A government panel chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called Wednesday for a three-fold increase in the number of foreign students in Japan by 2025.
That would bring the number to about 350,000. Currently, about 120,000 foreign students are in Japan, accounting for about 5 percent of the total number of foreign students worldwide.
In its final report, the Asian Gateway Strategy Council urged the government to maintain that percentage.
Some analysts estimate the number of students overseas will grow to around 7 million by 2025.
In 2003, the number of foreign students in Japan reached 100,000, the target set in 1983. Still, the number stayed at around 120,000 for three years from 2004.(IHT/Asahi: May 17,2007)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200705170125.html
Monday, May 21, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Employment rate for university graduates 96.3%
The employment rate of university students graduating this spring was 96.3 percent, up one percentage point from the same period the previous year, according to a joint survey of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry and the Education, Science and Technology Ministry.
The figure marks a record high since fiscal 1996, when the joint survey started. The health ministry said that due to the improving economy and the mass retirement of the baby-boomer generation, many companies are trying to secure human resources, while also pointing out that the employment rate of high school graduates in rural areas has fallen behind that of urban areas because of the sluggish economy conditions there.
The percentage for male university students was 96.6 percent, and that for female university students was 96 percent, 1.1 points up and one point up from the same period the previous year, respectively.
Meanwhile, the education ministry said 93.9 percent of high school students graduating this spring had found jobs as of the end of March, 1.1 percent up from the same period last year. The ratio has been increasing for five years in a row.
(May. 16, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070516TDY02007.htm
The figure marks a record high since fiscal 1996, when the joint survey started. The health ministry said that due to the improving economy and the mass retirement of the baby-boomer generation, many companies are trying to secure human resources, while also pointing out that the employment rate of high school graduates in rural areas has fallen behind that of urban areas because of the sluggish economy conditions there.
The percentage for male university students was 96.6 percent, and that for female university students was 96 percent, 1.1 points up and one point up from the same period the previous year, respectively.
Meanwhile, the education ministry said 93.9 percent of high school students graduating this spring had found jobs as of the end of March, 1.1 percent up from the same period last year. The ratio has been increasing for five years in a row.
(May. 16, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070516TDY02007.htm
Japan's 'edge' threatened by drop in students abroad: expert
Since the number of Japanese students studying in the United States peaked 10 years ago at more than 47,000, slow growth has given way to decline and there is concern that the growing number of other Asian students overseas could hurt Japan's future.
"In macro terms, there is no question that Japan's competitive advantage and edge is being eroded" by this trend, said David H. Satterwhite, executive director of the Fulbright Commission Japan.
The commission has funded educational exchanges for Japanese students since 1952.
While the trend has longer term implications within 15 to 30 years, it is a "trend to be concerned about nonetheless," he said.
With Chinese and Koreans studying abroad in increasing numbers, Satterwhite said he believes the tendency is "putting them into the international ranks faster than their Japanese student counterparts," he said via e-mail.
The decline can be attributed to a number of factors, including Japan's sustained economic recovery, which "has made more pronounced a long-standing attitude" held by companies of not seeking international experience in prospective employees.
In Japan, students are traditionally hired upon graduation and offered in-house training and lifetime employment.
In Japan's hiring system, where university students traditionally advance in age-defined "cohort groups," Satterwhite noted many students "have felt disadvantaged when they are away from the network of their recommending professors or classmates."
Soichiro Shibata, 22, a graduating senior majoring in political science at Yale University, offered a similar viewpoint.
While the level of English proficiency required can deter students from studying abroad, he said, there is also a sense among students that attending top universities in Japan such as the University of Tokyo gives one a "better shot at getting into a good company."
Students opt to stay home because they feel "that once you leave Japan, you're kind of out of the game, you're going to have a tougher time being employed in Japan, and that it's a very risky venture," Shibata said.
Another major factor in the decline is Japan's aging population coupled with low birthrates, resulting in fewer 18-year-olds enrolling in university, Satterwhite wrote in a recent report on U.S.-Japan educational exchange released by the Institute of International Education.
The economic recovery, along with increasingly competitive educational opportunities in Japan, has resulted in graduates seeking work at home rather than "seeking to improve one's marketability through studies abroad" as during the recession, he said.
Shibata, who attended elementary and middle school in the United States, said that no one else from his high school applied to overseas schools.
"People don't really see going abroad as an option," he said. If not for his childhood experience, he might have felt the same, he added.
Employers "are for the most part not looking at the skill set or content of what has been studied abroad, just as they are not primarily interested in the transcript or subject matter of courses taken by graduates of Japanese universities," Satterwhite noted.
The trend could reverse if the economy were to enter another downturn, he said.
"At that point it is an attractive option for students to go abroad and improve their English, picking up skills that may be attractive to potential employers," he said, and perhaps "differentiating themselves" from others in the job market.
For many students, there has simply been insufficient incentive to leave Japan, Shibata said.
Despite the tough economic times in the 1990s, "Japan is still one of the richest countries in the world, and the jobs you can get in Tokyo are better than most things you can get elsewhere," he noted.
The traditional business structure would have to shift to a "more merit-based, market-based system in which it will be up to each individual to gain the training necessary to secure and succeed in a job," in order for students to seek practical training and English skills as a "more desirable and realistic option," the undergrad said.
Mari Kita, an international criminal justice major at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said she feels that although fewer Japanese students may be studying in the United States, more are studying in other countries "since the world is more globalized as compared to say, 10 years ago, when people's perception was going (to) study abroad means studying in English-speaking countries."
Though unable to cite exact figures, Satterwhite said some universities are more active in recruiting older students to make up for the declining enrollment of 18-year-olds and that there is a "sense" that more adults are considering graduate degrees.
Kita, who has studied in the United States since 2003, said she has met "more and more people, especially women, older than 30, who are coming to the U.S. or other countries to study whatever they wish to study."
Masato Hasegawa, 31, a Ph.D. candidate in Chinese history at Yale, said he is a rarity among his peers, many of whom are working and starting families.
"People still come to the U.S. to get advanced degrees, but goals are becoming more practical, and more applicable to doing business," he said.
English ability has always been an advantage, Satterwhite said, but rotation experience within a firm is "deemed far more important to advancement than experience abroad, or even English proficiency."
In an economy still "just 12 to 14 percent geared to exports, as a percentage of GDP, the globalized economy has not yet come home to roost within many or most firms," he said.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070515a8.html
"In macro terms, there is no question that Japan's competitive advantage and edge is being eroded" by this trend, said David H. Satterwhite, executive director of the Fulbright Commission Japan.
The commission has funded educational exchanges for Japanese students since 1952.
While the trend has longer term implications within 15 to 30 years, it is a "trend to be concerned about nonetheless," he said.
With Chinese and Koreans studying abroad in increasing numbers, Satterwhite said he believes the tendency is "putting them into the international ranks faster than their Japanese student counterparts," he said via e-mail.
The decline can be attributed to a number of factors, including Japan's sustained economic recovery, which "has made more pronounced a long-standing attitude" held by companies of not seeking international experience in prospective employees.
In Japan, students are traditionally hired upon graduation and offered in-house training and lifetime employment.
In Japan's hiring system, where university students traditionally advance in age-defined "cohort groups," Satterwhite noted many students "have felt disadvantaged when they are away from the network of their recommending professors or classmates."
Soichiro Shibata, 22, a graduating senior majoring in political science at Yale University, offered a similar viewpoint.
While the level of English proficiency required can deter students from studying abroad, he said, there is also a sense among students that attending top universities in Japan such as the University of Tokyo gives one a "better shot at getting into a good company."
Students opt to stay home because they feel "that once you leave Japan, you're kind of out of the game, you're going to have a tougher time being employed in Japan, and that it's a very risky venture," Shibata said.
Another major factor in the decline is Japan's aging population coupled with low birthrates, resulting in fewer 18-year-olds enrolling in university, Satterwhite wrote in a recent report on U.S.-Japan educational exchange released by the Institute of International Education.
The economic recovery, along with increasingly competitive educational opportunities in Japan, has resulted in graduates seeking work at home rather than "seeking to improve one's marketability through studies abroad" as during the recession, he said.
Shibata, who attended elementary and middle school in the United States, said that no one else from his high school applied to overseas schools.
"People don't really see going abroad as an option," he said. If not for his childhood experience, he might have felt the same, he added.
Employers "are for the most part not looking at the skill set or content of what has been studied abroad, just as they are not primarily interested in the transcript or subject matter of courses taken by graduates of Japanese universities," Satterwhite noted.
The trend could reverse if the economy were to enter another downturn, he said.
"At that point it is an attractive option for students to go abroad and improve their English, picking up skills that may be attractive to potential employers," he said, and perhaps "differentiating themselves" from others in the job market.
For many students, there has simply been insufficient incentive to leave Japan, Shibata said.
Despite the tough economic times in the 1990s, "Japan is still one of the richest countries in the world, and the jobs you can get in Tokyo are better than most things you can get elsewhere," he noted.
The traditional business structure would have to shift to a "more merit-based, market-based system in which it will be up to each individual to gain the training necessary to secure and succeed in a job," in order for students to seek practical training and English skills as a "more desirable and realistic option," the undergrad said.
Mari Kita, an international criminal justice major at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said she feels that although fewer Japanese students may be studying in the United States, more are studying in other countries "since the world is more globalized as compared to say, 10 years ago, when people's perception was going (to) study abroad means studying in English-speaking countries."
Though unable to cite exact figures, Satterwhite said some universities are more active in recruiting older students to make up for the declining enrollment of 18-year-olds and that there is a "sense" that more adults are considering graduate degrees.
Kita, who has studied in the United States since 2003, said she has met "more and more people, especially women, older than 30, who are coming to the U.S. or other countries to study whatever they wish to study."
Masato Hasegawa, 31, a Ph.D. candidate in Chinese history at Yale, said he is a rarity among his peers, many of whom are working and starting families.
"People still come to the U.S. to get advanced degrees, but goals are becoming more practical, and more applicable to doing business," he said.
