient competence to serve as full-fledged teachers immediately after obtaining teaching positions.
The courses are also intended to train teachers currently working in primary, middle and high schools to help them play a leading role in dealing with a host of problems facing today's education system.
The education council in its report in July last year noted that about 40 percent of instructors of the postgraduate courses for teachers should have years of experience running classrooms.
Some universities have already set up two-year postgraduate education expert training programs. Among them is one in which instructors from the universities give practical advice to school principals by accompanying them while they are on duty at their respective schools.
The 21 universities--15 state-run and six private ones--that have applied for ministry approval to commence the new postgraduate courses seems to be unexpectedly low number compared with the number of universities with education departments where students can qualify for teaching certificates.
As of April 2006, 570 universities were offering four-year undergraduate programs in education for those seeking teaching licenses, including 47 state-run universities that are exclusively for students who aspire to be teachers.
The 21 universities that have plans to open the teaching specialist postgraduate courses are located in various regions of the country, but about half of the nation's prefectures will have no such courses at the start of the system next spring.
This compares with the 72 universities that made applications for government approval to open postgraduate law schools in the system's initial year of 2004.
A key factor behind the small number of universities set to establish postgraduate courses in education seems to be the heavy burdens involved in setting up such programs.
Most of the courses are expected to have several dozen students enrolled, while each university planning to offer the program is required to have at least 11 full-time instructors.
Because of the high instructor-to-student ratio, many universities appear to find it difficult to make such courses compatible with existing postgraduate programs aimed at training research specialists in various fields.
Under the circumstances, a plan is being studied by a number of universities in the Kansai region to jointly establish a single postgraduate teacher-training course.
From the viewpoint of university management, schools understandably see more advantage to providing training to current teachers seeking to renew their licenses.
One university professor who will be in charge of the university's postgraduate course in education said: "Postgraduate courses have so far been mostly for the purpose of teaching enrollees professional knowledge in specified fields of learning. The courses for teaching specialists, by contrast, are for developing enrollees' practical capabilities as teachers, or a kind of artisan in educational activities."
However, there will be no differences in the degrees of teaching certificates between those finishing the conventional postgraduate courses and those undergoing the courses specializing in boosting teaching capabilities.
In addition, it is unclear what better working conditions current teachers will be entitled to when they finish the postgraduate courses.
Furthermore, as a result of mass retirement of teachers of the baby-boomer generation, job offers for prospective teachers are sharply rising, more than 1,000 a year at primary schools alone in major cities.
Given the situation, many analysts say there will be not so many students opting to continue on to postgraduate courses to become teachers.
The launch of the postgraduate teacher-training courses will certainly tighten the relationship between universities and boards of education that employ teachers at public schools.
The universities with plans to establish postgraduate courses have found it indispensable to strengthen their collaboration with boards of education to ensure that the boards will help course enrollees find schools where they intern. The universities also hope to see the boards of education help the students of the courses find teaching positions.
Noteworthy in this connection is that an increasing number of local governments, including the Tokyo metropolitan government, have set up their own programs for undergraduates who want to be teachers, in a bid to secure competent prospective teachers to weather the teacher shortage.
The launch of the postgraduate courses for students wishing to acquire specialist job skills as teachers will be certain to change the relationship between those who employ teachers and those who train them.
Nakanishi is a senior writer of The Yomiuri Shimbun.
(Jul. 10, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070710TDY04003.htm
Kanto colleges seek Kansai students
Universities in Tokyo are making efforts to attract students from the Kansai region in light of the declining number of students nationwide.
Waseda University's School of International Liberal Studies, established in 2004, will host a model class Saturday at an Osaka hotel. A professor of English and American literature will lecture in English about the development of print technology and media, followed by a question-and-answer session.
The university hopes to re-create the atmosphere of its Tokyo campuses at the event.
The 125,000 applicants for Waseda University this spring were the most for the ninth straight year among private universities nationwide. The university has organized few events to attract students outside its campuses other than explanatory meetings on entrance examinations.
