Reforming the education system, a focus of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration, remains a goal for new education minister Kisaburo Tokai.
"I was told by Prime Minister (Yasuo) Fukuda to rebuild the education system," the 59-year-old Lower House member from Hyogo Prefecture said Wednesday. "As education is a pillar supporting a nation, I support this direction." The ministerial post, which Tokai assumed on Tuesday, is the lawmaker's first in a 21-year career.
Begun under Abe, the Education Rebuilding Council has emerged as a major force behind the push to reform the public education system. Among other things, the 17-member panel has proposed increasing class hours by 10 percent at public elementary and junior high schools and augmenting ethics education. The council will continue to discuss further reform measures under Fukuda.
Tokai also said he wants to bolster the number of teachers.
"It's important for teachers to have more time to spend with students. Now teachers are burdened with paperwork. By increasing their numbers, we can create an environment where teachers concentrate on education activities," he said in an interview in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Having more teachers will also help identify signs of bullying in the classroom, he said.
The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is requesting an allocation of ¥50.4 billion from the Finance Ministry over three years starting in fiscal 2008 to hire 21,362 new teachers — or about 7,000 each year.
"I'll endeavor to secure the budget," in spite of government attempts to trim fiscal spending, Tokai said.
Although a supporter of the ERC's plan to boost ethics education, Tokai is less enamored of the voucher system expected to be proposed by the panel in its third report in December. Under that plan, the government would provide coupons to help students pay for a private education. Critics say the system would intensify the already excessive competition between public and private schools.
"The government has to secure equal compulsory education opportunities for children," Tokai said. "Children in (rural) areas have little freedom to select schools (because of the scarcity of private institutions). So I'm not entirely supportive of introducing a voucher system without first solving this problem."
Tokai has taken a cautious line on the contentious subject of textbook screening.
In March, the education ministry caused a stir in Okinawa when it asked publishers of high school history textbooks to remove references to the Imperial Japanese Army's role in forcing civilians to commit mass suicide during the Battle of Okinawa in the closing days of the war.
"(Ministers) shouldn't say anything" about the screening process because the panel, which is made up of academics and schoolteachers, checks textbook drafts and judges whether the drafts have errors and inappropriate descriptions, he said at a news conference Tuesday.
"I think (the screening) should be done more carefully in dealing with (the descriptions), taking into account the feelings of the people in Okinawa," he said.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070928f1.html
Friday, September 28, 2007
LONDON (Kyodo) In response to concerns about a lack of funding for Japanese studies at British universities, a major cash injection will be announced next month in the form of new teaching posts.
In October, the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and the Nippon Foundation will announce which universities have successfully won grants from a special fund that will be used to establish 13 full-time teaching and research posts.
Over the last 10 years, several university departments have closed, leading to concerns that experts and research are at critically low levels.
The government recently stepped in to boost funding for strategically important "minority" subjects, including Japanese, but critics believe it didn't go far enough.
The foundations have decided to provide some £2.5 million (about ¥575 million) over five years. The new posts, a combination of lectureships and postdoctoral fellowships, will be up and running next year. The foundations hope to fund postgraduate study in the future.
Eager to broaden the scope of Japanese studies, the new posts will focus on aspects of contemporary Japan, covering such fields as politics, economics, international relations, culture, media and society.
This could be a reflection of a belief running through the academic community that an increasing number of young people are interested in modern-day Japan via their exposure to "manga" (comic books), design, music, fashion and the like.
"This is going to be one of the largest injections of recurrent external funding that Japanese studies in this country has ever received," said Stephen McEnally, chief executive of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. "We need to safeguard our next generation of Japan experts.
"The result of the cuts in funding has been a perceived decline in the number of early and midcareer academics working in Japanese studies as more and more British scholars seek research opportunities and work in countries overseas where provision for Japanese is much more generous," he said.
The foundations hope the cash injection will provide a long-term and sustainable future for Japanese studies.
Experts have said the current situation has reached a crisis and fear Britain's diplomatic and economic relations will be jeopardized if the erosion continues.
Some universities have cut back and closed down departments because they say there is not enough demand for Japanese and Japanese studies, a claim denied by academics who say the number of applications is rising.
