TOKYO —
The number of foreign students studying in Japan reached a record 132,720 as of May 1 this year, up 8,891 from last year, a student support organization announced Thursday। According to Japan Student Services Organization, students from China accounted for the largest number at 79,082, followed by South Korea at 19,605 and Taiwan at 5,332. Students from the three areas made up 78% of overall foreign students, and Asian students occupied 92% of the total. Among those students, 64,327 were enrolled in universities, 35,405 in graduate schools and 27,914 in professional schools. By university, Waseda University in Tokyo accepted the largest number of foreign students at 3,114, followed by Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Oita Prefecture at 2,786 and the University of Tokyo at 2,473, according to the organization.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/no-of-foreign-students-reaches-record-132720
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Universities providing pre-entrance classes
OSAKA--Universities and colleges have recently begun offering classes to high school students who are already guaranteed admission well in advance of entrance examinations.
The move is intended to help prevent prospective entrants from dropping out due to a lack of academic ability or enthusiasm for learning.
Due to the declining birthrate, it has become possible for virtually any applicant to gain entrance to university or college. Half of the new entrants are admitted on the recommendation or the so-called AO Nyushi (admissions office screening based on essays or interviews) much earlier than those admitted based on entrance exams.
Under the circumstances, these schools have stopped waiting for applicants and instead provide fieldwork programs and classes via the Internet as well as programs in collaboration with cram schools before entrance ceremonies.
As part of a seminar on Osaka begun last year under the pre-entrance education program of Osaka Jogakuin College in Chuo Ward, Osaka, a tour of the Shinsekai district--a tourist spot in Naniwa Ward, Osaka, known for its Tsutenkaku tower--was recently held for 12 prospective students who passed the AO Nyushi screening process.
"The tower's design was originally like a combination of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe," said Masanori Ochitani, the college's admissions office director who guided the tour, giving the students some background on the popular landmark.
This year's tour participants are to give presentations on the theme in March.
An 18-year-old tour participant said: "I got more out of the seminar than I would have from reading a textbook. I could also talk to future schoolmates. It's stimulating."
Ochitani said: "Academic ability is important, but it's also important for the students to take action and think on their own."
Another means of keeping potential entrants engaged is the use of interactive classes at home over the Internet.
In 2004, Kinki University introduced a system of Artstaff Co., an education development company based in Kita Ward, Osaka.
This school year, the system will be used to give assignments in six subjects, including English and mathematics, to a total of 3,000 students of 12 departments from December to March to be completed online.
These assignments will include elements of animated films and other entertaining features and will be offered in three levels based on ability.
The university monitors how often and for how long students access the Internet classes and the areas that they need to improve, and it also contacts by phone or e-mail students who seldom use the programs.
Nagase Brothers Inc. based in Musashino, western Tokyo, which operates the major cram school chain Toshin Haisukuru, offers DVDs of classes and correspondence courses with essay questions for these students.
This school year, the company has provided pre-entrance education for 115 national and private universities and colleges, about 17 percent of those categories. About 100 university students also give advice to high school students over the phone.
Underlying these efforts is the direct link between academic achievement and pre-entrance education touted by some experts.
Reiko Yamada, chairman of the Japanese Association of First-Year Experience at Universities and Colleges and director of the Doshisha University Center for Faculty Development, said: "Sufficient care can help students smoothly transition from high school to university or college and eventually live productive lives on campus. It can also persuade them not to drop out."
Demographic crisis leaves universities in financial bind
The first day of the semester should be one of the year's busiest, but it is immediately clear at St. Thomas
University that something is badly wrong.
 |
| Unrest: Students near Waseda University in Tokyo protest the university job-hunting system last month. DAVID MCNEILL PHOTO |
Apart from a sprinkling of students chatting near the entrance, the grounds are eerily quiet — the atmosphere seems more like that of a retirement home than a bustling city campus. Footsteps echo off the walls of empty corridors. Students huddle around professors at the front of nearly empty classrooms.
This small private college near Osaka was struggling long before announcing last summer it was no longer accepting freshmen. Established in 1962, St. Thomas carved out a niche among its bigger, more prestigious local rivals by focusing on literature and foreign-language studies.
But enrollment has been falling for a decade, hit hard by the demographics crisis that threatens to overwhelm the world's second-largest higher education sector. Simply put, Japan is running out of 18-year-olds.
According to the education ministry, 46 percent of the nation's roughly 550 private universities are missing their recruitment targets, the highest level ever. More than 40 percent are reportedly in debt and many are a bank loan away from the fate of St. Thomas and the four other colleges that stopped accepting students this year.
"There are many more universities like this," warns Teiji Kariya, director of the university's office of the president. "We are the tip of the iceberg."
Worse-case scenarios forecast that one-third of all private universities could go bankrupt or merge in the next decade unless help is forthcoming. But the government has so far taken a laissez-faire approach, refusing to either rescue or pull the plug on failing colleges.
In the meantime, the enrollment crisis has reached "ridiculous" proportions, says Bruce Stronach, dean of Temple University's Japan campus. "The government must decide very soon. Those colleges that are going to die should die."
In the absence of government intervention, universities across Japan, especially outside the major urban areas, are struggling. Faculty pay has been frozen or cut, bonuses have been suspended and resources trimmed to the bone. Short-term contracts for professors are increasing. Thousands of students from China are being recruited to pay fees and fill empty classroom seats.
At some institutions these students are failing to turn up for lectures, using their visas instead as cover while they go out and work. An assistant professor at Aomori University says about half the students in some departments are Chinese.
"A lot are working more than they are studying," said the professor, who requested anonymity. "The school doesn't acknowledge there is a problem because the administration just wants to fill up the classrooms."
The demographic impact has rippled through each layer of the education system, shutting elementary, junior high and high schools and now finally reaching colleges. Since peaking in 1992 at 2.1 million, the number of 18-year-olds has plummeted by more than 720,000.
"There's a lot of bitterness about this," says Martin Weatherby, an associate professor in St. Thomas' Human Development department. "We knew 10 years ago that 2009 was the crunch year — everybody in Japan knew that."
Some in the industry blame the government's adherence to free-market fundamentalism for ignoring the looming population fall and continuing to crank out licenses to private universities. The private university sector has grown by a third since the late 1980s.
"The policy was that there would be no regulation by the government, and no intervention," recalls Hiromitsu Takizawa, senior analyst at the Research Institute for Independent Higher Education, a think tank run by the Association of Private Universities of Japan.
Takizawa says the government encouraged overcapacity in the belief that competition would winnow out the weak. "The result is overcompetition. And they have ruled out a rescue scheme or a bailout. A shakeout is inevitable."
The education ministry declined comment on any of these issues, referring instead to a document compiled in June by one of its many advisory councils.
The report cites the declining population but shies away from a broad solution, suggesting instead that the market is still immature.
Just 2.6 percent of undergraduate and master's students come from overseas, it adds, compared with the OECD average of 7.3 percent. Most observers agree that Japanese colleges would benefit greatly from more mature and foreign students but say there are too many structural barriers to allow them to make much of an impact. Boosting the mature student enrollment, for example, would require something akin to a revolution in corporate Japan.
St. Thomas is among the first wave of private colleges to feel the impact. Its enrollment of freshmen plummeted from more than 400 a decade ago to 110 this year. The school currently has 542 undergraduate students, roughly half its government-set quota.
The president's office explains that as the number of high school graduates began to fall, the bigger, more prestigious colleges such as Osaka Universitybegan lowering their admissions standards.
"Students who once couldn't get into those universities suddenly could, so they went there instead," explains Kariya. "We were left behind."
Management battled to keep St. Thomas afloat, freezing staff pay, transforming its curriculum, bringing in consultants and starting an entirely new department of human development — even hiring new teaching staff as late as last year.
An ill-fated name change from Eichi University in 2007 failed to halt the decline and led to accusations of mismanagement. Whatever road the university took, however, there was no changing the hard facts, says Kathy Yamane, director of the college's Center for Cross-Cultural Exchange. "The No. 1 problem is demographics. There just aren't enough students to go around."
In response, St. Thomas began recruiting undergraduates heavily from abroad, with President Takehiko Oda leading at least one university delegation to China himself.
Today, 195 foreigners, most of them Chinese, make up a third of the student body, a vast increase from the 10 or so a decade ago.
Kariya admits there have been "some" problems with immigration and says St. Thomas has ruled out the possibility of increasing enrollment of foreign students to stave off bankruptcy.
"We think we have reached the limit of what we can handle," he says, adding that the education ministry would "have problems" with such a decision. "Its general policy is that Japanese universities should be for Japanese students."
Such views appear to throw cold water on a pledge two years ago by then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to nearly triple the number of new foreign students to 300,000 by the end of the next decade.
Privately, many higher education specialists call the pledge unworkable, saying Japan is simply not equipped, structurally or psychologically, to deal with such an influx without major government help.