"We decided to organize the event to gain more recognition for the [School of International Liberal Studies]," said Hiroyuki Yamaguchi, general manager of the school. "The Kansai region is a great resource for high-achieving students. We'd like to get ahead in the competition to attract them, even among schools within Waseda University."
The school has received about 50 applications for the event's 100 available seats.
Hosei University held its entrance exams this spring at nine venues, including one in Osaka. The university also has hosted about 100 trial lectures a year at high schools.
During the last school year, the university saw about a 60 percent increase from the previous year of applicants from the Kansai region.
Yasuhiro Hosoda of the university's admission center said: "It's pretty tough to erode the established base of universities in the Kansai region. Waseda's attempt is less like the emergence of a rival university than just giving students an opportunity to look at universities in the east."
According to the public relations office of Meiji University, which will begin holding entrance exams in Osaka next school year, the competition among Kanto universities to attract students in the Kansai region will multiply the effects of their efforts.
Keio University plans to open a research and education facility in Osaka next spring.
Kansai universities, however, are making their own efforts to attract students.
Ritsumeikan University opened offices in Sapporo, Nagoya, Kobe and Fukuoka in June and July, followed by its opening of a Tokyo campus and office in spring.
The university will hold events for university hopefuls in autumn in these cities, making the best of its nationwide network.
(Jul. 10, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070710TDY03002.htm
Waseda University's School of International Liberal Studies, established in 2004, will host a model class Saturday at an Osaka hotel. A professor of English and American literature will lecture in English about the development of print technology and media, followed by a question-and-answer session.
The university hopes to re-create the atmosphere of its Tokyo campuses at the event.
The 125,000 applicants for Waseda University this spring were the most for the ninth straight year among private universities nationwide. The university has organized few events to attract students outside its campuses other than explanatory meetings on entrance examinations.
"We decided to organize the event to gain more recognition for the [School of International Liberal Studies]," said Hiroyuki Yamaguchi, general manager of the school. "The Kansai region is a great resource for high-achieving students. We'd like to get ahead in the competition to attract them, even among schools within Waseda University."
The school has received about 50 applications for the event's 100 available seats.
Hosei University held its entrance exams this spring at nine venues, including one in Osaka. The university also has hosted about 100 trial lectures a year at high schools.
During the last school year, the university saw about a 60 percent increase from the previous year of applicants from the Kansai region.
Yasuhiro Hosoda of the university's admission center said: "It's pretty tough to erode the established base of universities in the Kansai region. Waseda's attempt is less like the emergence of a rival university than just giving students an opportunity to look at universities in the east."
According to the public relations office of Meiji University, which will begin holding entrance exams in Osaka next school year, the competition among Kanto universities to attract students in the Kansai region will multiply the effects of their efforts.
Keio University plans to open a research and education facility in Osaka next spring.
Kansai universities, however, are making their own efforts to attract students.
Ritsumeikan University opened offices in Sapporo, Nagoya, Kobe and Fukuoka in June and July, followed by its opening of a Tokyo campus and office in spring.
The university will hold events for university hopefuls in autumn in these cities, making the best of its nationwide network.
(Jul. 10, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070710TDY03002.htm
Monday, July 09, 2007
96 percent of Japanese high school students use mobile phones
An overwhelming majority of high school students are using mobile phones, according to a government survey.
The Cabinet Office surveyed 5,000 people aged between 10 and 29 and 2,000 parents of schoolchildren over their use of mobile phones and the Internet. Of them, 49.4 percent of those aged between 10 and 29 and 57.3 percent of the parents of schoolchildren responded.
Fully 96 percent of high school students are using mobile phones while some 60 percent of junior high school children and about 30 percent of elementary school children are using such phones, according to the survey results.
A total of 95.5 percent of high school students access Websites from their mobile phones while 56.3 percent of junior high school children and 27 percent of elementary school children do so, according to the results.
Some 74 percent of high school students use computers to access Websites while 68.7 percent of junior high school students and 58.3 percent of elementary school students do so.
