Australia is the number one destination for Japanese school excursions and study tours, according to a report by the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In the 2007-08 Japanese financial year, 43,669 Japanese students visited Australia, of whom 34,802 arrived for school excursions and 8,867 came for language study tours. After Australia, the next most popular destinations for students are the United States (including Guam and Hawaii) and Korea.Last year Japanese school trips were heavily affected by H1N1 Influenza. To reassure the market, Tourism Australia has been working to promote Australia as a safe destination for school excursions, with marketing activities targeted towards decision making teachers.Tourism Australia has refreshed the educational website http://school.australia.jp/ and over the coming months, further activities are planned, including a new e-newsletter for teachers, an Aussie excursion education manual for schools and a series of educational familiarisation trips in partnership with the State Tourism Organisations।
http://www.ftnnews.com/content/view/8529/31/
Monday, February 08, 2010
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Tsukuba University launches seminar on “Study in Japan”
A seminar entitled “Study in Japanese Universities” will be held on February 3, 2010 at the Auditorium of the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT).
The event is organized by the office of “University of Tsukuba” in Tunis for Japanese Universities (BUTUJ) within the framework of the project for establishing Core Universities for internationalization (30 global projects) sponsored by the Japanese ministry of education.
The seminar will be a “gateway” for Tunisian students who are interested in study in Japan, Japanese scholarship programs as well as program courses of Japanese universities.
Accordingly, the seminar will provide an opportunity for Tunisian students and professors to discuss and consult with Japanese persons concerned on practical aspects of study in Japan.
Monday, January 18, 2010
The "300000 Foreign Students Plan" Campaign
In 2008, the Government of Japan announced the "300000 Foreign Students Plan," which calls to increase the number of foreign students in Japan from the current 120,000 to 300,000 students by 2020. It is aiming to make a significant increase in the number of foreign students studying in Japan in the next five years.
We spoke to the officer in charge of the plan at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology about the background and objectives of this plan।
The number of foreign students coming to Japan to study currently numbers approximately 120,000. As the international movement of students at the level of higher education is expected to increase even more on a global scale, there has been much discussion carried out in various quarters - using a variety of concepts and numerical values - on how Japan should go about accepting foreign students since the 100000 Foreign Students Plan was achieved in 2003.
The "300000 Foreign Students Plan" was announced by former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in his Policy Speech to the 169th Session of the Diet (January 2008) as being important in order to make Japan a country that is more open to the world and to expand the flow of people to and from Japan.
Regarding "300,000" as being the number of foreign students accepted in Japan, there is a need to consider this by comparing it with several different circumstances, such as the number of foreign students being accepted by other countries and the current number of foreign students being accepted here in Japan.
It is said that there is currently a total of 3.5 million students enrolled in Japanese institutions of higher education, such as universities. While the overall number is on a downward trend with the decline in the Japanese population under age 18, there is an increase, at the same time, in the rate of those advancing to higher education, etc. For such reasons, it can be assumed that the number of those enrolled in Japanese institutions of higher education will continue to remain at roughly 3 million in the future.
Meanwhile, if we look at the current state of foreign student enrollment in other countries, we see that in the case of Germany, a developed non-English-speaking nation like Japan, foreign students account for 12.3% of all students enrolled in an institution of higher education. In France, foreign students account for 11.9% of all students in an institution of higher education. (Meanwhile, foreign students in an English-speaking nation account for, in the case of the UK, 25.1% of all students in higher education, and likewise 26.2% in Australia.)
If Japanese institutions of higher education are to secure a level of foreign student enrollment similar to that of other developed nations, there is a need to increase the percentage of foreign students from the current 3 percent-plus to a percentage close to that of Germany or France, or about 10%. (In other words, 10% of 3 million students, which is roughly equal to 300,000.)
There is also a report that says the global foreign student market will rapidly expand in the future. This report estimates that the number of foreign students worldwide will be at about 5 million in 2015, increasing to 7 million by 2025.
Foreign students in Japan currently account for about 5% of all foreign students worldwide. If we suppose that the number of all foreign students in 2020, the midway point in the report, is 6 million, then Japan would need to accept about 300,000 foreign students in order to maintain its current share.
I think you can see, from these two numerical situations alone, the importance of this number - 300,000 - as being the target for foreign student acceptance by institutions of higher education in Japan; that is, if they are to play a role similar to one played by institutions of higher education in other countries.
We believe that proactive acceptance of foreign students, who become a major source of high-level human resources, by Japanese institutions of higher education, leads not only to the reinforcement of Japan's international human resource pool but also builds human networks between Japan and other countries, enhances mutual understanding and fosters greater amicable relationships, and contributes to global stability and world peace.
An environment that is further conducive to study in Japan by foreign students is being prepared through this plan। We hope that even more students from your country will come to Japan to study in the future.
A DVD, posters, leaflets and pin badges that show the appeal of studying in Japan have been produced as part of promotional items created for the "300000 Foreign Students Plan" 2009 Campaign. They will be used at foreign student events and fairs to be held in various countries in the future, so the day that you see them yourself is probably not too far off. All of these items show a logo that was produced for this plan.
Let us tell you the story behind the production of this logo.
The concept for this logo was discussed by a committee of related parties that was comprised of those from ministries, agencies, universities and other organizations involved with foreign students as well as key figures. Foreign students were also asked questions such as, "What do you think of when you hear the word 'Japan'?" "What color do you think of when you think about Japan?" in questionnaires or shown several printed materials and asked which one they liked the most. Several designers then submitted many draft designs on the basis of the results of these questionnaires and the concept decided by the committee.