English ability has always been an advantage, Satterwhite said, but rotation experience within a firm is "deemed far more important to advancement than experience abroad, or even English proficiency."
In an economy still "just 12 to 14 percent geared to exports, as a percentage of GDP, the globalized economy has not yet come home to roost within many or most firms," he said.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070515a8.html
Friday, May 11, 2007
Chinese students in Japan look forward to Premier Wen's "ice-melting visit"
Right before Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's official visit to Japan, which will be on next Wednesday through Friday, representatives of Chinese students in Japan gathered in Tokyo last week to express their excitement and expectations for the "ice-melting visit."
On behalf of about 100,000 Chinese students in Japan, Li Guangzhe, chairman of the Organization of All Chinese Students in Japan, expressed best wishes for the premier's upcoming visit.
"We expect an all-around improvement of the Sino-Japanese ties brought by the premier's tour, and are eager to see that the water from the 'melting ice' becomes spring of the bilateral friendly cooperation," said the doctoral degree student of the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
There are currently about 100,000 Chinese students in Japan, and likewise, there are also a large number of Japanese students in China. Overseas students have constituted influential forces in promoting people-to-people contact between the two countries and should make more efforts to promote the development of bilateral ties, Li said.
"It will be top-level Chinese leader's first visit to Japan in six years, and Premier Wen will give a speech at the Japanese parliament, the first ever in 22 years," said Shi Jiangshui, a doctor from Tokyo University, adding that he and his Chinese schoolmates are full of expectations that Premier Wen's Japan visit will give a new motive force to the overall exchange between he two countries and to the development of bilateral ties.
"I believe that the premier's visit is to bring about a spring breeze which will melt the ice in the Sino-Japanese relationship, and the water from the melting ice will nourish the flowers of friendship between China and Japan," said Ren Yuqian, a Chinese student from prestigious Keio University.
"Premier Wen's visit will encourage Chinese students in Japan to contribute more to the Sino-Japanese friendship," She added.
According to official statistics, Japan is now hosting the biggest percentage of Chinese overseas students, and the current number of Chinese students in Japan is the highest on record.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Govt mulls university fund cuts / But education ministry, govt council at odds on promoting competition
A disagreement between the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy and the Education, Science and Technology Ministry over how to allocate government subsidies to state-run universities has raised questions about the extent to which competition can be introduced into the education system.
The government council said funds should be allocated based on the efforts each university has made to reform, or their academic achievements. However, the ministry, backed by the country's universities, counter that academic results are not always easy to assess.
The dispute was triggered by a report submitted on Feb. 27 by four members of the council from the private sector, including Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) Chairman Fujio Mitarai.
The report said, "The method of allocating government subsidies for management of state-run universities must be drastically changed to reward effort and achievements."
Government subsidies are a major revenue source for universities to cover labor costs and educational and research budgets. About 1.2 trillion yen in management subsidies are paid annually to 87 state-run universities across the nation. The amount allocated to each of the universities is being reduced by 1 percent each year from fiscal 2004, when state-run universities became independent entities, to fiscal 2009.
The report proposed that from fiscal 2010, the method of allocating the subsidies should shift from a uniform reduction to one based on competition.
However, at a convention of the Japan Association of National Universities held on March 8, presidents of state-run universities expressed strong opposition to the recommendations in the report. One of them said, "Education will be ruined if universities are evaluated only by results that are easy to understand." Another commented: "Management subsidies are necessary for universities to survive. If the amounts are cut further, more universities will go bankrupt."
In response to these concerns, Education, Science and Technology Minister Bunmei Ibuki argued for a review of the proposals for cuts in the subsidies at a meeting of the council on April 17, pointing out that the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was supposed to be prioritizing educational reforms.
But Finance Minister Koji Omi voiced his support for the report. "Is it really necessary to maintain 87 state-run universities?" he asked.
On the principle of introducing competition between education institutions, the ministry in 2001 hammered out a policy of drastic realignment of higher education, including possible consolidation of state-run universities and the introduction of performance-based management systems, in a report on structural reform of universities.
As a result, the number of state-run universities has fallen from 99 in 2002 to 87, and evaluations of universities are being conducted by third parties. But reforms have so far been voluntary, with each university allowed to decide what practical measures it will implement.
===
Private sector criticism
Council members from the private sector have been critical of the reforms so far introduced.
International Christian University Prof. Naohiro Yashiro said, "It's not enough to expect each university to improve its own educational quality."
Mitarai commented: "Universities in provincial regions are all aiming to be the same thing, with a large number of faculties. They haven't been able to utilize elements unique to their region."
Concerns over the state of the country's universities have been exacerbated by rapid advances in India and South Korea, both of which are striving to enhance their credentials in the technology sector. Many critics believe Japanese universities are failing to attract talented researchers and students from other countries to undertake advanced studies in Japan.
Takatoshi Ito, a graduate school professor at Tokyo University, and a representative of the private sector on the council, said, "The government should encourage universities with potential to hone their capabilities further." He argued that more money should be invested in universities that can compete with prestigious institutions overseas.
On the issue of state-run universities in provincial regions, Ito said he believes drastic realignment or consolidation should be enforced if necessary.
Following submission of the report, the ministry conducted a simulation, in private, on what would happen if competition was introduced through changing the allocation of management subsidies.
According to sources in the ministry, the results shocked many, with as many as 47 likely to be forced to close.
Many state-run universities in provincial regions play a key role in fostering teachers and doctors for their respective region, and also conduct joint research and development with local small and midsize companies with weak R&D capabilities.
Wakayama University President Akira Oda said he was troubled by the idea of diverting money from regional institutions. "Letting universities in provincial regions collapse could lead to a widening gap between large cities and provincial regions," he said. Some researchers also believe introducing competition could result in declining standards in basic scientific research and history, where strong results take longer to realize.
Four national research organizations, including the Japan Association of National Universities and the National Institute of Natural Sciences, submitted a letter last month asking the education minister to rethink the management subsidy issue.
"If funds are provided only to studies that can produce outstanding results in short periods, budding examples of excellence in applied studies will be lost," the letter said.
"If competition is brought into basic research fields, only high-profile studies will get any attention, which could distort the basics of academic studies," Gunma University President Mamoru Suzuki said.
(May. 6, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070506TDY03003.htm
The government council said funds should be allocated based on the efforts each university has made to reform, or their academic achievements. However, the ministry, backed by the country's universities, counter that academic results are not always easy to assess.
The dispute was triggered by a report submitted on Feb. 27 by four members of the council from the private sector, including Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) Chairman Fujio Mitarai.
The report said, "The method of allocating government subsidies for management of state-run universities must be drastically changed to reward effort and achievements."
Government subsidies are a major revenue source for universities to cover labor costs and educational and research budgets. About 1.2 trillion yen in management subsidies are paid annually to 87 state-run universities across the nation. The amount allocated to each of the universities is being reduced by 1 percent each year from fiscal 2004, when state-run universities became independent entities, to fiscal 2009.
The report proposed that from fiscal 2010, the method of allocating the subsidies should shift from a uniform reduction to one based on competition.
However, at a convention of the Japan Association of National Universities held on March 8, presidents of state-run universities expressed strong opposition to the recommendations in the report. One of them said, "Education will be ruined if universities are evaluated only by results that are easy to understand." Another commented: "Management subsidies are necessary for universities to survive. If the amounts are cut further, more universities will go bankrupt."
In response to these concerns, Education, Science and Technology Minister Bunmei Ibuki argued for a review of the proposals for cuts in the subsidies at a meeting of the council on April 17, pointing out that the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was supposed to be prioritizing educational reforms.
But Finance Minister Koji Omi voiced his support for the report. "Is it really necessary to maintain 87 state-run universities?" he asked.
On the principle of introducing competition between education institutions, the ministry in 2001 hammered out a policy of drastic realignment of higher education, including possible consolidation of state-run universities and the introduction of performance-based management systems, in a report on structural reform of universities.
As a result, the number of state-run universities has fallen from 99 in 2002 to 87, and evaluations of universities are being conducted by third parties. But reforms have so far been voluntary, with each university allowed to decide what practical measures it will implement.
===
Private sector criticism
Council members from the private sector have been critical of the reforms so far introduced.
International Christian University Prof. Naohiro Yashiro said, "It's not enough to expect each university to improve its own educational quality."
Mitarai commented: "Universities in provincial regions are all aiming to be the same thing, with a large number of faculties. They haven't been able to utilize elements unique to their region."
Concerns over the state of the country's universities have been exacerbated by rapid advances in India and South Korea, both of which are striving to enhance their credentials in the technology sector. Many critics believe Japanese universities are failing to attract talented researchers and students from other countries to undertake advanced studies in Japan.
Takatoshi Ito, a graduate school professor at Tokyo University, and a representative of the private sector on the council, said, "The government should encourage universities with potential to hone their capabilities further." He argued that more money should be invested in universities that can compete with prestigious institutions overseas.
On the issue of state-run universities in provincial regions, Ito said he believes drastic realignment or consolidation should be enforced if necessary.
Following submission of the report, the ministry conducted a simulation, in private, on what would happen if competition was introduced through changing the allocation of management subsidies.
According to sources in the ministry, the results shocked many, with as many as 47 likely to be forced to close.
Many state-run universities in provincial regions play a key role in fostering teachers and doctors for their respective region, and also conduct joint research and development with local small and midsize companies with weak R&D capabilities.
Wakayama University President Akira Oda said he was troubled by the idea of diverting money from regional institutions. "Letting universities in provincial regions collapse could lead to a widening gap between large cities and provincial regions," he said. Some researchers also believe introducing competition could result in declining standards in basic scientific research and history, where strong results take longer to realize.
Four national research organizations, including the Japan Association of National Universities and the National Institute of Natural Sciences, submitted a letter last month asking the education minister to rethink the management subsidy issue.
"If funds are provided only to studies that can produce outstanding results in short periods, budding examples of excellence in applied studies will be lost," the letter said.