Most cite finding a place to live high on the list of problems that must be solved. Apartments are expensive and real estate companies in rural areas often refuse to rent to non-Japanese.
Private colleges admit off the record that they don't see China or anywhere else in Asia as the solution to their problems.
"Many small private colleges have an unofficial ceiling on students from Asia of 10 percent," says an official at troubled Tokyo Fuji University, who also requested anonymity. "Accept more and the reputation of the college declines. It becomes self-defeating because Japanese students start believing the college is poor."
Weatherby concurs. "The more foreign students you have, the harder it is to get Japanese 18-year-olds to come. That's just a sad fact."
With nowhere else to turn, some colleges are pinning their hopes on theDemocratic Party of Japan-led government. But while the DPJ has promised "drastic" reform to slash tuition fees — among the highest in the world — it has yet to dive into the enrollment crisis.
"I have seen no concrete changes so far," says Takizawa, who adds that criticism of the previous government's approach is growing. "Many accept that excessive competition has developed negative effects."
Whatever happens, it is likely to come too late to save St. Thomas.
The president's office hopes the college might be taken over by a larger university, allowing it to continue as a going concern. In the meantime, many professors are looking for work elsewhere.
"It's a pity because it is a special place," says Nobumichi Koyanagi, a second-year student. "It's small and intimate and our relationship with the teachers is friendly."
Is that why he chose to come here? "No," he says, laughing sheepishly. "I couldn't get in anywhere else."
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Language the way to top future at Murray Farm Public School
CHILDREN will bid konnichiwa to new lessons as Murray Farm Public School joins the Bilingual Schools Program next year.
The Carlingford school is one of four state primary schools that will learn an Asian language in the first bilingual classes.
Principal Colin Booth said kindergarten and year 1 students will study Japanese for 90 minutes a day.
Rouse Hill, Scotts Head and Campsie public schools will also participate in the $2.5 million, four-year program.
“I am really excited about this program for the school as I have seen my own daughter learn another language in high school and it has benefited her in life, especially in the workplace,” Mr Booth said.
“Teaching our students from an early age gives them the scaffolding to learn another language more easily.
“Looking at our local high schools like Muirfield High and Cherrybrook Technology High School and the fact they have Japanese as their major language, was one of the main reason why our school was also selected.”
Mr Booth said the school had a 72 per cent non-English speaking background with Chinese, Korean and Indonesian the three predominant languages spoken there.
“As part of the selection process we had to choose a non-community language which is why Japanese is such a good language for our school,” he said.
“By the time our students finish year 6 they should be fluent in three languages - their home language, English and Japanese.”
Mr Booth said it was planned to expand Japanese to all grades।
Monday, November 09, 2009
Universities may be forced to give applicants key statistics
All universities likely will be required to provide prospective tertiary students with certain key statistics, such as dropout and employment rates, according to a draft plan for a review of university establishment standards drawn up by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry. On Thursday, the ministry submitted the draft to a university section meeting of the Central Council for Education, an advisory panel to the education minister, for deliberation.
The proposed changes aim to ensure students taking entrance exams receive key information about the national, public and private university of their choice. The draft lists 17 items of information across five fields that universities would be required to disclose.
The standards likely will be revised after the proposed changes are examined further this fiscal year.
The list is divided into five fields the ministry thinks universities should focus on to promote high educational standards: education, students, organization, economic framework and learning environment.
Information pertaining to students would include the dropout rate, which is an indicator of the difficulty of gaining the marks needed to proceed to the next year of study and how many students attend a university without a real intention of completing courses, such as those who failed to gain admittance to their first-choice university।
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20091108TDY03303.htm
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Pasona starts full-scale service helping students find jobs
Major staffing agency Pasona Group, Inc. has begun a full-scale service for universities nationwide, especially those located outside major metropolitan areas, to support students' job-hunting efforts.
The firm will provide services previously not provided by university job placement offices, such as teaching female students makeup techniques to impress recruiters.
Students of universities that signed contracts with Pasona will be able to use offices established by the company in Omotesando, Tokyo, and Umeda, Osaka, without charge. Pasona will provide recruitment information and conduct training programs, such as mock interviews, at the facilities. Pasona says the offices will function as additional employment bureaus of the universities.
In July, Pasona began providing job-hunting services on an experimental basis to students of Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo and Bunri University of Hospitality in Saitama Prefecture. Since then, Pasona had been receiving numerous inquiries from local universities that offer little of recruitment information and have other student job-placement handicaps compared with universities in Tokyo and Osaka.
According to Pasona, students of such local universities are having difficulty following up and collecting the latest job information after visiting Tokyo for job-hunting, because their institutions do not have a base in Tokyo or adjacent prefectures. The positive response from local universities prompted Pasona to offer the service nationwide.
Pasona's recruitment services contracts cost 500,000 yen to 900,000 yen per month and are renewable yearly. Beginning with the prefectural University of Shimane in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, the company plans to conclude contracts with about 50 universities to be able to support students through the upcoming spring recruitment season.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
FOCUS: Animation, job hunting drive popularity of Japanese-language study
Japanese-language study is growing in popularity every year, especially in East Asian countries, driven by the interest in Japanese animation and the desire to find better jobs in Japan.
According to a 2006 survey by the Japan Foundation, Japanese-language education was carried out in 133 countries and territories throughout the world, and Japanese-language learners numbered about 2.98 million, up 26.4 percent over three years before.
Since 1984, when the foundation started the Japanese-language proficiency test for non-native speakers, the number of examinees has been increasing year after year. At first, the number was 7,000, but it reached some 560,000 in 2008, half of them being Chinese and 20 percent being South Koreans.
An official at ALC Press Inc., a Tokyo publisher of Japanese-language learning materials, said, ''Japanese enterprises contracting out data input and other jobs to China are increasing in light of inexpensive labor costs, and even limited Japanese-language skills can become an advantage at the workplace.''
Andi Lukito, 24, from Indonesia, decided to study in Japan because he liked such Japanese animated cartoons as ''Sazae-san'' and ''Doraemon'' when he was a junior high school student.
An education ministry official said, ''The popularity of Japan's pop culture, such as comics and animation, is contributing to increases in the number of Japanese-language learners.''
However, foreign university students in Japan account only for 3.3 percent of the total, compared with 25 percent in Britain and Australia, and 10 percent in Germany and France.
The Chinese and South Korean governments have been making strenuous efforts in other Asian countries to increase the number of learners of their languages. The Japanese government has been trying to do the same, but has not been as successful.
At present, there are 120,000 international students in Japan, and the government is trying to boost the number to 300,000 in 2020.
A major bottleneck for foreign students in Japan is career options after graduation. Of the total, 56 percent hope to work in Japan, but actually, only 29 percent, or 9,411, could find jobs in the country.
Many foreign students want to be employed by such famous enterprises as Sony Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., but more than 90 percent of them have actually been employed by mid- and small-sized companies.
Some companies are turning their eyes to foreign students, though Lukito was recruited in April by Lawson Inc., a major convenience store chain operator, as a full-time employee.
The company started actively recruiting foreign students in 2008, and of 122 university graduates recruited in 2009, there were 39 from other Asian countries.
A Lawson public relations official said, ''In the convenience store industry, the advantage is how many people with new ideas there are.''
Fujitsu Ltd., a major computer manufacturer, hired some 50 non-Japanese as regular employees this year, accounting for 10 percent of new permanent employees. ''Japanese students are decreasing amid the falling birthrate and there is no need to limit ourselves only to Japanese to secure excellent personnel,'' a Fujitsu official said.
==Kyodo
According to a 2006 survey by the Japan Foundation, Japanese-language education was carried out in 133 countries and territories throughout the world, and Japanese-language learners numbered about 2.98 million, up 26.4 percent over three years before.
Since 1984, when the foundation started the Japanese-language proficiency test for non-native speakers, the number of examinees has been increasing year after year. At first, the number was 7,000, but it reached some 560,000 in 2008, half of them being Chinese and 20 percent being South Koreans.
An official at ALC Press Inc., a Tokyo publisher of Japanese-language learning materials, said, ''Japanese enterprises contracting out data input and other jobs to China are increasing in light of inexpensive labor costs, and even limited Japanese-language skills can become an advantage at the workplace.''
Andi Lukito, 24, from Indonesia, decided to study in Japan because he liked such Japanese animated cartoons as ''Sazae-san'' and ''Doraemon'' when he was a junior high school student.
An education ministry official said, ''The popularity of Japan's pop culture, such as comics and animation, is contributing to increases in the number of Japanese-language learners.''
However, foreign university students in Japan account only for 3.3 percent of the total, compared with 25 percent in Britain and Australia, and 10 percent in Germany and France.
The Chinese and South Korean governments have been making strenuous efforts in other Asian countries to increase the number of learners of their languages. The Japanese government has been trying to do the same, but has not been as successful.
At present, there are 120,000 international students in Japan, and the government is trying to boost the number to 300,000 in 2020.