According to one informed source, demand for places at one university course outstripped supply this year. The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation says that this year saw a 40.9 percent rise in undergraduate applications compared with 2006. And demand could well grow as 10,000 children are studying Japanese in schools.
Experts argue the cutbacks are a result of the subject being more expensive to teach per head than more popular languages, such as French and German — which have a higher number of students per teacher and are therefore more cost effective — and this is not taken into account when the government allocates funding to the universities.
Moreover, academics believe it is unfair that Japanese is classified in the same way as French and German when it comes to allocating funds for overseas study trips.
The quality of research has also suffered in Japanese departments because they generally have a small number of staff who must still carry out the same administrative responsibilities as larger departments. This has resulted in some of the Japanese departments failing to attract government funds for additional research.
McEnally expressed hope the new posts will allow the universities to mount courses that until now have been unavailable.
The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation was established in 1985 with an endowment from the Tokyo-based Japan Shipbuilding Industry Foundation. It gives grants to activities and projects that serve to enhance mutual understanding between Britain and Japan.
The Tokyo-based organization, now called the Nippon Foundation, is a private grant-making entity established in 1962. It funds assistance for humanitarian activities both at home and abroad, and for global maritime development.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070928f3.html
In October, the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and the Nippon Foundation will announce which universities have successfully won grants from a special fund that will be used to establish 13 full-time teaching and research posts.
Over the last 10 years, several university departments have closed, leading to concerns that experts and research are at critically low levels.
The government recently stepped in to boost funding for strategically important "minority" subjects, including Japanese, but critics believe it didn't go far enough.
The foundations have decided to provide some £2.5 million (about ¥575 million) over five years. The new posts, a combination of lectureships and postdoctoral fellowships, will be up and running next year. The foundations hope to fund postgraduate study in the future.
Eager to broaden the scope of Japanese studies, the new posts will focus on aspects of contemporary Japan, covering such fields as politics, economics, international relations, culture, media and society.
This could be a reflection of a belief running through the academic community that an increasing number of young people are interested in modern-day Japan via their exposure to "manga" (comic books), design, music, fashion and the like.
"This is going to be one of the largest injections of recurrent external funding that Japanese studies in this country has ever received," said Stephen McEnally, chief executive of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. "We need to safeguard our next generation of Japan experts.
"The result of the cuts in funding has been a perceived decline in the number of early and midcareer academics working in Japanese studies as more and more British scholars seek research opportunities and work in countries overseas where provision for Japanese is much more generous," he said.
The foundations hope the cash injection will provide a long-term and sustainable future for Japanese studies.
Experts have said the current situation has reached a crisis and fear Britain's diplomatic and economic relations will be jeopardized if the erosion continues.
Some universities have cut back and closed down departments because they say there is not enough demand for Japanese and Japanese studies, a claim denied by academics who say the number of applications is rising.
According to one informed source, demand for places at one university course outstripped supply this year. The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation says that this year saw a 40.9 percent rise in undergraduate applications compared with 2006. And demand could well grow as 10,000 children are studying Japanese in schools.
Experts argue the cutbacks are a result of the subject being more expensive to teach per head than more popular languages, such as French and German — which have a higher number of students per teacher and are therefore more cost effective — and this is not taken into account when the government allocates funding to the universities.
Moreover, academics believe it is unfair that Japanese is classified in the same way as French and German when it comes to allocating funds for overseas study trips.
The quality of research has also suffered in Japanese departments because they generally have a small number of staff who must still carry out the same administrative responsibilities as larger departments. This has resulted in some of the Japanese departments failing to attract government funds for additional research.
McEnally expressed hope the new posts will allow the universities to mount courses that until now have been unavailable.
The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation was established in 1985 with an endowment from the Tokyo-based Japan Shipbuilding Industry Foundation. It gives grants to activities and projects that serve to enhance mutual understanding between Britain and Japan.
The Tokyo-based organization, now called the Nippon Foundation, is a private grant-making entity established in 1962. It funds assistance for humanitarian activities both at home and abroad, and for global maritime development.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070928f3.html
Thursday, September 13, 2007
EDUCATIONAL RENAISSANCE / China magnet for foreign students
BEIJING--Students don't go to China just for language training anymore, nor is it any longer a nation that sends more students abroad than it takes in. In 2005, China for the first time saw the number of foreign students studying in the country--more than 140,000--surpass that of Chinese students heading overseas, at about 120,000.