"If competition is brought into basic research fields, only high-profile studies will get any attention, which could distort the basics of academic studies," Gunma University President Mamoru Suzuki said.
(May. 6, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070506TDY03003.htm
Many high school grads still unemployed
High school graduates in Hokkaido this spring did not benefit from the strong economic recovery, which has generally boosted employment of high school graduates in big cities.
As of the end of January, the nationwide average number of high school senior students who had been promised employment stood at 88.1 percent, a gain of 2.8 percentage points from the previous year, making it the second highest employment rate in the last 10 years.
However, in less-populated areas, many high school graduates are still pounding the pavement to find work in their hometown or other areas.
"We're unemployed, though we've graduated, and we're depressed. I just want a job," a high school graduate in Kushiro, Hokkaido, said.
Out of 145 graduates from a public high school in Kushiro, 49 are still unemployed since graduating in March.
Another graduate, 18, who found a job in mid-April said that before she got the job, she was ashamed to face her parents, so she confined herself to her room.
Last summer, she began to get information from a local job center and took exams for three companies, but the number of applicants was always five to six times more than the one to three jobs available.
She graduated without landing a job and was depressed that she had to continue going to the job center.
In mid-April, when she was looking for a part-time job, one of her high school teachers helped her get a position with a funeral service company. "Some of my friends are still unemployed after taking exams for 10 companies. I was about to give up on finding a job," she said.
In late April, Hello Work Kushiro, the job center in Kushiro, was still displaying a poster that calls on companies to give local high school graduates an opportunity to work.
A Hello Work Kushiro official said the poster was put up last summer, but the office did not feel that it should be taken down yet.
"The economic expansion is said to be the longest after the war, but people here don't feel that way," he said.
A 19-year-old who graduated this spring sought help from the center. He did not look hard for a job when he was a student, but concern about his future after graduation prompted him to interview for two jobs, which he did not get.
He is now working at a karaoke box parlor, but is looking for full-time work. "A freeter can be fired any time, so I don't have job security," he said.
About 10 new graduates visit the office each day, and recently, many of them are accompanied by their parents.
Hidemitsu Muroya, a deputy chief at the office, said local companies had not increased the number of workers they needed.
As of the end of March, the number of high school graduates who had received job offers stood at 78.2 percent in the eight cities, towns and villages under the supervision of the office.
Of the 68 graduates of a prefectural high school in Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, who landed jobs in spring, only 19 work for companies in the prefecture. The other 49 work for companies, such as bargain stores and hotels, in the Tokyo metropolitan and surrounding areas.
A high school teacher who offers career counseling for students said he told them that with the job market remaining weak in the prefecture, they could seek better-paying jobs in other prefectures and then return home someday.
As of the end of March, the number of high school graduates in the prefecture promised job surged 2.4 percentage points to 90.7 percent, but 55 percent of them received promises from companies outside the prefecture.
This is the first time since the early 1990s that the number of high school graduates who work for companies in other prefectures is higher than the number working in the prefecture, indicating that the economic recovery has not trickled down to the prefecture.
By region, as of the end of January, Hokkaido had the lowest job offers with 66.6 percent.
The 84.6 percent in southern Kyushu, 85.1 percent in northern Kyushu, 85.3 percent in the Sanin region and 86.7 percent in the Tohoku region were lower than the national average.
Tokyo Metropolitan University Prof. Akio Inui, an expert on freeters, said that in areas that have not seen an economic recovery, it remains to be seen whether the employment situation will improve.
"Measures to improve employment have to take local situations into consideration in light of the gap in employment rates in localities," he said.
===
'Working poor' living at Net cafes
Some big city companies hire young people from other prefectures as full-time employees, but many outsiders can only find part-time jobs, and some of them have become the so-called working poor, meaning they cannot free themselves from low-paying jobs.
Recently, many young people in urban areas, including Tokyo, are starting to use Internet cafes or comic book cafes as lodgings.
A survey conducted in April by the National Confederation of Trade Unions and other organizations in 10 prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka and Aichi prefectures, found that nearly 80 percent of 34 Internet cafes had young people who had become "long-term residents."
Makoto Kawazoe, secretary general of the Metro Tokyo Youth Union, said the number of part-time workers in cities had increased.
"Young people who have been dismissed have to leave the dorms. Since they don't have any savings, they can't pay deposits and key money for an apartment. That's why they live in Internet cafes," he said.
(May. 5, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070505TDY02005.htm
As of the end of January, the nationwide average number of high school senior students who had been promised employment stood at 88.1 percent, a gain of 2.8 percentage points from the previous year, making it the second highest employment rate in the last 10 years.
However, in less-populated areas, many high school graduates are still pounding the pavement to find work in their hometown or other areas.
"We're unemployed, though we've graduated, and we're depressed. I just want a job," a high school graduate in Kushiro, Hokkaido, said.
Out of 145 graduates from a public high school in Kushiro, 49 are still unemployed since graduating in March.
Another graduate, 18, who found a job in mid-April said that before she got the job, she was ashamed to face her parents, so she confined herself to her room.
Last summer, she began to get information from a local job center and took exams for three companies, but the number of applicants was always five to six times more than the one to three jobs available.
She graduated without landing a job and was depressed that she had to continue going to the job center.
In mid-April, when she was looking for a part-time job, one of her high school teachers helped her get a position with a funeral service company. "Some of my friends are still unemployed after taking exams for 10 companies. I was about to give up on finding a job," she said.
In late April, Hello Work Kushiro, the job center in Kushiro, was still displaying a poster that calls on companies to give local high school graduates an opportunity to work.
A Hello Work Kushiro official said the poster was put up last summer, but the office did not feel that it should be taken down yet.
"The economic expansion is said to be the longest after the war, but people here don't feel that way," he said.
A 19-year-old who graduated this spring sought help from the center. He did not look hard for a job when he was a student, but concern about his future after graduation prompted him to interview for two jobs, which he did not get.
He is now working at a karaoke box parlor, but is looking for full-time work. "A freeter can be fired any time, so I don't have job security," he said.
About 10 new graduates visit the office each day, and recently, many of them are accompanied by their parents.
Hidemitsu Muroya, a deputy chief at the office, said local companies had not increased the number of workers they needed.
As of the end of March, the number of high school graduates who had received job offers stood at 78.2 percent in the eight cities, towns and villages under the supervision of the office.
Of the 68 graduates of a prefectural high school in Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, who landed jobs in spring, only 19 work for companies in the prefecture. The other 49 work for companies, such as bargain stores and hotels, in the Tokyo metropolitan and surrounding areas.
A high school teacher who offers career counseling for students said he told them that with the job market remaining weak in the prefecture, they could seek better-paying jobs in other prefectures and then return home someday.
As of the end of March, the number of high school graduates in the prefecture promised job surged 2.4 percentage points to 90.7 percent, but 55 percent of them received promises from companies outside the prefecture.
This is the first time since the early 1990s that the number of high school graduates who work for companies in other prefectures is higher than the number working in the prefecture, indicating that the economic recovery has not trickled down to the prefecture.
By region, as of the end of January, Hokkaido had the lowest job offers with 66.6 percent.
The 84.6 percent in southern Kyushu, 85.1 percent in northern Kyushu, 85.3 percent in the Sanin region and 86.7 percent in the Tohoku region were lower than the national average.
Tokyo Metropolitan University Prof. Akio Inui, an expert on freeters, said that in areas that have not seen an economic recovery, it remains to be seen whether the employment situation will improve.
"Measures to improve employment have to take local situations into consideration in light of the gap in employment rates in localities," he said.
===
'Working poor' living at Net cafes
Some big city companies hire young people from other prefectures as full-time employees, but many outsiders can only find part-time jobs, and some of them have become the so-called working poor, meaning they cannot free themselves from low-paying jobs.
Recently, many young people in urban areas, including Tokyo, are starting to use Internet cafes or comic book cafes as lodgings.
A survey conducted in April by the National Confederation of Trade Unions and other organizations in 10 prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka and Aichi prefectures, found that nearly 80 percent of 34 Internet cafes had young people who had become "long-term residents."
Makoto Kawazoe, secretary general of the Metro Tokyo Youth Union, said the number of part-time workers in cities had increased.
"Young people who have been dismissed have to leave the dorms. Since they don't have any savings, they can't pay deposits and key money for an apartment. That's why they live in Internet cafes," he said.
(May. 5, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070505TDY02005.htm
Thursday, April 26, 2007
English university applications up, rise in Japanese studies
Britain's Minister for Higher Education Bill Rammell said Wednesday the number of university applications in England hit an all-time high this year, up 6 percent from last year, sparking a rise in those hoping to study Japanese.
The figures showed that applications in what were described as a number of "strategic subjects" including Japanese -- as well as physics, chemistry, biology, French and German -- had "increased significantly."
The research, conducted by the University Central Admissions Service, tabled a 37 percent year-on-year rise in applications to study Japanese in England in 2007, taking the total number of applicants for the subject to 1,058.
"The department has done a lot of work to increase the take-up of studies in the strategic subjects and this includes Japanese as a foreign language," a spokesperson for the government's Department for Education and Skills told Kyodo News.
A UCAS spokesperson added that the rise in applications to study Japanese could be partly attributed to an increased diversity of subjects offered at high school, with Japanese growing in popularity as a subject to be added to the school curriculum.
The numbers of international students applying to English universities also saw a boost between 2006 and 2007, with an increase in applicants from both the European Union and other overseas countries, including Japan.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070425/kyodo/d8ono5mg0.html
The figures showed that applications in what were described as a number of "strategic subjects" including Japanese -- as well as physics, chemistry, biology, French and German -- had "increased significantly."
The research, conducted by the University Central Admissions Service, tabled a 37 percent year-on-year rise in applications to study Japanese in England in 2007, taking the total number of applicants for the subject to 1,058.
"The department has done a lot of work to increase the take-up of studies in the strategic subjects and this includes Japanese as a foreign language," a spokesperson for the government's Department for Education and Skills told Kyodo News.