A major bottleneck for foreign students in Japan is career options after graduation. Of the total, 56 percent hope to work in Japan, but actually, only 29 percent, or 9,411, could find jobs in the country.
Many foreign students want to be employed by such famous enterprises as Sony Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., but more than 90 percent of them have actually been employed by mid- and small-sized companies.
Some companies are turning their eyes to foreign students, though Lukito was recruited in April by Lawson Inc., a major convenience store chain operator, as a full-time employee.
The company started actively recruiting foreign students in 2008, and of 122 university graduates recruited in 2009, there were 39 from other Asian countries.
A Lawson public relations official said, ''In the convenience store industry, the advantage is how many people with new ideas there are.''
Fujitsu Ltd., a major computer manufacturer, hired some 50 non-Japanese as regular employees this year, accounting for 10 percent of new permanent employees. ''Japanese students are decreasing amid the falling birthrate and there is no need to limit ourselves only to Japanese to secure excellent personnel,'' a Fujitsu official said.
==Kyodo
Monday, October 26, 2009
Japanese university plans huge 'manga' library
TOKYO — In a move to promote serious study of Japanese manga, a university in Tokyo plans to open a library with two million comic books, animation drawings, video games and other cartoon industry artifacts.
Tentatively named the Tokyo International Manga Library, it would open by early 2015 on the campus of the private Meiji University, and be available to researchers and fans from Japan and abroad.
"Manga has been taken lightly in the past and there has been no solid archive for serious study," said Susumi Shibao, a library official at the university told AFP by telephone.
"We want to help academic studies on manga as part of Japanese culture."
To give an early taste of its collection, the university will open the Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library of Manga and Subculture this October 31, featuring the late manga critic's collection of 140,000 comic books.
Some of the books date back to before World War II.
Japan, which grew rich on exporting cars and high-tech goods, has stepped up an official campaign to promote its cultural offerings, from Tokyo city wear to video games and award-winning animation films.
Japanese manga, ranging from classic Astro Boy and the Doraemon robot cat to the latest smash hit Naruto, a tale of a ninja boy, has charmed children and adults worldwide.
The former conservative government of Taro Aso, which was ousted in August elections, had earmarked 11.7 billion yen (128 million dollars) for a museum on Japanese cartoon art and pop culture to be built in Tokyo.
But the plan, part of wider stimulus measures, was axed by the new centre-left government, which criticised the construction as a "state-run manga cafe" that has nothing to do with boosting the economy।
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gJAzSuC3AOKkfxHPbRwOEBevmQKgTuesday, October 13, 2009
Asia moves up university league table
US and British universities dominate the top of a league table of universities worldwide published Thursday, but Asian seats of learning are moving up the global rankings.
Harvard remains in top spot in the Times Higher Education (THE) league table, followed by Britain's Cambridge University then Yale in third place, with London's University College and Imperial College in fourth and fifth.
Oxford has slipped one to joint fifth, but the next 10 places are occupied by US universities, most of them Ivy League like Princeton and Columbia, but also including Chicago University.
But Asian universities, while still struggling to break into the top 20, are moving upwards, with numbers in the top 200 growing in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia.
After the University of Tokyo in 22nd place come the University of Hong Kong in 24th, Japan's Kyoto University in 25th, and the National University of Singapore in 30th.
Philip Altbach of Boston University says the Asian improvement is due to a number of factors.
"These countries have invested heavily in higher education in recent years, and this is reflected in the improved quality in their top institutions," he told the Times education weekly.
"They have also attempted to internationalise their universities by hiring more faculty from overseas... this helps to improve their visibility globally," he added.
Japan has the most top-200-ranked universities at 11, one more than last year, followed by China with six; Hong Kong (up from four to five); South Korea (up from three to four); and Singapore and India, with two each.
Europe's top non-British university is Switzerland's Federal Institute of Technology in 20th spot, followed by France's Ecole Normale Superieure in 28th. The top German university is the Technical University of Munich, in 55th.
The top non-US and non-European universities are the Australian National University in 17th place, down one, and Canada's McGill University in 18th position, down two.
The league table, compiled by the THE in collaboration with the QS global career and education network, ranks universities according to a series of criteria including peer review, employers' views and student opinion surveys.
In Britain, Oxford University voiced surprise at the downgrading.
"League table rankings can vary as they often use different methods to measure success," said a spokesman for Oxford, one of the world's oldest universities which has a fierce rivalry with Cambridge.
"But Oxford University's position is surprising given that Oxford... has the highest research income of any UK university and has come first in every national league table," he added.
Here is a ranking of countries with the most universities in the top 200 of the THE/QS league table:
Country Region 2008 2009
United States North America 58 54
United Kingdom Europe 29 29
Canada North America 12 11
Japan Asia 10 11
Netherlands Europe 11 11
Germany Europe 11 10
Australia Australasia 9 9
Switzerland Europe 7 7
China Asia 6 6
Belgium Europe 5 5
Hong Kong Asia 4 5
Sweden Europe 4 5
France Europe 4 4
South Korea Asia 3 4
Denmark Europe 3 3
Israel Asia 3 3
New Zealand Australasia 3 3
India Asia 2 2
Ireland Europe 2 2
Norway Europe 1 2
Russia Europe 1 2
Singapore Asia 2 २
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hfjHdVEHOMBAY9e4I-DDKExDC59g
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Kyoto Univ. cafeteria to start providing Islamic food
Kyoto University Co-op said Monday it will start providing food permissible under Islamic law at the university's cafeteria to meet the needs of the increasing number of Muslim students on campus.
The cafeteria will introduce a Halal food corner from Tuesday, avoiding pork and seasonings of pork origin, which Muslims are banned from eating. The new menus include chicken and croquettes made of broad beans, it said.
More than 1,000 Muslims live in the city of Kyoto, many of them said to be Kyoto University students and their families.
The rare introduction is aimed at supporting such Muslim students, whose population is expected to rise under the university's plans to increase the number of foreign students it accepts.
While the co-op said it had problems in arranging a cooking environment to avoid mixing pork and pork-related seasonings with Halal food, it has solved the issue by preparing the food at different hours।
Monday, October 05, 2009
Tokyo universities set up first national/privately-funded grad school
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) and Waseda University will establish a joint graduate school next spring, school authorities announced Thursday।
The joint institution, which is scheduled to open in April next year, will be Japan's first-ever graduate school to be co-founded by national and private universities।
TUAT and Waseda, which are strong in agricultural science and engineering respectively, hope the school will become a leading institution in the area of health science, such as preventive medicine and food safety।
The school will offer a 3-year Ph।D. course in advanced health science, to be conferred under the name of both universities. A total of 10 seats will be available for the course, which will be taught by nine dedicated professors. Candidates are required to choose the university they would like to apply for, as well as their desired tutor. Up to six applicants will be admitted to TUAT and four to Waseda, all of whom will attend the common program at both universities.
Both universities will offer a 600,000 yen per year scholarship to make up for a 200,000-yen difference in tuition and admission fees in the first year।
"TUAT is strong in biotechnology and drug discovery। Our collaboration will bring about results that we can be proud of," said Waseda president Katsuhiko Shirai. TUAT head Hidefumi Kobatake added: "The fact that Waseda University is affiliated with Tokyo Women's Medical University is also very attractive for us."
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20091003p2a00m0na018000c.html
The joint institution, which is scheduled to open in April next year, will be Japan's first-ever graduate school to be co-founded by national and private universities।
TUAT and Waseda, which are strong in agricultural science and engineering respectively, hope the school will become a leading institution in the area of health science, such as preventive medicine and food safety।
The school will offer a 3-year Ph।D. course in advanced health science, to be conferred under the name of both universities. A total of 10 seats will be available for the course, which will be taught by nine dedicated professors. Candidates are required to choose the university they would like to apply for, as well as their desired tutor. Up to six applicants will be admitted to TUAT and four to Waseda, all of whom will attend the common program at both universities.
Both universities will offer a 600,000 yen per year scholarship to make up for a 200,000-yen difference in tuition and admission fees in the first year।
"TUAT is strong in biotechnology and drug discovery। Our collaboration will bring about results that we can be proud of," said Waseda president Katsuhiko Shirai. TUAT head Hidefumi Kobatake added: "The fact that Waseda University is affiliated with Tokyo Women's Medical University is also very attractive for us."
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20091003p2a00m0na018000c.html
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
More foreign students than ever
The Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education recently convened over a government proposal to increase the number of foreign students in Japan to 300,000 by 2020। That plan is positive not only for students, schools and teachers, but also for Japan as a whole. This increased opening of Japanese education to foreign students is better late than never. The benefits are immense.
Japan was flooded with foreigners in the '80s and '90s। Many came on false documents and overstayed their visas. Those problems with foreign students are largely in the past. Nowadays, schools and immigration are better at managing the application process and focusing more on students in higher-level programs. Students these days have often already studied the Japanese language back home. While they might eventually also want to find work in Japan, they know the value of studying first. The programs and courses of study have improved tremendously in recent years.