The number of foreign students studying in China exceeded 160,000 last year, coming from 184 countries and territories. Forty percent of them came to the country for reasons other than language training. South Korea was the top source of foreign students with 57,000, followed by Japan with 18,000 and the United States with 11,000. Vietnam and Indonesia sent 7,000 and 5,000 students, respectively.
Daisuke Yamada, 21, of Waseda University's School of Political Science and Economics, was one of three Japanese students who completed a one-year course at Beijing University's School of International Studies this summer to earn "double degrees" from the two institutions.
At Waseda University's office next to Beijing University, the three students talked about the courses they took and described one course that compared political systems, in which the lecturer criticized the democratic system over and over again.
For example, one time the lecturer said: "When three candidates run for an election, one of them can win it by gaining just over 33.3 percent of the votes, but more than half of the voters cast ballots for the other two. As such, elections cannot always reflect public opinion."
The instructor usually ended up by criticizing the United States, concluding that as long as China can make the rule of law function correctly, it can rectify social misconduct--even without a "U.S.-imposed" democratic system--and achieve modernization. The Chinese Communist Party is required to control the nation, according to the lecturer's view.
"This is [a viewpoint] you can never learn in Japan," said Yamada.
The three Japanese students faced a high level of study on the courses they took. During the first semester, it was difficult for them to catch up with their Chinese classes but they were also given an assignment to summarize a 600-page Chinese-language textbook about disarmament in two weeks.
Because each room in their dormitories housed four to six people, the occupants find it difficult to study there. Therefore, the Chinese students go to the library at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. to secure seats, while also reciting English passages on the campus. Yamada and his two friends said the attitude of their Chinese counterparts made them realize what a university should be like.
On the other hand, China is now attracting more and more skilled workers, just like the United States, mainly thanks to an increase number of foreign enterprises opening up for business.
Microsoft Corp. has set up a laboratory in Zhong Guan Cun, Beijing, known as "the Silicon Valley of China." As the firm's largest lab, bigger than those in Britain, China, India and the United States, the facility has about 300 researchers.
The lab accepts 200 to 300 interns every year--mainly postgraduate students. Currently, Mizuki Oka of Tsukuba University is one such intern.
Majoring in computer science at the institution's Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, she started a six-month internship at the lab in April.
Oka, 27, who is taking advantage of one of the world's most advanced research environments in the field of computer graphics, said, "All the researchers and Chinese interns here are top-class people, and their arguments are really exciting."
The driving force for Oka to head for Beijing was when she read a paper written by Xu Yingqing, 47, a project leader at the lab who also serves as her mentor now.
The report discussed the technology to allow harmonious color blending in computer graphics. "I was impressed to realize computer graphics can involve a type of sensitivity like coloring," she recalled.
Because Oka's performance was highly appreciated, she was chosen as one of the 10 "best interns" who were invited to a party that Microsoft founder Bill Gates held in June at his home in Seattle.
Currently, Oka is studying how graphic information can be used as passwords. "In the scientific research field, what kind of human network you have can serve as a factor to open the door for your success," she said. "I'd like to maintain the relationships I have built here and also expand them after returning to Japan."
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/20070913TDY14001.htm
The number of foreign students studying in China exceeded 160,000 last year, coming from 184 countries and territories. Forty percent of them came to the country for reasons other than language training. South Korea was the top source of foreign students with 57,000, followed by Japan with 18,000 and the United States with 11,000. Vietnam and Indonesia sent 7,000 and 5,000 students, respectively.
Daisuke Yamada, 21, of Waseda University's School of Political Science and Economics, was one of three Japanese students who completed a one-year course at Beijing University's School of International Studies this summer to earn "double degrees" from the two institutions.
At Waseda University's office next to Beijing University, the three students talked about the courses they took and described one course that compared political systems, in which the lecturer criticized the democratic system over and over again.