A UCAS spokesperson added that the rise in applications to study Japanese could be partly attributed to an increased diversity of subjects offered at high school, with Japanese growing in popularity as a subject to be added to the school curriculum.
The numbers of international students applying to English universities also saw a boost between 2006 and 2007, with an increase in applicants from both the European Union and other overseas countries, including Japan.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070425/kyodo/d8ono5mg0.html
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Govt to propose restriction on graduate school intakes
The government's Education Rebuilding Council reached a basic agreement Monday on a draft proposal that includes a cap on the percentage of state-run university students admitted to graduate schools at the same university, at about 30 percent.
The draft proposal, part of efforts to revitalize graduate education, was approved at a meeting of the council's third subpanel on general education-rebuilding measures, which took place in the Prime Minister's Office.
Capping access to graduate schools is viewed as an effective method of improving quality at the graduate level as it should make it easier for state-run universities to attract talented students from outside their own undergraduate programs.
Initially, the subpanel planned to set the limit at about 20 percent, but raised the figure to 30 percent to head off opposition from university officials.
The draft proposal also includes plans to attract more foreign students and foreign researchers, particularly from China and India, funded by dedicated budgets in official assistance development, as well as for preferential tax treatment for state-run graduate schools to make it easier for them to receive donations from the private sector, to place them on a firmer financial footing.
(Apr. 24, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070424TDY02008.htm
The draft proposal, part of efforts to revitalize graduate education, was approved at a meeting of the council's third subpanel on general education-rebuilding measures, which took place in the Prime Minister's Office.
Capping access to graduate schools is viewed as an effective method of improving quality at the graduate level as it should make it easier for state-run universities to attract talented students from outside their own undergraduate programs.
Initially, the subpanel planned to set the limit at about 20 percent, but raised the figure to 30 percent to head off opposition from university officials.
The draft proposal also includes plans to attract more foreign students and foreign researchers, particularly from China and India, funded by dedicated budgets in official assistance development, as well as for preferential tax treatment for state-run graduate schools to make it easier for them to receive donations from the private sector, to place them on a firmer financial footing.
(Apr. 24, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070424TDY02008.htm
Temple Japan to reform as Japanese university in '09
Temple University Japan (TUJ) will reorganize in 2009 as a full-fledged Japanese university, TUJ and other sources said over the weekend.
The change will allow TUJ to offer full Japanese university degrees, a step made possible with the abolishing this month of a regulation that had obliged Japanese universities to own campus land and buildings.
According to TUJ Dean Kirk R. Patterson, "The biggest hurdle in setting up an official Japanese university has been removed," and paves the way for TUJ to become the first foreign university to be designated a Japanese university.
The move is expected to intensify competition among universities nationwide for a smaller pool of students.
Temple University, operated by the Pennsylvania state government, opened TUJ in 1982, one of the first such branches run by foreign universities. TUJ now has about 2,800 students, of whom 1,700, or about 60 percent, are Japanese.
TUJ leases buildings in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. It conducts classes in English based on curricula from Temple's main U.S. campus.
In 2005, regulations were changed to allow TUJ students to receive discounts on commuter passes, a benefit that those attending Japanese universities already receive.
However, under existing rules, TUJ bachelor's or postgraduate degrees are not recognized as Japanese university degrees, although they are deemed official U.S. university degrees.
In 2003, Japanese universities became able to use leased land and buildings in special deregulated zones. That rule was dropped this month, effectively allowing foreign schools to become Japanese universities.
A new Japanese university is required to have assets to support education activities if it fails to reach full enrollment capacity in the first four years.
TUJ will be required to expand its teaching staff, which is now fewer than the minimum set for Japanese universities, Patterson said.
The increase must be approved by the education ministry's Council for University Chartering and School Juridical Person.
Patterson said TUJ and education ministry officials will discuss ways to enable the planned new TUJ to offer U.S.-style education as far as possible.
At present, six foreign universities, including Temple, operate branch schools in Japan.(IHT/Asahi: April 23,2007)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200704230052.html
The change will allow TUJ to offer full Japanese university degrees, a step made possible with the abolishing this month of a regulation that had obliged Japanese universities to own campus land and buildings.
According to TUJ Dean Kirk R. Patterson, "The biggest hurdle in setting up an official Japanese university has been removed," and paves the way for TUJ to become the first foreign university to be designated a Japanese university.
The move is expected to intensify competition among universities nationwide for a smaller pool of students.
Temple University, operated by the Pennsylvania state government, opened TUJ in 1982, one of the first such branches run by foreign universities. TUJ now has about 2,800 students, of whom 1,700, or about 60 percent, are Japanese.
TUJ leases buildings in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. It conducts classes in English based on curricula from Temple's main U.S. campus.
In 2005, regulations were changed to allow TUJ students to receive discounts on commuter passes, a benefit that those attending Japanese universities already receive.
However, under existing rules, TUJ bachelor's or postgraduate degrees are not recognized as Japanese university degrees, although they are deemed official U.S. university degrees.
In 2003, Japanese universities became able to use leased land and buildings in special deregulated zones. That rule was dropped this month, effectively allowing foreign schools to become Japanese universities.
A new Japanese university is required to have assets to support education activities if it fails to reach full enrollment capacity in the first four years.
TUJ will be required to expand its teaching staff, which is now fewer than the minimum set for Japanese universities, Patterson said.
The increase must be approved by the education ministry's Council for University Chartering and School Juridical Person.
Patterson said TUJ and education ministry officials will discuss ways to enable the planned new TUJ to offer U.S.-style education as far as possible.
At present, six foreign universities, including Temple, operate branch schools in Japan.(IHT/Asahi: April 23,2007)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200704230052.html
Monday, April 23, 2007
Indian schools make a mark
Every day at the Global Indian International School (GIIS) in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward starts with yoga. All the students -- from kindergarteners to 14-year-old ninth-graders -- have a 20-minute session in their classrooms. The focus is on breathing, which it's thought helps them to relax and concentrate better during lessons.
So, it was hardly a surprise to find that in a fourth-grade math class that followed, the 9-year-olds were full of enthusiasm to tackle a new problem -- how to correctly read such a huge figure as 21,439,127 in the Western way of counting numbers.
"Twenty-one million, four-hundred-and-thirty-nine thousand, one hundred and twenty seven," a student slowly recited before the others. "Yes, that's correct. Very good," the teacher responded. They have already learned that the number is described differently in the Hindu-Arabic number-counting system.
"Next," the teacher says, "please write down the numeral 84,769,801 in both the Indian Place-Value System and the International Place-Value System."
The children's faces lit up with smiles when they worked it out and showed their right answers to the teacher. But they were even more joyful when the teacher told them it was 10.30 a.m. -- break time -- and they could tuck into snacks and drinks they'd brought from home.
GIIS opened in July last year in Minami-Shinozakicho in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward, a 5-minute walk from Mizue Station on the Shinjuku subway line. Now with about 170 mostly Indian pupils aged 3 to 14, it is presently the fifth Asian branch of the Singapore-based international school, and the only one in Japan. Another is planned for Yokohama next year.
As GIIS follows the Indian government-authorized Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum, it ensures that graduates can enter schools back home and stay on track for college there. Should they wish to attend university in Japan, they would first have to pass the government test allowing them to take entrance exams at individual universities.
A new phenomenon in Japan, the arrival of Indian international schools here follows on the heels of the rapid growth in the number of Indian residents -- in turn largely driven by the IT sector's demand for highly skilled engineers, with whom India is famously well-blessed.
Kindergarteners at Global Indian International School in Edogawa Ward start off the day by practicing yoga.
Children lunch in their classrooms, eating meals brought from home.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the city now hosts 7,581 Indian residents, compared with 4,398 in 2002, and the year-on-year growth rate of 8.4 percent (according to data released last month) is the fastest of any ethnic group.
Clearly, more and more Indian parents are having to think hard about how to educate their children.
Daughter's education
It was a problem that Niyanta Deshpande, director of GIIS in Tokyo, faced. He came to Japan nine years ago with his wife to work in IT sales and marketing. He says that he had few problems with either the language (he's now a fluent Japanese speaker) or the food. But he realized that his Japan-born daughter's education was an issue.
"We didn't realize initially that we had a problem, but as our child grew up we realized we did. My daughter could speak only Japanese in the day-care center. She could not speak Indian languages or English there. That's why I sent them [his wife and daughter] back to India when my daughter was 3."
Now, with his daughter aged 4, Deshpande is preparing to resume life together with his family in Japan.
But it's not just Indian people who are welcoming Indian-style education here, with many Japanese becoming aware of the high academic standards it offers -- especially in mathematics.
Rumors among people that Indian children "memorize the multiplication tables from 1×1 to 99×99 in India" have done a lot to fuel this interest, which has been reflected in press headlines such as "Indian schools boast astonishing math skills."
Deshpande said that media reports may have been exaggerated, but he can instantly multiply 55×55, for example, using techniques he was taught by his grandmother. He added that 99×99 is very easy, too. "Simply do 99×100," he explained with a smile, "then subtract 99."
At the school, English is the language used, but Japanese students and those of other nationalities are welcome if their English is sufficient, Deshpande said. There are now 16 Japanese students.
In a fourth-grade math class at Global Indian International School, students line up to show their answers to the teacher.
Compared with other international schools -- some of which charge tuition fees of about 2 million yen a year -- GIIS's fees are around 700,000-800,000 yen yen.
"It's a challenge to keep the cost low," Deshpande said. "But the management part of my job is rather simple. The most interesting part is that we are trying to have a very good relationship with our neighborhood and the local community. I think it is very important for us.
"In this school, all children have a chance to learn the Japanese language and Japanese cultural things such as origami and calligraphy so they can develop their understanding of the country. That will help toward Japan and India being strategic partners in many ways, not only in business but also in global politics."
India International School in Japan (IISJ) is Tokyo's other Indian international school. IISJ, too, has become increasingly popular since its opening in 2004 with 27 pupils, as it also follows the CBSE curriculum and the fees are reasonable. Currently, some 170 students are enrolled, including five Japanese, in the school in Morishita, Koto Ward.