Japanese schools are already well into a process of internationalizing, as more and more students from abroad arrive on campuses। These academic exchanges and casual contacts help to transform traditional mind-sets and outdated ways of thinking. However, the important counterpart to foreign students coming here is Japanese students going overseas. The number of students studying abroad has fallen in recent years, so high schools, universities and exchange programs need to encourage students more.
Many of the students who come to Japan are likely to stay and work in Japan, or find work that makes use of their Japanese-language, social and cultural skills। This, too, will be a tremendous benefit all around. After studying and experiencing Japanese culture firsthand, those who choose to stay will be quite different from the last generation that took hard physical labor jobs in factories. The exchange between foreign and Japanese students will prepare them for a future of internationalized workplaces and complex tasks.
Japan should welcome this plan and work toward its full realization। Its positive effects extend far beyond helping just individual students and school budgets. These ongoing educational exchanges can potentially establish a very different worldview for the next generation.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20090920a1.html
Japan was flooded with foreigners in the '80s and '90s। Many came on false documents and overstayed their visas. Those problems with foreign students are largely in the past. Nowadays, schools and immigration are better at managing the application process and focusing more on students in higher-level programs. Students these days have often already studied the Japanese language back home. While they might eventually also want to find work in Japan, they know the value of studying first. The programs and courses of study have improved tremendously in recent years.
Japanese schools are already well into a process of internationalizing, as more and more students from abroad arrive on campuses। These academic exchanges and casual contacts help to transform traditional mind-sets and outdated ways of thinking. However, the important counterpart to foreign students coming here is Japanese students going overseas. The number of students studying abroad has fallen in recent years, so high schools, universities and exchange programs need to encourage students more.
Many of the students who come to Japan are likely to stay and work in Japan, or find work that makes use of their Japanese-language, social and cultural skills। This, too, will be a tremendous benefit all around. After studying and experiencing Japanese culture firsthand, those who choose to stay will be quite different from the last generation that took hard physical labor jobs in factories. The exchange between foreign and Japanese students will prepare them for a future of internationalized workplaces and complex tasks.
Japan should welcome this plan and work toward its full realization। Its positive effects extend far beyond helping just individual students and school budgets. These ongoing educational exchanges can potentially establish a very different worldview for the next generation.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20090920a1.html
Friday, September 18, 2009
Vietnam strives for comprehensive education reform
The first conference of Vietnamese and Japanese university rectors took place in Hanoi on September 17, attracting more than 300 delegates from over 100 educational institutions in the two countries.
Addressing the event, Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training-cum-Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said Vietnam gives top priority to the development of high-quality human resources. The country has sought many ways to renovate its education sector, improve the quality of teaching, and link training with social demand, he said.
The sector has adopted national programmes to train thousands of doctoral degree holders and apply more than 1,500 electronic course books to tertiary teaching. It has also given preferential credit to poor students and higher autonomy to universities and colleges.
Vietnam is endeavouring to have five of its universities ranked among the world’s top 200 universities by 2020, and to this end, it needs, the minister stressed, assistance from advanced countries, including Japan.
Shigeharu Kato, a representative of the Japanese Ministry of Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, told the conference that his country is willing to share its experience and to cooperate with Vietnam in tertiary education. It will also create incentives for Vietnamese students and postgraduates to study in Japan.
The Japanese government has so far helped Vietnam build 256 primary schools in remote areas and raise the level of training and research at more than 100 Vietnamese colleges and universities.
In March 2008, the two countries’ Ministries of Education and Training signed a memorandum-of-understanding under which Japan will help Vietnam train 1,000 doctoral degree holders at Japanese universities from 2008-2010।http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/Vietnam-strives-for-comprehensive-education-reform/20099/107930.vov
Monday, September 14, 2009
Japan's Waseda University opens bioscience institute in Singapore
SINGAPORE, Sept। 14 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Waseda University opened the Waseda Bioscience Research Institute in Singapore (WAIBOS) on Monday.
The WABIOS marks the first time that Waseda University is setting up research operations overseas independently।
WABIOS will focus its research in the areas of bio-imaging, bioengineering, biophysics and nano-biotechnology। It will also further develop the neuroscience, focused research findings derived from the Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research Institute, a joint initiative between Waseda University and Olympus Corporation from 2004 to 2009, according to a statement by Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
WABIOS has committed 2 million Singapore dollars (1।4 million U.S. dollars) for its research activities here and will start with a few researchers from both Japan and Singapore.
President of Waseda University Katsuhiko Shirai and Chairman of A*STAR Lim Chuan Poh also signed on Monday a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) here at the opening of WABIOS।
The agreement aims to facilitate research collaborations between scientists from the two organizations through joint symposia and workshops as well as enable graduate students from Waseda University to spend up to 2 years at A*STAR research institutes during the course of their PhD studies under A*STAR's Research Attachment Program।
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/14/content_12049112.htm
The WABIOS marks the first time that Waseda University is setting up research operations overseas independently।
WABIOS will focus its research in the areas of bio-imaging, bioengineering, biophysics and nano-biotechnology। It will also further develop the neuroscience, focused research findings derived from the Waseda-Olympus Bioscience Research Institute, a joint initiative between Waseda University and Olympus Corporation from 2004 to 2009, according to a statement by Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
WABIOS has committed 2 million Singapore dollars (1।4 million U.S. dollars) for its research activities here and will start with a few researchers from both Japan and Singapore.
President of Waseda University Katsuhiko Shirai and Chairman of A*STAR Lim Chuan Poh also signed on Monday a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) here at the opening of WABIOS।
The agreement aims to facilitate research collaborations between scientists from the two organizations through joint symposia and workshops as well as enable graduate students from Waseda University to spend up to 2 years at A*STAR research institutes during the course of their PhD studies under A*STAR's Research Attachment Program।
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/14/content_12049112.htm
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Crisis puts universities on steep learning curve
The financial turmoil that originated in the United States last fall jolted educational institutions here across the Pacific, shaking the financial health of some universities and dashing the dreams of any number of parents.
In July, Keio University decided to postpone the opening of a new elementary and junior high school in Yokohama, to the dismay of parents who wished to enroll their children.
Enrollment in the affiliate school, slated to open in April 2011, was seen as a path for children into the prestigious university free from tough entrance examinations.
For the private university based in Tokyo, the addition of a new affiliate school was a key project to commemorate the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1858. No new schedule has been set.
Keio was forced to halt the commemorative project after its investment portfolio--like that of many other private universities--was hit hard by the financial crisis.
Keio President Atsushi Seike said when he assumed the top post in May that he would "review all projects." The commemorative project was no exception.
As most major private universities released their financial data for the fiscal year that ended March 31, it was clear they were weighed down by heavy investment losses.
They are not just reviewing their means of asset management but curtailing or postponing projects, or dropping them altogether.
According to Keio's financial report, it suffered latent losses in stocks and other securities totaling 53.5 billion yen as of the end of fiscal 2008; of the total, it wrote off 16.9 billion yen as losses.
Its consumption statement of revenue and expenditure, which shows a school entity's financial conditions in a single year, showed a deficit of 26.9 billion yen for the fiscal year.
Latent losses not written off came to 36.5 billion yen, including 22.8 billion yen from investment trusts and 3.6 billion yen from derivatives. The total was up sharply from 22.5 billion yen at the end of fiscal 2007.
Criticism of such asset management has been smoldering within Keio.
Masahiko Shimizu, a vice president who took charge of financial affairs and accounting in late May, said the school will change its means of asset management.
"We must seriously reflect on our failure to cope with the (market) moves last year," Shimizu said.
"We will review our portfolio and management regulations in the direction of reducing the ratio of high-risk financial products."
Sophia University in Tokyo similarly reported latent losses of 11.8 billion yen, of which it wrote off 8 billion yen as appraisal losses. Its fiscal 2008 deficit was 8.4 billion yen, bringing the accumulated deficit to 9.4 billion yen.
Komazawa University's debacle in derivatives trading, which made headlines late last year by incurring 15.4 billion yen in losses, underlines the extent of the blow from the financial crisis.
Having other investment losses as well, the Buddhist university in Tokyo wrote off appraisal losses totaling 6.5 billion yen and reported a deficit of 22.9 billion yen for fiscal 2008.
Its accumulated deficit came to 31.1 billion yen.
The balance sheet showed the school's assets fell by 7.6 billion yen from a year ago, while debts rose by 12.2 billion yen as a result of borrowing to help cover the losses.
Its net assets, or assets minus debts, came to 51.9 billion yen, a drop of 19.9 billion yen from the previous year.
According to Komazawa's internal documents, it refinanced 12.4 billion yen in loans for longer terms. Of the total, 7 billion yen was extended by Mizuho Bank, with the repayment dates set for 2015 to 2018. Its outstanding debt was 19.8 billion yen as of the end of March.
"It will likely face considerable funding difficulties given the burden of repayment each year," said an investment advisory analyst.