For example, one time the lecturer said: "When three candidates run for an election, one of them can win it by gaining just over 33.3 percent of the votes, but more than half of the voters cast ballots for the other two. As such, elections cannot always reflect public opinion."
The instructor usually ended up by criticizing the United States, concluding that as long as China can make the rule of law function correctly, it can rectify social misconduct--even without a "U.S.-imposed" democratic system--and achieve modernization. The Chinese Communist Party is required to control the nation, according to the lecturer's view.
"This is [a viewpoint] you can never learn in Japan," said Yamada.
The three Japanese students faced a high level of study on the courses they took. During the first semester, it was difficult for them to catch up with their Chinese classes but they were also given an assignment to summarize a 600-page Chinese-language textbook about disarmament in two weeks.
Because each room in their dormitories housed four to six people, the occupants find it difficult to study there. Therefore, the Chinese students go to the library at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. to secure seats, while also reciting English passages on the campus. Yamada and his two friends said the attitude of their Chinese counterparts made them realize what a university should be like.
On the other hand, China is now attracting more and more skilled workers, just like the United States, mainly thanks to an increase number of foreign enterprises opening up for business.
Microsoft Corp. has set up a laboratory in Zhong Guan Cun, Beijing, known as "the Silicon Valley of China." As the firm's largest lab, bigger than those in Britain, China, India and the United States, the facility has about 300 researchers.
The lab accepts 200 to 300 interns every year--mainly postgraduate students. Currently, Mizuki Oka of Tsukuba University is one such intern.
Majoring in computer science at the institution's Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, she started a six-month internship at the lab in April.
Oka, 27, who is taking advantage of one of the world's most advanced research environments in the field of computer graphics, said, "All the researchers and Chinese interns here are top-class people, and their arguments are really exciting."
The driving force for Oka to head for Beijing was when she read a paper written by Xu Yingqing, 47, a project leader at the lab who also serves as her mentor now.
The report discussed the technology to allow harmonious color blending in computer graphics. "I was impressed to realize computer graphics can involve a type of sensitivity like coloring," she recalled.
Because Oka's performance was highly appreciated, she was chosen as one of the 10 "best interns" who were invited to a party that Microsoft founder Bill Gates held in June at his home in Seattle.
Currently, Oka is studying how graphic information can be used as passwords. "In the scientific research field, what kind of human network you have can serve as a factor to open the door for your success," she said. "I'd like to maintain the relationships I have built here and also expand them after returning to Japan."
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/20070913TDY14001.htm
Japanese Universities Will Be Harder to Graduate From
Japanese universities will become easier to get into and harder to graduate from.
The Japanese media reported on Tuesday that the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture’s Central Advisory Council, which is preparing reforms in university education, will request universities to strengthen their requisites for graduation.
The council is planning to request universities to administer a graduation exam, and the government to draft a set of abilities university students must acquire before graduating.
According to this plan, universities will not only hold graduation exams, but also set new goals and grading standards for classes, and come up with methods to assess the achievements of their students.
The set of abilities will include knowledge to learn basic information regarding a specific field of study and to connect it to history or society, the ability to speak, read, and write in Japanese or foreign languages, the attitude required for team work and morals, and creative thinking skills to solve problems using all these aforementioned skills.
The Japanese media commented that while the number of university students is on the rise, the quality of university education has been falling. They say that the council came up with this request because it is worried that the credibility of Japanese universities will fall if no changes are made.
Due to the low birth rate and relaxing of regulations, practically all high school graduates get into universities. The number of university applicants and the number of entrants are almost the same and this will make it hard to distinguish students upon admission. The recruiters criticize that a university graduation degree is meaningless. Universities accepted 698,000 or 90.5 percent of 772,000 applicants in 2007. In 2006, some 40 percent of four-year universities could not find enough entrants and 32 percent of applicants were admitted after just handing in thesis papers and without an entrance exam or interview.
The Economic Advisory Council, as well as the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture, is voicing concerns about the need to upgrade the quality of university education, especially when facing Japan’s low birth rate.
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2007091246248
The Japanese media reported on Tuesday that the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture’s Central Advisory Council, which is preparing reforms in university education, will request universities to strengthen their requisites for graduation.