Students sing at the opening ceremony of the newly relocated India International School in Japan in Morishita, Koto Ward.
To cope with its growth, IISJ this month moved into five floors of a seven-story building near its original location, giving it 4,000 sq. meters of floor space -- five times more than before.
But schools such as this and GIIS are not just catering to Tokyo's Indian population, they also make it possible for more Indian families to relocate here, IISJ Director Nirmal Jain said.
Two birds; one stone
"Because the school is here, Japanese companies can get more mature, experienced engineers to work for them," she noted. "Middle-aged engineers are ready to come because the school gives a suitable education. So the growing number of students is a natural development."
Regarding teachers, she said she did not find it difficult to find good ones because many Indian wives who come here with their husbands have a teaching license. Previously, she said, they had nowhere to work in Japan and stayed at home -- so establishing an Indian school has killed two birds with one stone.
At the opening ceremony of the new IISJ school building, Vibhav Kant Upadhyay, chairman of India Center in Tokyo, said one of the most important aspects of the school is that Indian children can get the same education as they would in Delhi.
But he also echoed the widely held view that the school will serve to foster relations between the two countries. "We are investing in the future of the Japan-India relationship 30 years from now," he said.
It's a sentiment obviously being shared by an ever-widening community of people right here and now -- where the mysteries of instant 55×55 multiplication are among the many pearls of wisdom now being brought from the distant subcontinent.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070422x2.html
So, it was hardly a surprise to find that in a fourth-grade math class that followed, the 9-year-olds were full of enthusiasm to tackle a new problem -- how to correctly read such a huge figure as 21,439,127 in the Western way of counting numbers.
"Twenty-one million, four-hundred-and-thirty-nine thousand, one hundred and twenty seven," a student slowly recited before the others. "Yes, that's correct. Very good," the teacher responded. They have already learned that the number is described differently in the Hindu-Arabic number-counting system.
"Next," the teacher says, "please write down the numeral 84,769,801 in both the Indian Place-Value System and the International Place-Value System."
The children's faces lit up with smiles when they worked it out and showed their right answers to the teacher. But they were even more joyful when the teacher told them it was 10.30 a.m. -- break time -- and they could tuck into snacks and drinks they'd brought from home.
GIIS opened in July last year in Minami-Shinozakicho in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward, a 5-minute walk from Mizue Station on the Shinjuku subway line. Now with about 170 mostly Indian pupils aged 3 to 14, it is presently the fifth Asian branch of the Singapore-based international school, and the only one in Japan. Another is planned for Yokohama next year.
As GIIS follows the Indian government-authorized Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum, it ensures that graduates can enter schools back home and stay on track for college there. Should they wish to attend university in Japan, they would first have to pass the government test allowing them to take entrance exams at individual universities.
A new phenomenon in Japan, the arrival of Indian international schools here follows on the heels of the rapid growth in the number of Indian residents -- in turn largely driven by the IT sector's demand for highly skilled engineers, with whom India is famously well-blessed.
Kindergarteners at Global Indian International School in Edogawa Ward start off the day by practicing yoga.
Children lunch in their classrooms, eating meals brought from home.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the city now hosts 7,581 Indian residents, compared with 4,398 in 2002, and the year-on-year growth rate of 8.4 percent (according to data released last month) is the fastest of any ethnic group.
Clearly, more and more Indian parents are having to think hard about how to educate their children.
Daughter's education
It was a problem that Niyanta Deshpande, director of GIIS in Tokyo, faced. He came to Japan nine years ago with his wife to work in IT sales and marketing. He says that he had few problems with either the language (he's now a fluent Japanese speaker) or the food. But he realized that his Japan-born daughter's education was an issue.
"We didn't realize initially that we had a problem, but as our child grew up we realized we did. My daughter could speak only Japanese in the day-care center. She could not speak Indian languages or English there. That's why I sent them [his wife and daughter] back to India when my daughter was 3."
Now, with his daughter aged 4, Deshpande is preparing to resume life together with his family in Japan.
But it's not just Indian people who are welcoming Indian-style education here, with many Japanese becoming aware of the high academic standards it offers -- especially in mathematics.
Rumors among people that Indian children "memorize the multiplication tables from 1×1 to 99×99 in India" have done a lot to fuel this interest, which has been reflected in press headlines such as "Indian schools boast astonishing math skills."
Deshpande said that media reports may have been exaggerated, but he can instantly multiply 55×55, for example, using techniques he was taught by his grandmother. He added that 99×99 is very easy, too. "Simply do 99×100," he explained with a smile, "then subtract 99."
At the school, English is the language used, but Japanese students and those of other nationalities are welcome if their English is sufficient, Deshpande said. There are now 16 Japanese students.
In a fourth-grade math class at Global Indian International School, students line up to show their answers to the teacher.
Compared with other international schools -- some of which charge tuition fees of about 2 million yen a year -- GIIS's fees are around 700,000-800,000 yen yen.
"It's a challenge to keep the cost low," Deshpande said. "But the management part of my job is rather simple. The most interesting part is that we are trying to have a very good relationship with our neighborhood and the local community. I think it is very important for us.
"In this school, all children have a chance to learn the Japanese language and Japanese cultural things such as origami and calligraphy so they can develop their understanding of the country. That will help toward Japan and India being strategic partners in many ways, not only in business but also in global politics."
India International School in Japan (IISJ) is Tokyo's other Indian international school. IISJ, too, has become increasingly popular since its opening in 2004 with 27 pupils, as it also follows the CBSE curriculum and the fees are reasonable. Currently, some 170 students are enrolled, including five Japanese, in the school in Morishita, Koto Ward.
Students sing at the opening ceremony of the newly relocated India International School in Japan in Morishita, Koto Ward.
To cope with its growth, IISJ this month moved into five floors of a seven-story building near its original location, giving it 4,000 sq. meters of floor space -- five times more than before.
But schools such as this and GIIS are not just catering to Tokyo's Indian population, they also make it possible for more Indian families to relocate here, IISJ Director Nirmal Jain said.
Two birds; one stone
"Because the school is here, Japanese companies can get more mature, experienced engineers to work for them," she noted. "Middle-aged engineers are ready to come because the school gives a suitable education. So the growing number of students is a natural development."
Regarding teachers, she said she did not find it difficult to find good ones because many Indian wives who come here with their husbands have a teaching license. Previously, she said, they had nowhere to work in Japan and stayed at home -- so establishing an Indian school has killed two birds with one stone.
At the opening ceremony of the new IISJ school building, Vibhav Kant Upadhyay, chairman of India Center in Tokyo, said one of the most important aspects of the school is that Indian children can get the same education as they would in Delhi.
But he also echoed the widely held view that the school will serve to foster relations between the two countries. "We are investing in the future of the Japan-India relationship 30 years from now," he said.
It's a sentiment obviously being shared by an ever-widening community of people right here and now -- where the mysteries of instant 55×55 multiplication are among the many pearls of wisdom now being brought from the distant subcontinent.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070422x2.html
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Panel OK's plan to attract 1 mil. foreign students by '25
An Education Rebuilding Council subcommittee agreed Wednesday on a plan to accept more foreign students into universities and graduate schools in Japan, and to set a target figure of 1 million such students by 2025.
The No. 3 subcommittee plans to include these proposals in its second report to be compiled in May.
Members of the subcommittee, which is tasked with internationalizing higher education, met in the morning at the Prime Minister's Office.
They reached a basic agreement to recommend:
-- Introduction of a unified Japanese-language examination for foreign students wishing to go on to higher education in Japan.
-- Expansion of the scholarship system to encourage foreign students to choose Japan as a place of study.
-- Letting foreign students start the academic year in September, the beginning of the academic year in most overseas countries.
-- Having more classes held in English.
-- Adopting a more flexible credit-transfer system.
(Apr. 19, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070419TDY03011.htm
The No. 3 subcommittee plans to include these proposals in its second report to be compiled in May.
Members of the subcommittee, which is tasked with internationalizing higher education, met in the morning at the Prime Minister's Office.
They reached a basic agreement to recommend:
-- Introduction of a unified Japanese-language examination for foreign students wishing to go on to higher education in Japan.
-- Expansion of the scholarship system to encourage foreign students to choose Japan as a place of study.
-- Letting foreign students start the academic year in September, the beginning of the academic year in most overseas countries.
-- Having more classes held in English.
-- Adopting a more flexible credit-transfer system.
(Apr. 19, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070419TDY03011.htm
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Universities seek to balance intake quotas
While some of the country's universities experienced difficulty trying to meet their intake quotas, others accepted more students than their enrollment quotas, according to evaluations conducted last year by three authorized university evaluation organizations.
The independent evaluation system to ensure university standards began in the 2004 academic year, with the Fundamental Law of Education stipulating that all universities be evaluated at least every seven years. The three organizations are the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation, the Japan University Accreditation Association, and the Japan Institution for Higher Education Evaluation.
In the last academic year, 73 universities were evaluated.
The Japan University Accreditation Association found that Minobusan University in Minobucho, Yamanashi Prefecture, had an average enrollment rate of 63 percent for the past five years.
The association asked the university to submit a report on its plans for improvements before the end of June 2009, without conducting an assessment, citing the need for the university to adopt drastic measures to improve its standards.
The university met its enrollment quota for this academic year with 40 new students, and said it would try to fulfill the enrollment quota to improve its finances.
In addition, at least 12 universities had enrollment rates 20 percent to 30 percent lower than their intake quotas, which could possibly affect their fiscal stability.
On the other hand, Gifu Keizai University's business and sports management department, a new department established last year, accepted 258 students, a figure much higher than its 70-student quota. The Japan Institution for Higher Education Evaluation was concerned the university's facilities and educational system might not be able to cope with so many students.
"We accepted more students for the new department because we feared we might not be able to meet our quota," said a Gifu Keizai University official.
This year, after doubling its intake quota to 150 and hiring two more lecturers, the university accepted 198 students.