"Unless it takes drastic reform measures, such as selling assets, it may be difficult to rebuild school facilities or carry out new projects," the analyst said.
Seijiro Kobayashi, the university's general affairs chief, acknowledges the management difficulties it faces.
"We are studying how we will repay (the debts)," he said. "First, we will curtail costs."
An investigative panel compiled a report on what went wrong late last year. The university dismissed its chief director, and also made other officials in charge of accounting resign.
Its new president has pledged a re-examination of the problems; a new report by an external panel is due soon.
Many other private universities reported latent losses in the fiscal year.
Kenji Uno, chief senior analyst at the Daiwa Institute of Research's public policy research department, says those schools should have been more cautious.
"Even at a regional bank, 20 to 30 people are engaged in asset management activities, but private universities assign only several people, who have other duties as well," Uno said.
"Despite that, they expect high returns.
"Asset management by private universities, whose funds come from tuition and subsidies, must be done on a steady basis as a basic rule."
The education ministry in January sent notices to all educational corporations calling for caution in the management of their assets.
The ministry also called on them to draw up internal rules on types of financial products and ceilings for investment as well as a system to keep tabs on their portfolio conditions.
Public accountants and other experts also point to the need for university entities to have better information disclosure about their financial conditions.
An education ministry survey last fall found only 72 percent of the entities release business reports separately from their financial results.
Keio and a small number of other universities make public the types of securities they hold, but they are exceptions.
According to the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants, a survey of the fiscal 2006 business reports released by 296 entities showed 46 percent stopped short of reporting details of their financial results.
In February, the institute released a model for university business reports to encourage education entities to have better disclosure.
The model gives a wide range of examples of detailed reports, from market values of securities and debts to yearly changes of accounting ratios, which show the entities' financial strength.
"University corporations, which are of a highly public nature, must fulfill accountability to the society," said Keiko Sano, an executive board member of the institute.
"They should pursue better information disclosure by, for example, setting unified standards (for financial reports)," she said।(IHT/Asahi: September 2,2009)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Todai still beckons nation's best, brightest but goals diversifying
For more than 130 years, the University of Tokyo has been unrivaled as the gateway to elite careers for thousands of hopeful candidates who pass the exam to get in.
Established by the Meiji government, the university commonly called Todai was established as the nation's first national university। Its mandate was to produce great minds to enable Japan to catch with the West. Graduates of law, in particular, have traditionally gone on to hold key positions in government.
But recently, observers say the school is losing its hitherto uncontested prestige as employers look for qualitative skills in employees and its graduates branch out into careers other than the bureaucracy।
Following are some questions and answers about the University of Tokyo:
What is the University of Tokyo's reputation in Japan?
The school was originally bent on churning out elite-track bureaucrats to lead Japan's development and catch up with the Western powers. Todai graduates have filled top bureaucratic positions since the Meiji Era, particularly those from its law school.
"The shining brand of a Tokyo law graduate was the magic key to opening the door to the powerful elite," journalist Yo Mizuki writes in his book "University of Tokyo Law Department."
Climbing to the top of the bureaucratic ladder without Todai law credentials has been difficult, he writes। In fact, about a quarter of Japan's 59 prime ministers studied law at the university.
Todai law graduates have also traditionally dominated the business world, Mizuki writes, noting they have often filled the presidency of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren).
Todai graduates outnumber those from other schools in passing the notoriously competitive civil service examinations and legal examinations, according to the "2010 University rankings," published by the Asahi Shimbun।
Last year saw 224 Todai graduates pass the civil service tests in administration, law and finance, compared with 67 from prestigious Waseda University, which is also in Tokyo।
Last year, 200 Todai graduates passed the bar examination, outclassing their closest competitors from Tokyo's Chuo University, who numbered 196।
Why do some say Todai is losing its sheen?
In recent years it appears some of the best and brightest are electing to go to other schools, and graduates from other institutions are making inroads into leadership positions in government and politics।
In 1993, then Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa ordered government ministries to employ fewer Todai graduates in an effort to diversify the backgrounds of bureaucrats to create a government that could cope more flexibly with quickly changing economic and international situations।
The 1990s also saw a raft of corruption scandals embroiling elite bureaucrats, severely damaging their social reputation, and they were also targeted by various deregulatory measures to dilute their power।
With the bureaucracy's long-lasting cache on the wane, Todai graduates began to pursue other avenues for elite careers, including the fields of law and finance।
According to the university, more than 27 percent of its law students who graduated in March 2008 joined the finance and insurance sectors, while fewer than a quarter pursued the civil service।
Of all the 2008 graduates, only 14 percent chose the civil service, fewer than those who went into manufacturing or information technology and communications, while 25 percent were employed at financial or insurance firms।
Journalist Yo Mizuki said this is because jobs in law and finance enjoy relative independence from the system, and foreign firms have a less vertical organizational structures and pay higher salaries।
How does Todai stack up with top universities overseas?
According to the Times Higher Education, a London magazine noted for its annual rankings of the world's universities, Todai came in 19th last year। The rest of the top 20 was dominated by U.S. and U.K. schools. Todai has maintained its position in the top 20 for the last few years, creeping into the top 10 in engineering and IT in subject-specific lists.
The ranking measures the international esteem of each school's research as well as academic peer reviews, employers' ratings of graduates, staff-to-student ratio and quota of international staff and students।
By comparison, Kyoto University ranked 25th and Osaka University 44th. The University of Hong Kong is the highest ranking Asian institution outside Japan, at 26th place।
What about the reputation of Todai graduates among employers in the private sector?
Todai graduates may not be the most sought after by Japanese employers in the private sector, according to a 2006 survey by Shukan Diamond magazine।
The survey ranked Todai's science department sixth। Its literature department came in even lower, at 20th, based on an evaluation of "useful" graduates.
Waseda's departments in these fields, meanwhile, ranked highest in the survey of 563 human resources managers who responded to a poll sent to 4,500 major companies।
Keio's literature department ranked third।
According to Shukan Diamond, what employers look for most in workers are qualities such as positiveness and cheerfulness as well as fundamental academic ability, activeness and communications skills।
How did Todai start, how has it changed and what is the current makeup of its student body?
Established by the Meiji government in 1877 on the former estate of an Edo Period feudal family, the university was the result of merging two governmental schools, specializing in Western studies and medicine। The purpose of Todai's founding was to produce top minds to modernize Japan.
Initially named the University of Tokyo, the school was renamed Imperial University near the end of the 19th century, then quickly afterward Tokyo Imperial University। After the war, it reverted to its original name.
In the years after World War II, coeducation was introduced as well as the present undergraduate and graduate systems।
Todai students were at the heart of the peace activist movement in the 1960s।
Todai now has a student body of 30,000, including graduate students, attending classes at its three campuses in Komaba, Meguro Ward, Hongo, Bunkyo Ward, and Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture।
Females constitute 20 percent of the undergraduates, numbering between 2,700 and 2,800 each year for the last decade।
In recent years, there have been roughly three or four applicants per one undergraduate opening।
What is the foreign representation like at Todai?
International students have been increasing steadily in recent years, from 1,924 in 1999 to 2,444 in 2008, accounting for about 15 percent of the roster. In comparison, Harvard University has 3,800 international students।
Chinese account for almost 30 percent of Todai's foreign students, followed by South Koreans at 23 percent। Europeans constitute 9 percent and North Americans 3 percent.
According to Hiroshi Komiyama, the university's president until last March, Todai needs to attract more Indian and Chinese students।
"The weapons are lesson fee exemption, distribution of scholarships and improvement of student lodgings," he writes in his book "I will tell you about the University of Tokyo."
Although Japan has overtaken the U.S. in recent years in the number of Chinese students, now around 80,000, "we are still losing against the U.S. in terms of quality," Komiyama said.
The U।S. attracts around 50,000 Chinese students each year, he added.
Who are key Todai alumni?
Graduates include writer Yukio Mishima and Nobel Prize in literature laureates Yasunari Kawabata and Kenzaburo Oe।
Other Nobel laureates include the late Prime Minister Eisaku Sato and physicist Yoichiro Nambu।
Todai graduates among leading politicians include Yukio Hatoyama, president of the Democratic Party of Japan and the likely candidate to be the next prime minister, and his brother Kunio, former justice and internal affairs ministers, as well as labor and welfare minister Yoichi Masuzoe।
Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, singer Tokiko Kato and theater director Hideki Noda are also graduates of the University of टोकियो
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090811i1.html
Established by the Meiji government, the university commonly called Todai was established as the nation's first national university। Its mandate was to produce great minds to enable Japan to catch with the West. Graduates of law, in particular, have traditionally gone on to hold key positions in government.
But recently, observers say the school is losing its hitherto uncontested prestige as employers look for qualitative skills in employees and its graduates branch out into careers other than the bureaucracy।
Following are some questions and answers about the University of Tokyo:
What is the University of Tokyo's reputation in Japan?