The council is planning to request universities to administer a graduation exam, and the government to draft a set of abilities university students must acquire before graduating.
According to this plan, universities will not only hold graduation exams, but also set new goals and grading standards for classes, and come up with methods to assess the achievements of their students.
The set of abilities will include knowledge to learn basic information regarding a specific field of study and to connect it to history or society, the ability to speak, read, and write in Japanese or foreign languages, the attitude required for team work and morals, and creative thinking skills to solve problems using all these aforementioned skills.
The Japanese media commented that while the number of university students is on the rise, the quality of university education has been falling. They say that the council came up with this request because it is worried that the credibility of Japanese universities will fall if no changes are made.
Due to the low birth rate and relaxing of regulations, practically all high school graduates get into universities. The number of university applicants and the number of entrants are almost the same and this will make it hard to distinguish students upon admission. The recruiters criticize that a university graduation degree is meaningless. Universities accepted 698,000 or 90.5 percent of 772,000 applicants in 2007. In 2006, some 40 percent of four-year universities could not find enough entrants and 32 percent of applicants were admitted after just handing in thesis papers and without an entrance exam or interview.
The Economic Advisory Council, as well as the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture, is voicing concerns about the need to upgrade the quality of university education, especially when facing Japan’s low birth rate.
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2007091246248
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Education panel eyes standards for graduates
A subcommittee of the Central Council for Education, an advisory panel to the education, science and technology minister, on Monday compiled a draft proposal on the minimum level of academic ability university students will be required to achieve before graduation, according to sources.
With the number of children nationwide continuing to decrease, universities are expected to start fighting each other for high school graduates, leaving aspirant students able to enter university without difficulty as long as they are not too selective in their choice of university.
In such circumstances, the council wants to maintain the quality of a bachelor's degree at a certain level, the sources said.
University authorities will be required to strictly assess students to ensure that they are not allowed to graduate unless they have met certain standards, the sources said.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070911TDY02008.htm
With the number of children nationwide continuing to decrease, universities are expected to start fighting each other for high school graduates, leaving aspirant students able to enter university without difficulty as long as they are not too selective in their choice of university.
In such circumstances, the council wants to maintain the quality of a bachelor's degree at a certain level, the sources said.
University authorities will be required to strictly assess students to ensure that they are not allowed to graduate unless they have met certain standards, the sources said.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070911TDY02008.htm
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Univ. of Air to go digital in fiscal 2011
The University of the Air, which allows students to receive university-level education programs via TV and radio at home, aims to stop using the current CS broadcasting system and shift to BS digital broadcasting in fiscal 2011, in a bid to increase opportunities for people seeking higher education, according to sources.
By switching over to BS digital broadcasting, which has grown to more than four times the level of the spread of CS services, the university intends to narrow regional disparities in education, as well as meet the various demands of people who seek lifelong learning and specific courses to obtain certifications, the sources said.
The Education, Science and Technology Ministry, which oversees the university, made a budgetary request of 50 million yen for the next fiscal year to conduct research on how to launch a system that will enable the university to use BS digital broadcasting and how to set up transmission facilities. The ministry plans to complete installing the system in fiscal 2011.
Currently, the university's students take courses through three channels: CS digital broadcasts by Sky Perfect TV, terrestrial TV and FM radio broadcasts, and cable television services. CS digital broadcasting allows students anywhere in the nation to receive the courses, while terrestrial TV and radio broadcasts are available only in limited areas of the Kanto region.
(Sep. 5, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070905TDY02010.htm
By switching over to BS digital broadcasting, which has grown to more than four times the level of the spread of CS services, the university intends to narrow regional disparities in education, as well as meet the various demands of people who seek lifelong learning and specific courses to obtain certifications, the sources said.
The Education, Science and Technology Ministry, which oversees the university, made a budgetary request of 50 million yen for the next fiscal year to conduct research on how to launch a system that will enable the university to use BS digital broadcasting and how to set up transmission facilities. The ministry plans to complete installing the system in fiscal 2011.
Currently, the university's students take courses through three channels: CS digital broadcasts by Sky Perfect TV, terrestrial TV and FM radio broadcasts, and cable television services. CS digital broadcasting allows students anywhere in the nation to receive the courses, while terrestrial TV and radio broadcasts are available only in limited areas of the Kanto region.