The Japan University Accreditation Association demanded that 18 universities--including Waseda University in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, which had enrollment rates 1.2 times to 1.4 times higher than its intake quotas--reduce their enrollment rates, saying that large student bodies might make it difficult to provide adequate teaching.
Universities are given a free hand to implement the organizations' evaluations and suggestions.
While many universities are evaluated by just one organization, some prefer to have multiple assessments to improve their reputation.
(Apr. 18, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070418TDY03001.htm
The independent evaluation system to ensure university standards began in the 2004 academic year, with the Fundamental Law of Education stipulating that all universities be evaluated at least every seven years. The three organizations are the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation, the Japan University Accreditation Association, and the Japan Institution for Higher Education Evaluation.
In the last academic year, 73 universities were evaluated.
The Japan University Accreditation Association found that Minobusan University in Minobucho, Yamanashi Prefecture, had an average enrollment rate of 63 percent for the past five years.
The association asked the university to submit a report on its plans for improvements before the end of June 2009, without conducting an assessment, citing the need for the university to adopt drastic measures to improve its standards.
The university met its enrollment quota for this academic year with 40 new students, and said it would try to fulfill the enrollment quota to improve its finances.
In addition, at least 12 universities had enrollment rates 20 percent to 30 percent lower than their intake quotas, which could possibly affect their fiscal stability.
On the other hand, Gifu Keizai University's business and sports management department, a new department established last year, accepted 258 students, a figure much higher than its 70-student quota. The Japan Institution for Higher Education Evaluation was concerned the university's facilities and educational system might not be able to cope with so many students.
"We accepted more students for the new department because we feared we might not be able to meet our quota," said a Gifu Keizai University official.
This year, after doubling its intake quota to 150 and hiring two more lecturers, the university accepted 198 students.
The Japan University Accreditation Association demanded that 18 universities--including Waseda University in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, which had enrollment rates 1.2 times to 1.4 times higher than its intake quotas--reduce their enrollment rates, saying that large student bodies might make it difficult to provide adequate teaching.
Universities are given a free hand to implement the organizations' evaluations and suggestions.
While many universities are evaluated by just one organization, some prefer to have multiple assessments to improve their reputation.
(Apr. 18, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070418TDY03001.htm
Monday, April 16, 2007
New steps aim to raise Japan's share of Asian students on campus
With the rising number of students worldwide seeking overseas educations, Japan hopes to gain a larger share of Asian students.
To that end, the government plans to allow transfer of college credits earned overseas, sources said over the weekend.
The move will enhance partnerships between domestic and Asian colleges through such moves as "twinning" programs for easy transfer of credits, according to the Asian Gateway Strategic Council, a policy group chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
To promote academic and personnel exchanges, the panel will also propose a rating system that would measure a Japanese school's level of internationalization.
The policy panel's guideline is due out in May. The panel was set up to explore measures to make Japan more open to foreign workers and other internationalization moves.
Under the twinning program, foreign students entering Japanese colleges after completing their second year overseas will be able to complete their undergraduate degree by studying three more years in Japan. Currently, most foreign students here take longer to graduate because they first study at Japanese language schools.
The new program would reduce their total stay in Japan and financial cost, the panel's draft guideline said.
The panel also advises setting up information centers in Asian countries to advise prospective students.
A rating system will also be set up to evaluate Japanese schools on their readiness to accept foreign students, and on what they have achieved through academic partnerships with overseas colleges.
After implementing the 1983 "Plan to Accept 100,000 Foreign Students," Japan raised its share of foreign students to 100,000 by 2003. The upward trend slowed after that, however, dropping in 2006 for the first time in nine years.
The number of students worldwide seeking educational opportunities abroad is expected to rise in the next two decades. Japan aims to increase its quota of foreign students, which today totals less than 120,000.
The worldwide number of students seeking degrees outside their home countries equaled 1.8 million in 2000, but by 2025, that figure is predicted to rise fourfold.
The panel will continue hearing opinions from experts and concerned ministries until May. The panel's report will be included in this year's government guideline for structural reforms to be compiled in June.
(IHT/Asahi: April 16,2007)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200704160086.html
To that end, the government plans to allow transfer of college credits earned overseas, sources said over the weekend.
The move will enhance partnerships between domestic and Asian colleges through such moves as "twinning" programs for easy transfer of credits, according to the Asian Gateway Strategic Council, a policy group chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
To promote academic and personnel exchanges, the panel will also propose a rating system that would measure a Japanese school's level of internationalization.
The policy panel's guideline is due out in May. The panel was set up to explore measures to make Japan more open to foreign workers and other internationalization moves.
Under the twinning program, foreign students entering Japanese colleges after completing their second year overseas will be able to complete their undergraduate degree by studying three more years in Japan. Currently, most foreign students here take longer to graduate because they first study at Japanese language schools.
The new program would reduce their total stay in Japan and financial cost, the panel's draft guideline said.
The panel also advises setting up information centers in Asian countries to advise prospective students.
A rating system will also be set up to evaluate Japanese schools on their readiness to accept foreign students, and on what they have achieved through academic partnerships with overseas colleges.
After implementing the 1983 "Plan to Accept 100,000 Foreign Students," Japan raised its share of foreign students to 100,000 by 2003. The upward trend slowed after that, however, dropping in 2006 for the first time in nine years.
The number of students worldwide seeking educational opportunities abroad is expected to rise in the next two decades. Japan aims to increase its quota of foreign students, which today totals less than 120,000.
The worldwide number of students seeking degrees outside their home countries equaled 1.8 million in 2000, but by 2025, that figure is predicted to rise fourfold.
The panel will continue hearing opinions from experts and concerned ministries until May. The panel's report will be included in this year's government guideline for structural reforms to be compiled in June.
(IHT/Asahi: April 16,2007)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200704160086.html
Council eyes budget boost for national universities
The Education Rebuilding Council has mapped out recommendations to increase significantly the government budget for national universities, including a call for a review of its plan to cut university grants, for its second report to be released in May, sources close to the council said Sunday.
The council, chaired by Nobel laureate Ryoji Noyori, will suggest that the government earmark a budget that gives priority to higher education, such as universities and graduate schools, the sources said.
Finding ways to balance rebuilding education and fiscal reconstruction, the two areas being touted as the most important issues by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is a big challenge when compiling the fiscal 2008 budget.
The draft compiled by the council points out that Japan's education budget is very low compared with other industrialized countries, the sources said.
As such, the council will recommend special outlays that can be distributed in line with contents of university programs to rebuild education, the sources said.
Regarding the government plan to cut grants to national universities, the draft proposes an amount to cover their minimum utility fees and overhead costs for their facilities, the sources said.
Furthermore, with regard to the special educational and research outlays, the draft suggests that the outlays be distributed in line with the evaluation of university education and research programs rather than doing so solely based on the number of lecturers and students, the sources said.
In its second report, the council also plans to mention concrete measures for increasing the education budget, the sources said.
There have been suggestions that, aside from the Education, Science and Technology Ministry's education budget, official development assistance be used to invite scholars from overseas or that a portion of consumption tax be used for education.
Japan's budget for public education accounts for 3.7 percent of its gross domestic product, a figure lower than the 5.9 percent in France and 5.7 percent in the United States.
(Apr. 16, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070416TDY02009.htm
The council, chaired by Nobel laureate Ryoji Noyori, will suggest that the government earmark a budget that gives priority to higher education, such as universities and graduate schools, the sources said.
Finding ways to balance rebuilding education and fiscal reconstruction, the two areas being touted as the most important issues by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is a big challenge when compiling the fiscal 2008 budget.
The draft compiled by the council points out that Japan's education budget is very low compared with other industrialized countries, the sources said.
As such, the council will recommend special outlays that can be distributed in line with contents of university programs to rebuild education, the sources said.
Regarding the government plan to cut grants to national universities, the draft proposes an amount to cover their minimum utility fees and overhead costs for their facilities, the sources said.
Furthermore, with regard to the special educational and research outlays, the draft suggests that the outlays be distributed in line with the evaluation of university education and research programs rather than doing so solely based on the number of lecturers and students, the sources said.
In its second report, the council also plans to mention concrete measures for increasing the education budget, the sources said.
There have been suggestions that, aside from the Education, Science and Technology Ministry's education budget, official development assistance be used to invite scholars from overseas or that a portion of consumption tax be used for education.
Japan's budget for public education accounts for 3.7 percent of its gross domestic product, a figure lower than the 5.9 percent in France and 5.7 percent in the United States.
(Apr. 16, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070416TDY02009.htm
NPO aims to help Latin teens (in Japan)
A nonprofit organization in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, is raising funds from businesses and individuals to help teenagers, mainly from Latin America, find better jobs.
The NPO, called Yumeiku Project (Dream Education Project), will use the funds to help the teens learn basic Japanese, so their communicative skills will improve sufficiently to drag them out of menial jobs into employment that is more technically demanding.
Under the projected program, the teenagers will be instructed about information technology skills required for the workplace and be given a grounding in Japanese corporate culture.
About 15,000 foreigners currently live in the city, home to Toyota Motor Corp.'s headquarters. They are largely from Latin American countries--about half of them from Brazil.
Most of them stay in apartment complexes in the Homi district on a hill in the city.
"We hope to educate Latin American teenagers to get along well in Japanese society," said Ushio Hamada, leader of the Dream Education Project.
The group was launched last April after Hamada received an inquiry from Torcida, another nonprofit organization based in the city, that wanted to know if it could help foreign teenagers find well-paying jobs.
Torcida has been teaching Japanese to foreign children in the Homi district for 10 years.
"We were afraid most of our students would end up doing odd jobs offered by temp agencies. It's difficult for them to set their life's goals very high," a Torcida member said.
"We asked [Hamada] if he had any idea about to how help them brighten their future," the member added.
The NPO hopes to collect a total of 4 million yen from businesses and individuals. It will ask recipients to return 10,000 yen a month over a one-year period once they find suitable employment.
All repayments will be used to replenish the group's funds.