The school was originally bent on churning out elite-track bureaucrats to lead Japan's development and catch up with the Western powers. Todai graduates have filled top bureaucratic positions since the Meiji Era, particularly those from its law school.
"The shining brand of a Tokyo law graduate was the magic key to opening the door to the powerful elite," journalist Yo Mizuki writes in his book "University of Tokyo Law Department."
Climbing to the top of the bureaucratic ladder without Todai law credentials has been difficult, he writes। In fact, about a quarter of Japan's 59 prime ministers studied law at the university.
Todai law graduates have also traditionally dominated the business world, Mizuki writes, noting they have often filled the presidency of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren).
Todai graduates outnumber those from other schools in passing the notoriously competitive civil service examinations and legal examinations, according to the "2010 University rankings," published by the Asahi Shimbun।
Last year saw 224 Todai graduates pass the civil service tests in administration, law and finance, compared with 67 from prestigious Waseda University, which is also in Tokyo।
Last year, 200 Todai graduates passed the bar examination, outclassing their closest competitors from Tokyo's Chuo University, who numbered 196।
Why do some say Todai is losing its sheen?
In recent years it appears some of the best and brightest are electing to go to other schools, and graduates from other institutions are making inroads into leadership positions in government and politics।
In 1993, then Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa ordered government ministries to employ fewer Todai graduates in an effort to diversify the backgrounds of bureaucrats to create a government that could cope more flexibly with quickly changing economic and international situations।
The 1990s also saw a raft of corruption scandals embroiling elite bureaucrats, severely damaging their social reputation, and they were also targeted by various deregulatory measures to dilute their power।
With the bureaucracy's long-lasting cache on the wane, Todai graduates began to pursue other avenues for elite careers, including the fields of law and finance।
According to the university, more than 27 percent of its law students who graduated in March 2008 joined the finance and insurance sectors, while fewer than a quarter pursued the civil service।
Of all the 2008 graduates, only 14 percent chose the civil service, fewer than those who went into manufacturing or information technology and communications, while 25 percent were employed at financial or insurance firms।
Journalist Yo Mizuki said this is because jobs in law and finance enjoy relative independence from the system, and foreign firms have a less vertical organizational structures and pay higher salaries।
How does Todai stack up with top universities overseas?
According to the Times Higher Education, a London magazine noted for its annual rankings of the world's universities, Todai came in 19th last year। The rest of the top 20 was dominated by U.S. and U.K. schools. Todai has maintained its position in the top 20 for the last few years, creeping into the top 10 in engineering and IT in subject-specific lists.
The ranking measures the international esteem of each school's research as well as academic peer reviews, employers' ratings of graduates, staff-to-student ratio and quota of international staff and students।
By comparison, Kyoto University ranked 25th and Osaka University 44th. The University of Hong Kong is the highest ranking Asian institution outside Japan, at 26th place।
What about the reputation of Todai graduates among employers in the private sector?
Todai graduates may not be the most sought after by Japanese employers in the private sector, according to a 2006 survey by Shukan Diamond magazine।
The survey ranked Todai's science department sixth। Its literature department came in even lower, at 20th, based on an evaluation of "useful" graduates.
Waseda's departments in these fields, meanwhile, ranked highest in the survey of 563 human resources managers who responded to a poll sent to 4,500 major companies।
Keio's literature department ranked third।
According to Shukan Diamond, what employers look for most in workers are qualities such as positiveness and cheerfulness as well as fundamental academic ability, activeness and communications skills।
How did Todai start, how has it changed and what is the current makeup of its student body?
Established by the Meiji government in 1877 on the former estate of an Edo Period feudal family, the university was the result of merging two governmental schools, specializing in Western studies and medicine। The purpose of Todai's founding was to produce top minds to modernize Japan.
Initially named the University of Tokyo, the school was renamed Imperial University near the end of the 19th century, then quickly afterward Tokyo Imperial University। After the war, it reverted to its original name.
In the years after World War II, coeducation was introduced as well as the present undergraduate and graduate systems।
Todai students were at the heart of the peace activist movement in the 1960s।
Todai now has a student body of 30,000, including graduate students, attending classes at its three campuses in Komaba, Meguro Ward, Hongo, Bunkyo Ward, and Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture।
Females constitute 20 percent of the undergraduates, numbering between 2,700 and 2,800 each year for the last decade।
In recent years, there have been roughly three or four applicants per one undergraduate opening।
What is the foreign representation like at Todai?
International students have been increasing steadily in recent years, from 1,924 in 1999 to 2,444 in 2008, accounting for about 15 percent of the roster. In comparison, Harvard University has 3,800 international students।
Chinese account for almost 30 percent of Todai's foreign students, followed by South Koreans at 23 percent। Europeans constitute 9 percent and North Americans 3 percent.
According to Hiroshi Komiyama, the university's president until last March, Todai needs to attract more Indian and Chinese students।
"The weapons are lesson fee exemption, distribution of scholarships and improvement of student lodgings," he writes in his book "I will tell you about the University of Tokyo."
Although Japan has overtaken the U.S. in recent years in the number of Chinese students, now around 80,000, "we are still losing against the U.S. in terms of quality," Komiyama said.
The U।S. attracts around 50,000 Chinese students each year, he added.
Who are key Todai alumni?
Graduates include writer Yukio Mishima and Nobel Prize in literature laureates Yasunari Kawabata and Kenzaburo Oe।
Other Nobel laureates include the late Prime Minister Eisaku Sato and physicist Yoichiro Nambu।
Todai graduates among leading politicians include Yukio Hatoyama, president of the Democratic Party of Japan and the likely candidate to be the next prime minister, and his brother Kunio, former justice and internal affairs ministers, as well as labor and welfare minister Yoichi Masuzoe।
Astronaut Soichi Noguchi, singer Tokiko Kato and theater director Hideki Noda are also graduates of the University of टोकियो
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090811i1.html
Nearly 40% of privately run universities in the red
Nearly 40 percent of privately run colleges and universities across Japan operated in the red in the academic year to last March, a more than fourfold increase from around a decade ago, a survey showed Friday।
The survey by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan found that 222 schools reported losses for the year, compared with 48 in a similar survey for 1997 and 194 for 2007। The latest survey by the organization covered 589 schools, of which 569 responded.
The schools reported combined revenues of 3।2 trillion yen, of which 77 percent came from tuition and other fees from students and 11 percent came from state subsidies.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99TUV480&show_article=1
The survey by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan found that 222 schools reported losses for the year, compared with 48 in a similar survey for 1997 and 194 for 2007। The latest survey by the organization covered 589 schools, of which 569 responded.
The schools reported combined revenues of 3।2 trillion yen, of which 77 percent came from tuition and other fees from students and 11 percent came from state subsidies.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99TUV480&show_article=1
Friday, August 07, 2009
How to Build a Multilingual, Multicultural Customer Experience
Customer service experience can be a critical business differentiator। Many companies — from American Express to Zappos — have found business value in creating satisfying customer service experiences across channels. Now that markets are more and more global in nature, some companies are finding value in making customer service experiences multilingual and multicultural: delivered in the business and regulatory context of local markets and tailored to the language and culture of the customer.
While these multilingual, multicultural customer experiences (MMCE) are relatively common in face-to-face customer service, they are often ignored in contact center customer service। The following is a step-by-step approach for businesses to determine their needs for MMCE, and tips for implementing MMCE in the customer contact center.
1। Assess the importance of customer serviceBefore getting started, ask how important customer service is to your business strategy. For example, if the lynchpin of your business differentiation and branding is low prices, product excellence, or operating efficiencies, a focus on MMCE may not make sense.
2। Assess target marketsNext, you need to clearly understand what countries and customer segments constitute your target market. This will help assess the need for MMCE, and identify what languages to support in your MMCE strategy. In many cases, this will be obvious — English for the Unites States or the United Kingdom and French for France. In other cases, you may need demographic information contained in census data about the primary and secondary languages spoken in your target markets.
You can also find language preferences through primary customer surveys and in fact, you may find that customers may have different language preferences for different communication channels। For instance, English may be OK for email and chat but not for phone in many countries.
3। Assess the scope of customer queriesCustomer queries fall into broad categories of varying complexity and interaction depth: informational (What is my account balance?), transactional (Can you help fill out my online form), advice-seeking (What calling plan and phone model are suitable for my lifestyle?) and diagnostic (My printer does not work) as illustrated in the figure below:
The more complex the queries are, the higher the need is for MMCE। On average, transactional, diagnostic, and advice-seeking queries present more service differentiation opportunities through MMCE than informational ones.
4। Train agentsDespite the increasing use of self-service, agent-assisted customer service is here to stay. Due to globalization, cross-cultural communication has become a vital part of every agent's training more than ever before. Make sure to cover topics such as vocabulary, tone, and cultural etiquette. Clearly, this is more important in phone interactions than in other channels such as email due to its real-time, high-touch nature. This should be supplemented with voice modulation training and accent neutralization for offshore phone agents.