When asked about their reasons for accessing the Internet, most of the schoolchildren said they are doing their homework, viewing Websites and blogs, and sending and receiving e-mails.
About 40 percent of the parents of schoolchildren expressed concern that their children may access harmful Website, such as violent, sexual and anti-social ones. Only 40.7 percent of high school students, 43.4 percent of junior high school students and 30 percent of elementary school students replied that they try not to access such sites.
Less than 3 percent of schoolchildren use filtering services to block access to such harmful sites, according to the survey results. (Mainichi)
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070707p2a00m0na003000c.html
An overwhelming majority of high school students are using mobile phones, according to a government survey.
The Cabinet Office surveyed 5,000 people aged between 10 and 29 and 2,000 parents of schoolchildren over their use of mobile phones and the Internet. Of them, 49.4 percent of those aged between 10 and 29 and 57.3 percent of the parents of schoolchildren responded.
Fully 96 percent of high school students are using mobile phones while some 60 percent of junior high school children and about 30 percent of elementary school children are using such phones, according to the survey results.
A total of 95.5 percent of high school students access Websites from their mobile phones while 56.3 percent of junior high school children and 27 percent of elementary school children do so, according to the results.
Some 74 percent of high school students use computers to access Websites while 68.7 percent of junior high school students and 58.3 percent of elementary school students do so.
When asked about their reasons for accessing the Internet, most of the schoolchildren said they are doing their homework, viewing Websites and blogs, and sending and receiving e-mails.
About 40 percent of the parents of schoolchildren expressed concern that their children may access harmful Website, such as violent, sexual and anti-social ones. Only 40.7 percent of high school students, 43.4 percent of junior high school students and 30 percent of elementary school students replied that they try not to access such sites.
Less than 3 percent of schoolchildren use filtering services to block access to such harmful sites, according to the survey results. (Mainichi)
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070707p2a00m0na003000c.html
Monday, July 02, 2007
28 universities to get 260 mil. yen grants
Sixty-three research projects at 28 universities have been selected by the Global Center of Excellence (COE) Program to receive state subsidies as internationally prominent university research centers.
In addition to significant research projects, COE universities also place importance on quality as educational institutions for nurturing researchers.
The plans submitted by the selected research bases are tipped to influence the future of graduate school education.
The COE program took over from the 21st Century COE Program, which was launched in fiscal 2002.
The 21st Century program selected 274 research projects over a period of three years, offering an average of 130 million yen in assistance per year.
In contrast, the COE program plans to select about 150 projects, including the aforementioned 63 projects, over three years. With the program becoming more selective about the projects it accepts, the number of selections will be nearly halved, but the assistance will amount to 260 million yen per year.
Of the 28 universities' 63 projects, 50 will be conducted by 21 national universities, three by three public universities and 10 by four private schools.
National universities beat out public and private universities in terms of the number of projects chosen, with Osaka University garnering seven, the most of any school this time, followed by Tokyo and Kyoto universities, with six each. While many universities whose research projects were recognized by the 21st Century COE Program did not make the grade this time, nine universities have been newly selected.
Kansai University, which was chosen for the grants for the first time, hung a banner at the entrance of the university boasting that its humanity and science studies had made the grade. University President Teiichi Kawata said the COE is a symbol that makes students and professors appreciate the university's achievements.
The university's Cultural Interaction Studies of East Asia by Peripheral Approach, which studies cultural exchanges in East Asia, including Japan, China and the Korean Peninsula, was selected.
Research leader Tao Demin, a Chinese professor of literature, said the selection will let some fresh air into the field of East Asian studies, which have tended to focus on China.
Doctoral students must take two Asian languages, in addition to English.
Young researchers also can make their presence felt through organizing international forums.
Kawata said his university requires its students to not only study, but also play a key role in international organizations.
Tokyo Institute of Technology, which houses the country's fastest supercomputer, Tsubame, was designated as a new research base for Computationism as the Foundation of Sciences, which studies computation for all phenomena, such as the reaction of elementary particles and the function of proteins in cells--unprecedented research that will help to pioneer new fields.