(Apr. 16, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070416TDY19003.htm
The NPO, called Yumeiku Project (Dream Education Project), will use the funds to help the teens learn basic Japanese, so their communicative skills will improve sufficiently to drag them out of menial jobs into employment that is more technically demanding.
Under the projected program, the teenagers will be instructed about information technology skills required for the workplace and be given a grounding in Japanese corporate culture.
About 15,000 foreigners currently live in the city, home to Toyota Motor Corp.'s headquarters. They are largely from Latin American countries--about half of them from Brazil.
Most of them stay in apartment complexes in the Homi district on a hill in the city.
"We hope to educate Latin American teenagers to get along well in Japanese society," said Ushio Hamada, leader of the Dream Education Project.
The group was launched last April after Hamada received an inquiry from Torcida, another nonprofit organization based in the city, that wanted to know if it could help foreign teenagers find well-paying jobs.
Torcida has been teaching Japanese to foreign children in the Homi district for 10 years.
"We were afraid most of our students would end up doing odd jobs offered by temp agencies. It's difficult for them to set their life's goals very high," a Torcida member said.
"We asked [Hamada] if he had any idea about to how help them brighten their future," the member added.
The NPO hopes to collect a total of 4 million yen from businesses and individuals. It will ask recipients to return 10,000 yen a month over a one-year period once they find suitable employment.
All repayments will be used to replenish the group's funds.
(Apr. 16, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070416TDY19003.htm
Women flock to join 'college of change'
Saturday, March 31, was the final day of school for 47 graduates of the interestingly named I'M Personal College in Tokyo.
After the graduation ceremony in the morning, they had a party with around 60 invited guests in a Roppongi club, where they danced, snacked and partied just like new graduates do at such events in Japan. But there was a unique difference: more than half the graduates were stay-at-home mothers or housewives.
When the school opened in 1989, its one-year "business school" for housewives might have been an eyebrow-raiser. But 18 years on, it now has some 1,500 graduates, and its educational scope has widened from housewives in particular to women in general.
Organizing the annual graduation party is considered one of the most important challenges for students, whose curriculum aims to prepare them for professional roles in the business world. So, at that event, they were not only enjoying themselves but also working hard to ensure that the gathering ran smoothly.
"I cannot believe that I am doing this," said new graduate Chiyako Fuwa, a stay-at-home mother of two, whose key role was as a time-keeper and director of the event. "The preparations for this have been very tough, but it is a very exciting experience," she said. "I feel like I can do anything if I can do this," she added with a beaming smile.
Specifically, the school runs two courses -- one for students who wish to become writers; the other for those aiming to be counselors. Either way, students take classes once a week for a year, at a cost of around 300,000 yen. This year, about half the writing-course students, and most taking the counseling classes, were housewives aiming to get a job as their next step.
"Over the past 18 years," said 59-year-old school founder Kazuko Nagai, "I've often thought that I couldn't keep it going. It was financially very hard, especially in the first 10 years. I repeatedly debated with myself if I should close this school.
"But I didn't close. That's because of the graduation day. Every time I attend the ceremony, I truly think I was right to have kept this school going one more year. It is impressive to see how these students change during the one-year course."
In fact, the school was born out of Nagai's own struggles in life. She got married two years after graduating from a university in Tokyo without having any job experience. In those days, single women over 25 were often compared with "Christmas cakes," she recalls. In other words, society regarded them as having passed their "sell-by dates."
As a housewife, Nagai realized that her life's work had become that of "housekeeper" -- but she knew that didn't suit her. Constantly, she says, she worried whether she could raise her two children properly while having no money of her own.
Then, at age 33, she began studying at night school to become an advertising copywriter. By the time she was 40, two years after setting up her own ad agency, she was winning prizes for her work. That, though, wasn't enough, and when she was 41 Nagai founded her school to help raise women's awareness and send more of them back into the working world.
"At 40, I looked around and saw housewives of my age questioning their lives," she says. "Their grown-up children no longer needed much care, and their husbands were very busy taking important positions at work. Some said their job had basically finished -- though probably they would have to look after elderly parents or in-laws in the future.
"Listening to them," she said, "I wondered how these healthy, mature women could be thinking of retiring in their 40s."
Also, Nagai's innate feminist philosophy gave her another drive.
"Our generation, baby boomers, tried to pursue equal opportunities for men and women in society. Wearing jeans of the same design, we tried to introduce the idea of 'married couples who live like friends.' But, in reality, I thought that if housewives in their 40s accept that way of living, they would not be able to change the lifestyle of their daughters' generation."
Although the situation for working women in Japan is improving, with ever more holding down jobs after marriage, and the equal employment opportunity law now 20 years old, Nagai sees the need for schools like hers continuing, since women's participation in decision-making in society is still low.
Indeed, female lawmakers account for only 11 percent of current Diet [Parliament] members. According to 2006 statistics from the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, just 10.3 percent of people in managerial posts are women.
To change this situation, Nagai argues that it is crucial to create a system to give more chances for housewives to acquire skills and work in society.
"I believe that unless we increase the total number of working women, we will never see a Diet in which half the members are women," she said. "I'm glad to help in working toward that goal."
Nagai speaks softly, but she is no comforting mother. Faced with a student making excuses for not having done her homework, or turning up late for classes, she can be severe toward their "unprofessional attitude" -- which she calls "housewife disease."
"This school can be a clinic to cure that disease. I tell students they should regard their homework as their actual work, and their classes as their work appointments," Nagai said.
"But at the same time, it's amazing to see how they can change during the one year. They become more independent and start living their lives fully."
Fuwa, the graduate working as a time-keeper at the event, said one of the most important things she got from the school was "courage" -- courage to take a step forward in life. She now plans to work as a freelance writer for magazines.
"I've been a housewife for 10 years and it took a lot of energy to get out of the house and change my lifestyle. Now, I feel confident about myself, and I think I can rise to any challenge," she said.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070415x3.html
After the graduation ceremony in the morning, they had a party with around 60 invited guests in a Roppongi club, where they danced, snacked and partied just like new graduates do at such events in Japan. But there was a unique difference: more than half the graduates were stay-at-home mothers or housewives.
When the school opened in 1989, its one-year "business school" for housewives might have been an eyebrow-raiser. But 18 years on, it now has some 1,500 graduates, and its educational scope has widened from housewives in particular to women in general.
Organizing the annual graduation party is considered one of the most important challenges for students, whose curriculum aims to prepare them for professional roles in the business world. So, at that event, they were not only enjoying themselves but also working hard to ensure that the gathering ran smoothly.
"I cannot believe that I am doing this," said new graduate Chiyako Fuwa, a stay-at-home mother of two, whose key role was as a time-keeper and director of the event. "The preparations for this have been very tough, but it is a very exciting experience," she said. "I feel like I can do anything if I can do this," she added with a beaming smile.
Specifically, the school runs two courses -- one for students who wish to become writers; the other for those aiming to be counselors. Either way, students take classes once a week for a year, at a cost of around 300,000 yen. This year, about half the writing-course students, and most taking the counseling classes, were housewives aiming to get a job as their next step.
"Over the past 18 years," said 59-year-old school founder Kazuko Nagai, "I've often thought that I couldn't keep it going. It was financially very hard, especially in the first 10 years. I repeatedly debated with myself if I should close this school.
"But I didn't close. That's because of the graduation day. Every time I attend the ceremony, I truly think I was right to have kept this school going one more year. It is impressive to see how these students change during the one-year course."
In fact, the school was born out of Nagai's own struggles in life. She got married two years after graduating from a university in Tokyo without having any job experience. In those days, single women over 25 were often compared with "Christmas cakes," she recalls. In other words, society regarded them as having passed their "sell-by dates."
As a housewife, Nagai realized that her life's work had become that of "housekeeper" -- but she knew that didn't suit her. Constantly, she says, she worried whether she could raise her two children properly while having no money of her own.
Then, at age 33, she began studying at night school to become an advertising copywriter. By the time she was 40, two years after setting up her own ad agency, she was winning prizes for her work. That, though, wasn't enough, and when she was 41 Nagai founded her school to help raise women's awareness and send more of them back into the working world.
"At 40, I looked around and saw housewives of my age questioning their lives," she says. "Their grown-up children no longer needed much care, and their husbands were very busy taking important positions at work. Some said their job had basically finished -- though probably they would have to look after elderly parents or in-laws in the future.
"Listening to them," she said, "I wondered how these healthy, mature women could be thinking of retiring in their 40s."
Also, Nagai's innate feminist philosophy gave her another drive.
"Our generation, baby boomers, tried to pursue equal opportunities for men and women in society. Wearing jeans of the same design, we tried to introduce the idea of 'married couples who live like friends.' But, in reality, I thought that if housewives in their 40s accept that way of living, they would not be able to change the lifestyle of their daughters' generation."
Although the situation for working women in Japan is improving, with ever more holding down jobs after marriage, and the equal employment opportunity law now 20 years old, Nagai sees the need for schools like hers continuing, since women's participation in decision-making in society is still low.
Indeed, female lawmakers account for only 11 percent of current Diet [Parliament] members. According to 2006 statistics from the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, just 10.3 percent of people in managerial posts are women.
To change this situation, Nagai argues that it is crucial to create a system to give more chances for housewives to acquire skills and work in society.
"I believe that unless we increase the total number of working women, we will never see a Diet in which half the members are women," she said. "I'm glad to help in working toward that goal."
Nagai speaks softly, but she is no comforting mother. Faced with a student making excuses for not having done her homework, or turning up late for classes, she can be severe toward their "unprofessional attitude" -- which she calls "housewife disease."
"This school can be a clinic to cure that disease. I tell students they should regard their homework as their actual work, and their classes as their work appointments," Nagai said.
"But at the same time, it's amazing to see how they can change during the one year. They become more independent and start living their lives fully."
Fuwa, the graduate working as a time-keeper at the event, said one of the most important things she got from the school was "courage" -- courage to take a step forward in life. She now plans to work as a freelance writer for magazines.