5। Adopt culturally-nuanced policies and practicesCustomer service policies and practices are often implemented with little or no consideration to cultural aspects. For example, think twice before implementing cross-selling or upselling. In some countries, it may not be polite to cross-sell even at the end of a successful customer service interaction. Likewise, a 48-hour response time for email queries may be acceptable in some cultures but tantamount to ignoring the customer in others. Another example is the use of informal salutation (i.e. addressing by first name) and communication tone in the United States versus the more formal salutation and tone that may be better suited for many other English-speaking countries.
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/07/how_to_build_a_multilingual_mu.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-TOPICEMAIL-_-AUG_2009-_-STRATEGY1
While these multilingual, multicultural customer experiences (MMCE) are relatively common in face-to-face customer service, they are often ignored in contact center customer service। The following is a step-by-step approach for businesses to determine their needs for MMCE, and tips for implementing MMCE in the customer contact center.
1। Assess the importance of customer serviceBefore getting started, ask how important customer service is to your business strategy. For example, if the lynchpin of your business differentiation and branding is low prices, product excellence, or operating efficiencies, a focus on MMCE may not make sense.
2। Assess target marketsNext, you need to clearly understand what countries and customer segments constitute your target market. This will help assess the need for MMCE, and identify what languages to support in your MMCE strategy. In many cases, this will be obvious — English for the Unites States or the United Kingdom and French for France. In other cases, you may need demographic information contained in census data about the primary and secondary languages spoken in your target markets.
You can also find language preferences through primary customer surveys and in fact, you may find that customers may have different language preferences for different communication channels। For instance, English may be OK for email and chat but not for phone in many countries.
3। Assess the scope of customer queriesCustomer queries fall into broad categories of varying complexity and interaction depth: informational (What is my account balance?), transactional (Can you help fill out my online form), advice-seeking (What calling plan and phone model are suitable for my lifestyle?) and diagnostic (My printer does not work) as illustrated in the figure below:
The more complex the queries are, the higher the need is for MMCE। On average, transactional, diagnostic, and advice-seeking queries present more service differentiation opportunities through MMCE than informational ones.
4। Train agentsDespite the increasing use of self-service, agent-assisted customer service is here to stay. Due to globalization, cross-cultural communication has become a vital part of every agent's training more than ever before. Make sure to cover topics such as vocabulary, tone, and cultural etiquette. Clearly, this is more important in phone interactions than in other channels such as email due to its real-time, high-touch nature. This should be supplemented with voice modulation training and accent neutralization for offshore phone agents.
5। Adopt culturally-nuanced policies and practicesCustomer service policies and practices are often implemented with little or no consideration to cultural aspects. For example, think twice before implementing cross-selling or upselling. In some countries, it may not be polite to cross-sell even at the end of a successful customer service interaction. Likewise, a 48-hour response time for email queries may be acceptable in some cultures but tantamount to ignoring the customer in others. Another example is the use of informal salutation (i.e. addressing by first name) and communication tone in the United States versus the more formal salutation and tone that may be better suited for many other English-speaking countries.
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/07/how_to_build_a_multilingual_mu.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-TOPICEMAIL-_-AUG_2009-_-STRATEGY1
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Enrollments in private rural colleges surge amid tough economic times
As the lingering economic downturn weighs heavily on household budgets, private colleges in rural areas are enjoying a surge in their number of enrollments, it's been learned।
Enrollments in private rural colleges have grown from last year, while private universities in large cities saw their student numbers decline, according to a survey released by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan (Shigaku-Jigyodan)।
Until now, prestigious private universities in urban areas had enjoyed advantages in the fierce competition for students; however, as the long recession casts a shadow over the household economy, more students and their parents are favoring nearby colleges over urban universities in an attempt to reduce expenses।
The survey was conducted on 570 private colleges in 21 districts across Japan, excluding correspondence colleges। The results indicated that colleges in rural areas including the Chugoku district and Tohoku district have boosted their student numbers, apart from those in large cities such as in Hiroshima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture.
On the other hand, universities in urban areas including Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture suffered a decline, with the number of new students dropping by 0।5 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.
The competition rate for large-scale universities with a capacity of 3,000 students or over has also dropped for the first time in three years, while the number of applicants decreased by around 14,000।
"It is not clear whether the trend is temporary, or it will continue after the current economic slump is over," says a Shigaku-Jigyodan representative।
Among private colleges, 46।5 percent, or 265 schools, are under-enrolled, while 31 colleges have less than 50 percent of their student capacity।
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090731p2a00m0na004000c.html
Enrollments in private rural colleges have grown from last year, while private universities in large cities saw their student numbers decline, according to a survey released by the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan (Shigaku-Jigyodan)।
Until now, prestigious private universities in urban areas had enjoyed advantages in the fierce competition for students; however, as the long recession casts a shadow over the household economy, more students and their parents are favoring nearby colleges over urban universities in an attempt to reduce expenses।
The survey was conducted on 570 private colleges in 21 districts across Japan, excluding correspondence colleges। The results indicated that colleges in rural areas including the Chugoku district and Tohoku district have boosted their student numbers, apart from those in large cities such as in Hiroshima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture.
On the other hand, universities in urban areas including Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture suffered a decline, with the number of new students dropping by 0।5 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.
The competition rate for large-scale universities with a capacity of 3,000 students or over has also dropped for the first time in three years, while the number of applicants decreased by around 14,000।
"It is not clear whether the trend is temporary, or it will continue after the current economic slump is over," says a Shigaku-Jigyodan representative।
Among private colleges, 46।5 percent, or 265 schools, are under-enrolled, while 31 colleges have less than 50 percent of their student capacity।
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090731p2a00m0na004000c.html
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Record 11,000 foreign students land jobs in Japan
A record 11,040 foreign students found jobs in Japan in 2008 after graduating from universities and other schools here, up 7.6 percent from the previous year, the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau said Tuesday. It was the sixth increase in as many years.
Asian students accounted for 96.6 percent of the successful job applicants. By nation, 7,651 came from China, 1,360 from South Korea, 303 from Taiwan, 189 from Vietnam and 164 from Bangladesh, according to the bureau.
It obtained the data by tallying the number of students who applied for changes in visa status, which is mandatory for employment.
The most common jobs were in translation and interpretation, engaged in by 33।7 percent of the former students, followed by sales at 16.2 percent and information processing at 11.2 percent.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090715a8.html
Asian students accounted for 96.6 percent of the successful job applicants. By nation, 7,651 came from China, 1,360 from South Korea, 303 from Taiwan, 189 from Vietnam and 164 from Bangladesh, according to the bureau.
It obtained the data by tallying the number of students who applied for changes in visa status, which is mandatory for employment.
The most common jobs were in translation and interpretation, engaged in by 33।7 percent of the former students, followed by sales at 16.2 percent and information processing at 11.2 percent.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090715a8.html
'Manga' grad course on horizon
Kyoto Seika University plans to offer a graduate course to foster comic book creators and researchers in fiscal 2010.
It will be the first academic course on "manga" offered by a graduate school at a Japanese university, the private school said.
Well-known manga creators, including Keiko Takemiya, Shuho Itahashi and Yukio Shinohara, who teach in the university's manga department, will give lectures as part of the graduate course.
About 840 students aiming to become comic book creators or animators are currently enrolled in the school's Faculty of Manga, which was established in 2006.
The university opened the manga department in 2000, the first of its kind in the country।
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090716b1.html
It will be the first academic course on "manga" offered by a graduate school at a Japanese university, the private school said.
Well-known manga creators, including Keiko Takemiya, Shuho Itahashi and Yukio Shinohara, who teach in the university's manga department, will give lectures as part of the graduate course.
About 840 students aiming to become comic book creators or animators are currently enrolled in the school's Faculty of Manga, which was established in 2006.
The university opened the manga department in 2000, the first of its kind in the country।
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090716b1.html
Friday, July 03, 2009
Japan students rush for English-language education
At 28,000 dollars a year, a popular English language cram school course in Japan doesn't come cheap, but its students hope the rewards will more than make up for the hefty tuition fee.
The class is called "Route H" -- short for "Route to Harvard"।
Hundreds of schools like it have opened across Japan in recent years to prep a new generation of students who have their educational sights set far beyond Japan's shores, at the top universities of the West।
"In future I hope to become a doctor or a lawyer। I can't make up my mind," said one high school student on a recent study night, taking a short break between English grammar exercises and vocabulary drills.
But one thing he is sure about: he wants to go to Yale University where he expects a more pro-active learning environment than in Japan, one that stresses lively debate and independent thinking।
"I don't like the Japanese education system of passively listening to lectures," he said.
More and more Japanese parents and students are thinking the same way, said Masanori Fujii, of the cram school company Benesse Corp, which offers customised "Route H" courses at an average of 2।5 million yen (28,000 dollars).