The university has set up a framework to recruit students from various fields and nurture them systematically. The school's doctoral students are required to spend at least two months in laboratories in fields other than those of their speciality.
In the past, students were usually taught by one professor under a system similar to an apprenticeship, but Prof. Osamu Watanabe, the project's leader, said exchanges with other fields would help researchers develop broader expertise.
Most universities plan to use the doubled funds to provide economic assistance to graduate students and young researchers.
According to a summary compiled in June by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry, Tokyo University, too, plans to use a large portion of the funds as economic assistance for its students. Keio University plans to hire about 12 postdoctoral researchers, and Osaka University will use the funds to hire second-term postdoctoral students as research associates.
Ryoji Noyori, chairman of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken) and chairman of the committee to select COE university projects, said economic assistance to young researchers also is indispensable in attracting able foreign students. "I hope these research bases will be a good reference for graduate schools in reforming their programs," he said.
(Jul. 1, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/science/20070701TDY03004.htm
In addition to significant research projects, COE universities also place importance on quality as educational institutions for nurturing researchers.
The plans submitted by the selected research bases are tipped to influence the future of graduate school education.
The COE program took over from the 21st Century COE Program, which was launched in fiscal 2002.
The 21st Century program selected 274 research projects over a period of three years, offering an average of 130 million yen in assistance per year.
In contrast, the COE program plans to select about 150 projects, including the aforementioned 63 projects, over three years. With the program becoming more selective about the projects it accepts, the number of selections will be nearly halved, but the assistance will amount to 260 million yen per year.
Of the 28 universities' 63 projects, 50 will be conducted by 21 national universities, three by three public universities and 10 by four private schools.
National universities beat out public and private universities in terms of the number of projects chosen, with Osaka University garnering seven, the most of any school this time, followed by Tokyo and Kyoto universities, with six each. While many universities whose research projects were recognized by the 21st Century COE Program did not make the grade this time, nine universities have been newly selected.
Kansai University, which was chosen for the grants for the first time, hung a banner at the entrance of the university boasting that its humanity and science studies had made the grade. University President Teiichi Kawata said the COE is a symbol that makes students and professors appreciate the university's achievements.
The university's Cultural Interaction Studies of East Asia by Peripheral Approach, which studies cultural exchanges in East Asia, including Japan, China and the Korean Peninsula, was selected.
Research leader Tao Demin, a Chinese professor of literature, said the selection will let some fresh air into the field of East Asian studies, which have tended to focus on China.
Doctoral students must take two Asian languages, in addition to English.
Young researchers also can make their presence felt through organizing international forums.
Kawata said his university requires its students to not only study, but also play a key role in international organizations.
Tokyo Institute of Technology, which houses the country's fastest supercomputer, Tsubame, was designated as a new research base for Computationism as the Foundation of Sciences, which studies computation for all phenomena, such as the reaction of elementary particles and the function of proteins in cells--unprecedented research that will help to pioneer new fields.
The university has set up a framework to recruit students from various fields and nurture them systematically. The school's doctoral students are required to spend at least two months in laboratories in fields other than those of their speciality.
In the past, students were usually taught by one professor under a system similar to an apprenticeship, but Prof. Osamu Watanabe, the project's leader, said exchanges with other fields would help researchers develop broader expertise.
Most universities plan to use the doubled funds to provide economic assistance to graduate students and young researchers.
According to a summary compiled in June by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry, Tokyo University, too, plans to use a large portion of the funds as economic assistance for its students. Keio University plans to hire about 12 postdoctoral researchers, and Osaka University will use the funds to hire second-term postdoctoral students as research associates.
Ryoji Noyori, chairman of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken) and chairman of the committee to select COE university projects, said economic assistance to young researchers also is indispensable in attracting able foreign students. "I hope these research bases will be a good reference for graduate schools in reforming their programs," he said.
(Jul. 1, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/science/20070701TDY03004.htm
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