(Sep. 5, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070905TDY02010.htm
Mitsui to donate 50 million yen to Brazilian schools in Japan
Amid the financial difficulties faced by many Brazilian schools in Japan, Mitsui & Co., one of the nation's leading trading firms, is to provide a total of 50 million yen in school materials this year to 10 of the schools, more than doubling the funds and number of schools the firm has supported annually.
Ten schools in seven prefectures, including Escola Nectar in Aichi Prefecture, Colegio Pitagoras Brazil-Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture, and Colegio Latino de Shiga in Shiga Prefecture, were declared eligible for the 5 million yen support.
The funds will be used to repair school facilities, set up a prefabricated library and purchase school buses, computers, books and science lab materials.
As a part of corporate social responsibility programs, Mitsui has provided books and other necessary materials worth 5 million yen each to four Brazilian schools in the nation annually since fiscal 2005.
"Visiting Brazilian schools, we became aware that we needed to fund more schools rather than just a select few for a long period because there are so many in need," said Toshio Shibasaki, Mitsui's senior philanthropy specialist.
Since establishing a subsidiary in Brazil in 1938, Mitsui has imported metals and foods. Because the firm's investments in Brazil as well as imports from the nation are expected to grow in the future, the firm decided to help the Brazilian schools struggling financially to educate the children of Brazilian workers.
(Sep. 5, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070905TDY02002.htm
Ten schools in seven prefectures, including Escola Nectar in Aichi Prefecture, Colegio Pitagoras Brazil-Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture, and Colegio Latino de Shiga in Shiga Prefecture, were declared eligible for the 5 million yen support.
The funds will be used to repair school facilities, set up a prefabricated library and purchase school buses, computers, books and science lab materials.
As a part of corporate social responsibility programs, Mitsui has provided books and other necessary materials worth 5 million yen each to four Brazilian schools in the nation annually since fiscal 2005.
"Visiting Brazilian schools, we became aware that we needed to fund more schools rather than just a select few for a long period because there are so many in need," said Toshio Shibasaki, Mitsui's senior philanthropy specialist.
Since establishing a subsidiary in Brazil in 1938, Mitsui has imported metals and foods. Because the firm's investments in Brazil as well as imports from the nation are expected to grow in the future, the firm decided to help the Brazilian schools struggling financially to educate the children of Brazilian workers.
(Sep. 5, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070905TDY02002.htm
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Vietnam students to join new Japan exchange program
Over 300 Vietnamese students will travel to Japan, study Japanese and connect with other regional youth during a new scholastic exchange program this year.
Students from several other East Asian countries will also attend the program.The Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange Students and Youths Program (JENESYS) will offer participants a chance to visit famous Japanese sites and enjoy home-stays with Japanese families, according to the cultural affairs office at the Japanese Embassy in Hanoi.
Four of the selected Vietnamese students will engage in a 12-month exchange while the 330 others will participate in 10-day programs.
The first batch of students was expected to begin the program in March of 2008, according to the office.
Initiated by the Japanese government, JENESYS receives 35 billion yen (US$284.14 million) in annual public funding.
Some 6,000 youths from East Asia Summit member countries will be invited to join the program annually over the next five years.
Reported by T.Hang – Compiled by Luu Thi Hong
http://www.thanhniennews.com/education/?catid=4&newsid=31634
Students from several other East Asian countries will also attend the program.The Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange Students and Youths Program (JENESYS) will offer participants a chance to visit famous Japanese sites and enjoy home-stays with Japanese families, according to the cultural affairs office at the Japanese Embassy in Hanoi.
Four of the selected Vietnamese students will engage in a 12-month exchange while the 330 others will participate in 10-day programs.
The first batch of students was expected to begin the program in March of 2008, according to the office.
Initiated by the Japanese government, JENESYS receives 35 billion yen (US$284.14 million) in annual public funding.
Some 6,000 youths from East Asia Summit member countries will be invited to join the program annually over the next five years.
Reported by T.Hang – Compiled by Luu Thi Hong
http://www.thanhniennews.com/education/?catid=4&newsid=31634
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