"Most of them are high school students and their parents, but some are parents of ninth graders, eighth graders or even sixth graders," he said।
While many families across Asia who could afford it have long sent their children abroad for an English-language education, Japan now lags behind India, China and South Korea in sending students to US universities, according to the US Institute of International Education।
But the tide is turning, said Fujii, with a new wave of students worried that a Japanese-only education will leave them ill-prepared in an increasingly globalised world।
"The recent trend is different from the past in that top students are hoping to leave Japan," he said।
Of the 10,000 top high school students who took a mock university entrance exam last year, five percent were also hoping to apply to prestigious US and British universities such as Yale, Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge, Fujii said।
Their number is set to rise in future as the government is planning to introduce English-language education at elementary schools from 2011।
While the percentage may not seem huge yet, it has ended the virtual monopoly Japan's universities once enjoyed over the best and brightest academic talent, putting some educational institutions on the defensive।
-- Competition should improve education at home --
In 2005, the elite University of Tokyo for the first time teamed up with other hallowed learning institutions for a national tour to recruit high school students in provincial cities।
The university wanted to remind young Japanese that "there are many Japanese colleges which offer education and research as good as that of foreign universities or better," the university said in a statement।
Tokyo University also said it would aim to strengthen education in English, "an international language in the academic world"।
"Japanese universities are under pressure to improve their quality of education in an increasingly globalised world," said Hideo Kageyama, professor of education at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto।
"It's also difficult for Japanese universities to attract smart students from Asian countries such as China and India। Japan should discuss how to improve education with the view that it is competing with other countries on the educational front."
Cultural purists worry about the rush for English and a Western education।
A "fervor for education in English without a national strategy is a recipe for the decline of Japanese," wrote novelist Minae Mizumura, who recently caused a stir with her essay "When the Japanese language goes extinct"।
"We already have a solid translation culture in which almost any kind of intellectual dialogue can be read and spoken in Japanese," she said।
"But if everyone tries to speak English, the richness of Japanese could be reduced to a local language in which no intellectual conversations take place।"
Yukio Otsu, a linguistics professor at Keio University, agreed that "not all Japanese have to speak English"।
But he added that "it's natural to choose a university in an English speaking country if a top school of your specialised field happens to be there। And one's mother tongue doesn't disappear that easily."
Masayasu Morita, executive supervisor of the "Route H" course, said exposing more Japanese students to foreign universities would enrich, not threaten, the educational environment at home।
"This kind of competition between colleges across borders could contribute to improving the quality of Japanese education," he said।
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_asia_afp/lifestylejapaneducationenglish_20090702055729
The class is called "Route H" -- short for "Route to Harvard"।
Hundreds of schools like it have opened across Japan in recent years to prep a new generation of students who have their educational sights set far beyond Japan's shores, at the top universities of the West।
"In future I hope to become a doctor or a lawyer। I can't make up my mind," said one high school student on a recent study night, taking a short break between English grammar exercises and vocabulary drills.
But one thing he is sure about: he wants to go to Yale University where he expects a more pro-active learning environment than in Japan, one that stresses lively debate and independent thinking।
"I don't like the Japanese education system of passively listening to lectures," he said.
More and more Japanese parents and students are thinking the same way, said Masanori Fujii, of the cram school company Benesse Corp, which offers customised "Route H" courses at an average of 2।5 million yen (28,000 dollars).
"Most of them are high school students and their parents, but some are parents of ninth graders, eighth graders or even sixth graders," he said।
While many families across Asia who could afford it have long sent their children abroad for an English-language education, Japan now lags behind India, China and South Korea in sending students to US universities, according to the US Institute of International Education।
But the tide is turning, said Fujii, with a new wave of students worried that a Japanese-only education will leave them ill-prepared in an increasingly globalised world।
"The recent trend is different from the past in that top students are hoping to leave Japan," he said।
Of the 10,000 top high school students who took a mock university entrance exam last year, five percent were also hoping to apply to prestigious US and British universities such as Yale, Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge, Fujii said।
Their number is set to rise in future as the government is planning to introduce English-language education at elementary schools from 2011।
While the percentage may not seem huge yet, it has ended the virtual monopoly Japan's universities once enjoyed over the best and brightest academic talent, putting some educational institutions on the defensive।
-- Competition should improve education at home --
In 2005, the elite University of Tokyo for the first time teamed up with other hallowed learning institutions for a national tour to recruit high school students in provincial cities।
The university wanted to remind young Japanese that "there are many Japanese colleges which offer education and research as good as that of foreign universities or better," the university said in a statement।
Tokyo University also said it would aim to strengthen education in English, "an international language in the academic world"।
"Japanese universities are under pressure to improve their quality of education in an increasingly globalised world," said Hideo Kageyama, professor of education at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto।
"It's also difficult for Japanese universities to attract smart students from Asian countries such as China and India। Japan should discuss how to improve education with the view that it is competing with other countries on the educational front."
Cultural purists worry about the rush for English and a Western education।
A "fervor for education in English without a national strategy is a recipe for the decline of Japanese," wrote novelist Minae Mizumura, who recently caused a stir with her essay "When the Japanese language goes extinct"।
"We already have a solid translation culture in which almost any kind of intellectual dialogue can be read and spoken in Japanese," she said।
"But if everyone tries to speak English, the richness of Japanese could be reduced to a local language in which no intellectual conversations take place।"
Yukio Otsu, a linguistics professor at Keio University, agreed that "not all Japanese have to speak English"।
But he added that "it's natural to choose a university in an English speaking country if a top school of your specialised field happens to be there। And one's mother tongue doesn't disappear that easily."
Masayasu Morita, executive supervisor of the "Route H" course, said exposing more Japanese students to foreign universities would enrich, not threaten, the educational environment at home।
"This kind of competition between colleges across borders could contribute to improving the quality of Japanese education," he said।
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_asia_afp/lifestylejapaneducationenglish_20090702055729
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Panel eyes new schools for vocational education
A key government panel on education suggested Monday the establishment of a new category of school that will attach primary importance to practical vocational training for high school graduates।
The idea was suggested by the Central Council for Education as a measure to broaden the range of career choices for high school graduates and reduce the high rate of young people leaving employment।
The move reflects public concern over the increasing number of part-time job hoppers and NEETs, a term that refers to young people not in education, employment or training।
On Monday, a special committee of the panel to the education, science and technology minister compiled the draft of a report on the vocational independence of young people।
The report states that the new schools will create a new category of educational body in addition to universities and vocational colleges।
Under the current system, vocational colleges are given a considerable measure of freedom in devising their educational programs। But unlike these colleges, the envisaged schools are supposed to set up programs roughly in line with state-controlled standards.
The new schools would teach students a wide array of skills to prepare them to become full-fledged members of society and/or business professionals, allocating 40 to 50 percent of the curriculum to practical work and training। In addition, internships would be a mandatory part of the courses.
However, many issues still need to be discussed before the plans can be put into action।
For example, the panel has been indecisive about the duration of courses at the new schools, stating it should last from two to three years, or at least four years। Digital content creation and computer software-related engineering courses have been floated as ideas to be included in the new schools' curriculums.
According to the education ministry, about 50,000 people who graduated from high school last academic year did not proceed to higher education or employment after graduating।
Meanwhile, a survey shows that 50 percent of people who started work after graduating resigned within three years।
According to educational experts, current vocational education at high schools is ineffective, which is one of the reasons for the increase of NEETs and part-time job-hoppers, widely known as freeters।
The government has been urged to improve vocational education at high schools to try to counter this trend।
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20090701TDY02311.htm
The idea was suggested by the Central Council for Education as a measure to broaden the range of career choices for high school graduates and reduce the high rate of young people leaving employment।
The move reflects public concern over the increasing number of part-time job hoppers and NEETs, a term that refers to young people not in education, employment or training।
On Monday, a special committee of the panel to the education, science and technology minister compiled the draft of a report on the vocational independence of young people।
The report states that the new schools will create a new category of educational body in addition to universities and vocational colleges।
Under the current system, vocational colleges are given a considerable measure of freedom in devising their educational programs। But unlike these colleges, the envisaged schools are supposed to set up programs roughly in line with state-controlled standards.
The new schools would teach students a wide array of skills to prepare them to become full-fledged members of society and/or business professionals, allocating 40 to 50 percent of the curriculum to practical work and training। In addition, internships would be a mandatory part of the courses.
However, many issues still need to be discussed before the plans can be put into action।
For example, the panel has been indecisive about the duration of courses at the new schools, stating it should last from two to three years, or at least four years। Digital content creation and computer software-related engineering courses have been floated as ideas to be included in the new schools' curriculums.
According to the education ministry, about 50,000 people who graduated from high school last academic year did not proceed to higher education or employment after graduating।
Meanwhile, a survey shows that 50 percent of people who started work after graduating resigned within three years।
According to educational experts, current vocational education at high schools is ineffective, which is one of the reasons for the increase of NEETs and part-time job-hoppers, widely known as freeters।
The government has been urged to improve vocational education at high schools to try to counter this trend।
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20090701TDY02311.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