"I've been a housewife for 10 years and it took a lot of energy to get out of the house and change my lifestyle. Now, I feel confident about myself, and I think I can rise to any challenge," she said.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070415x3.html
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Few takers for early college entry
The early enrollment of second-year high school students in universities has attracted few participants in the decade since the system was introduced, according to the Education, Science and Technology Ministry.
This spring, only 10 students nationwide enrolled in universities early, and only 72 participated in the system over the decade.
The system initially was a measure to reform universities, but only six universities have used it so far.
Due to this lack of interest, the ministry has decided not to expand the system, for which only second-year high school students are eligible.
No high school student has applied for early enrollment to Showa Women's University in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, since its three departments, including the human life sciences department, introduced the system in the 2005 academic year.
A university spokesman said, "We believe we'll eventually get an early enrollment application as long as we keep the door open."
The first early entrant enrolled in Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima this spring--three years after the system was introduced.
A university spokesman said: "Better students tend to prefer universities in Tokyo. However, the early entry system helps us to attract talented students earlier than other schools, so we believe the system is a survival measure for provincial universities."
The system was introduced in 1997 to provide youths with education appropriate to their particular personalities and abilities in contrast to the usual egalitarian, uniform education.
Although there were concerns that the system would prompt universities to tap better students earlier, some universities regard the system as an effective way to attract students.
However, in recent years, only an average 10 students a year have taken advantage of early enrollment.
Forty-seven students have entered Chiba University early since it introduced the system in the 1998 academic year, while 21 students have enrolled in Meijo University in Nagoya since the 2001 academic year.
Two students entered Aizu University in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, and one student each enrolled in Seijo University in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, and Elisabeth University of Music. The three universities introduced the system between the 2005 and 2006 academic years.
This spring, Chiba University accepted six early entrants, but other universities attracted on average only one student or none under the system.
According to the ministry's survey, in the 2004 academic year, 29 universities discussed introducing the system, but the number dwindled to five in the 2006 academic year.
The ministry has offered several reasons why the system has failed to attract universities and students:
-- The system has few advantages for either universities or individual students.
-- It is difficult to measure the applicants' outstanding qualities, which are required for acceptance as an early entrant.
-- If an early entrant fails to graduate from the university, he or she is only certified as a middle school graduate.
Due to the system's lack of popularity, the ministry has decided for the time being to prohibit younger students from applying, saying it is difficult to evaluate the system's value.
"The early entrant system is necessary to develop work personnel for the country," said Chiba University Prof. Nobuo Ueno, who was involved in the introduction of the system at the university.
"I'd like people to be aware that some youths can develop their capabilities further through a specialized education," He added.
(Apr. 12, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070412TDY02008.htm
This spring, only 10 students nationwide enrolled in universities early, and only 72 participated in the system over the decade.
The system initially was a measure to reform universities, but only six universities have used it so far.
Due to this lack of interest, the ministry has decided not to expand the system, for which only second-year high school students are eligible.
No high school student has applied for early enrollment to Showa Women's University in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, since its three departments, including the human life sciences department, introduced the system in the 2005 academic year.
A university spokesman said, "We believe we'll eventually get an early enrollment application as long as we keep the door open."
The first early entrant enrolled in Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima this spring--three years after the system was introduced.
A university spokesman said: "Better students tend to prefer universities in Tokyo. However, the early entry system helps us to attract talented students earlier than other schools, so we believe the system is a survival measure for provincial universities."
The system was introduced in 1997 to provide youths with education appropriate to their particular personalities and abilities in contrast to the usual egalitarian, uniform education.
Although there were concerns that the system would prompt universities to tap better students earlier, some universities regard the system as an effective way to attract students.
However, in recent years, only an average 10 students a year have taken advantage of early enrollment.
Forty-seven students have entered Chiba University early since it introduced the system in the 1998 academic year, while 21 students have enrolled in Meijo University in Nagoya since the 2001 academic year.
Two students entered Aizu University in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, and one student each enrolled in Seijo University in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, and Elisabeth University of Music. The three universities introduced the system between the 2005 and 2006 academic years.
This spring, Chiba University accepted six early entrants, but other universities attracted on average only one student or none under the system.
According to the ministry's survey, in the 2004 academic year, 29 universities discussed introducing the system, but the number dwindled to five in the 2006 academic year.
The ministry has offered several reasons why the system has failed to attract universities and students:
-- The system has few advantages for either universities or individual students.
-- It is difficult to measure the applicants' outstanding qualities, which are required for acceptance as an early entrant.
-- If an early entrant fails to graduate from the university, he or she is only certified as a middle school graduate.
Due to the system's lack of popularity, the ministry has decided for the time being to prohibit younger students from applying, saying it is difficult to evaluate the system's value.
"The early entrant system is necessary to develop work personnel for the country," said Chiba University Prof. Nobuo Ueno, who was involved in the introduction of the system at the university.
"I'd like people to be aware that some youths can develop their capabilities further through a specialized education," He added.
(Apr. 12, 2007)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070412TDY02008.htm
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Korean universities seek ‘internationalization’
Education ministry plans to relax regulations for foreign applicants, those studying overseas
Starting next year, South Korean universities will recognize a greater amount of course credits earned at foreign universities. In addition, the secondary school curriculum in several Asian nations will be given approval by the South Korean government so that students in those countries can more easily gain admission to South Korean universities. Such plans are part of a government blueprint aimed at "internationalizing" the South Korean education system, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development said on March 2.
According to the ministry’s data, 11,326 South Korean students earned a total of 162,097 credits from foreign universities in 2005. However, as domestic universities are only allowed to count foreign-earned credits toward a maximum of half of the required credits for graduation, only 162 of those students who had studied abroad were able to earn a double major. By abolishing such regulations, the ministry hopes to encourage students to study at both foreign and domestic universities and to make it easier to earn a double major while doing so.
As part of efforts to court more foreign students, the ministry plans to approve the secondary school curriculum in the Philippines, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and some regions of China so that students there can more easily get into South Korean universities. Those nations require 10 or 11 years of education prior to entering university, whereas the South Korean government requires 12, which has been a stumbling block for students in those countries to study in Korea.
The ministry also plans to ease another rule in order to allow South Korean universities to more easily build branch schools overseas. In addition, the ministry plans to require universities to raise the amount of English-only classes to 3.1 percent by 2010 from the 2.19 percent level in 2006. The ministry will also require each university to hire more foreign professors in order to raise the number from the average 3.67 percent of the faculty at Korean universities in 2006 to 5.0 percent by 2010.
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/193996.html
Starting next year, South Korean universities will recognize a greater amount of course credits earned at foreign universities. In addition, the secondary school curriculum in several Asian nations will be given approval by the South Korean government so that students in those countries can more easily gain admission to South Korean universities. Such plans are part of a government blueprint aimed at "internationalizing" the South Korean education system, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development said on March 2.
According to the ministry’s data, 11,326 South Korean students earned a total of 162,097 credits from foreign universities in 2005. However, as domestic universities are only allowed to count foreign-earned credits toward a maximum of half of the required credits for graduation, only 162 of those students who had studied abroad were able to earn a double major. By abolishing such regulations, the ministry hopes to encourage students to study at both foreign and domestic universities and to make it easier to earn a double major while doing so.
As part of efforts to court more foreign students, the ministry plans to approve the secondary school curriculum in the Philippines, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and some regions of China so that students there can more easily get into South Korean universities. Those nations require 10 or 11 years of education prior to entering university, whereas the South Korean government requires 12, which has been a stumbling block for students in those countries to study in Korea.
The ministry also plans to ease another rule in order to allow South Korean universities to more easily build branch schools overseas. In addition, the ministry plans to require universities to raise the amount of English-only classes to 3.1 percent by 2010 from the 2.19 percent level in 2006. The ministry will also require each university to hire more foreign professors in order to raise the number from the average 3.67 percent of the faculty at Korean universities in 2006 to 5.0 percent by 2010.
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/193996.html
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Keio University, Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy ink merger deal
Keio University and Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy, both based in Tokyo's Minato Ward, concluded an agreement Monday for Kyoritsu's merger into Keio on April 1, 2008, Keio University said.
Under the accord between the two private universities, Keio will have a pharmaceutical faculty and graduate school pharmaceutical division, both to be located on the current Kyoritsu campus.
All the current Kyoritsu students will be transferred to Keio upon the merger as the pharmaceutical university will be disbanded.
Keio University currently has nine undergraduate faculties and 11 graduate departments.
Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy has only one pharmaceutical school for undergraduates and one for graduates.
The two universities have traditionally had links as Kyoritsu was established by a Keio graduate.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070326/kyodo/d8o3o5tg0.html
Under the accord between the two private universities, Keio will have a pharmaceutical faculty and graduate school pharmaceutical division, both to be located on the current Kyoritsu campus.
All the current Kyoritsu students will be transferred to Keio upon the merger as the pharmaceutical university will be disbanded.
Keio University currently has nine undergraduate faculties and 11 graduate departments.
Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy has only one pharmaceutical school for undergraduates and one for graduates.
The two universities have traditionally had links as Kyoritsu was established by a Keio graduate.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070326/kyodo/d8o3o5tg0.html
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Panel eyes exams for college graduation
As a part of an effort to maintain high educational standards in undergraduate schools, the government has agreed to study the introduction of graduation exams for undergraduates to ensure students reach the expected level of academic achievement before they graduate, government sources said.
The Education Rebuilding Council, a powerful advisory body to the prime minister, on Tuesday mapped out the plan under which graduation from university would be contingent on the result of an undergraduate examination administered by the university.
The council is likely to include the plan in its second report to be submitted in May. "Even though some students haven't learned simple multiplication, some universities allow them to enter--though this is an extreme example," a council member said during the meeting.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070322TDY02004.htm
The Education Rebuilding Council, a powerful advisory body to the prime minister, on Tuesday mapped out the plan under which graduation from university would be contingent on the result of an undergraduate examination administered by the university.
The council is likely to include the plan in its second report to be submitted in May. "Even though some students haven't learned simple multiplication, some universities allow them to enter--though this is an extreme example," a council member said during the meeting.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070322TDY02004.htm
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