Candidate logos were then chosen after undergoing several screening processes, with the final logo design chosen on the basis of ballots cast by current foreign students in Japan.We are confident that this logo will help communicate to potential foreign students in various countries the appeal of studying in Japan. We are also happy to report that the main persons appearing in these posters, leaflets and DVD are current or former study-in-Japan students. Perhaps you will find someone that you know in them!
Please check these posters, leaflets and DVD(in 11 languages)out at a Japanese embassy or consulate general near you। Leaflets have been produced in eight languages (English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, French, Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese). A large number have been made, so please do make use of them as you see fit. For further information, please contact a Japanese embassy or consulate near you. We are sure that you will see the birth of new study-in-Japan "kohai" through the utilization of these materials.
http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj09e.html
We spoke to the officer in charge of the plan at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology about the background and objectives of this plan।
The number of foreign students coming to Japan to study currently numbers approximately 120,000. As the international movement of students at the level of higher education is expected to increase even more on a global scale, there has been much discussion carried out in various quarters - using a variety of concepts and numerical values - on how Japan should go about accepting foreign students since the 100000 Foreign Students Plan was achieved in 2003.
The "300000 Foreign Students Plan" was announced by former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in his Policy Speech to the 169th Session of the Diet (January 2008) as being important in order to make Japan a country that is more open to the world and to expand the flow of people to and from Japan.
Regarding "300,000" as being the number of foreign students accepted in Japan, there is a need to consider this by comparing it with several different circumstances, such as the number of foreign students being accepted by other countries and the current number of foreign students being accepted here in Japan.
It is said that there is currently a total of 3.5 million students enrolled in Japanese institutions of higher education, such as universities. While the overall number is on a downward trend with the decline in the Japanese population under age 18, there is an increase, at the same time, in the rate of those advancing to higher education, etc. For such reasons, it can be assumed that the number of those enrolled in Japanese institutions of higher education will continue to remain at roughly 3 million in the future.
Meanwhile, if we look at the current state of foreign student enrollment in other countries, we see that in the case of Germany, a developed non-English-speaking nation like Japan, foreign students account for 12.3% of all students enrolled in an institution of higher education. In France, foreign students account for 11.9% of all students in an institution of higher education. (Meanwhile, foreign students in an English-speaking nation account for, in the case of the UK, 25.1% of all students in higher education, and likewise 26.2% in Australia.)
If Japanese institutions of higher education are to secure a level of foreign student enrollment similar to that of other developed nations, there is a need to increase the percentage of foreign students from the current 3 percent-plus to a percentage close to that of Germany or France, or about 10%. (In other words, 10% of 3 million students, which is roughly equal to 300,000.)
There is also a report that says the global foreign student market will rapidly expand in the future. This report estimates that the number of foreign students worldwide will be at about 5 million in 2015, increasing to 7 million by 2025.
Foreign students in Japan currently account for about 5% of all foreign students worldwide. If we suppose that the number of all foreign students in 2020, the midway point in the report, is 6 million, then Japan would need to accept about 300,000 foreign students in order to maintain its current share.
I think you can see, from these two numerical situations alone, the importance of this number - 300,000 - as being the target for foreign student acceptance by institutions of higher education in Japan; that is, if they are to play a role similar to one played by institutions of higher education in other countries.
We believe that proactive acceptance of foreign students, who become a major source of high-level human resources, by Japanese institutions of higher education, leads not only to the reinforcement of Japan's international human resource pool but also builds human networks between Japan and other countries, enhances mutual understanding and fosters greater amicable relationships, and contributes to global stability and world peace.
An environment that is further conducive to study in Japan by foreign students is being prepared through this plan। We hope that even more students from your country will come to Japan to study in the future.
A DVD, posters, leaflets and pin badges that show the appeal of studying in Japan have been produced as part of promotional items created for the "300000 Foreign Students Plan" 2009 Campaign. They will be used at foreign student events and fairs to be held in various countries in the future, so the day that you see them yourself is probably not too far off. All of these items show a logo that was produced for this plan.
Let us tell you the story behind the production of this logo.
The concept for this logo was discussed by a committee of related parties that was comprised of those from ministries, agencies, universities and other organizations involved with foreign students as well as key figures. Foreign students were also asked questions such as, "What do you think of when you hear the word 'Japan'?" "What color do you think of when you think about Japan?" in questionnaires or shown several printed materials and asked which one they liked the most. Several designers then submitted many draft designs on the basis of the results of these questionnaires and the concept decided by the committee.
Candidate logos were then chosen after undergoing several screening processes, with the final logo design chosen on the basis of ballots cast by current foreign students in Japan.We are confident that this logo will help communicate to potential foreign students in various countries the appeal of studying in Japan. We are also happy to report that the main persons appearing in these posters, leaflets and DVD are current or former study-in-Japan students. Perhaps you will find someone that you know in them!
Please check these posters, leaflets and DVD(in 11 languages)out at a Japanese embassy or consulate general near you। Leaflets have been produced in eight languages (English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Korean, French, Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese). A large number have been made, so please do make use of them as you see fit. For further information, please contact a Japanese embassy or consulate near you. We are sure that you will see the birth of new study-in-Japan "kohai" through the utilization of these materials.
http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj09e.html
Oman, Japan explore avenues in education
17 January 2010MUSCAT -- Dr Rawvya bint Saud al Busaidiya, Minister of Higher Education, received at the ministry Seiji Morimoto, the Japanese Ambassador to the Sultanate. Seiji Morimoto thanked the minister for allowing the opportunity to discuss certain aspects of scientific and academic collaboration between the Sultanate and his country. Dr Rawya said that her ministry was particularly keen to develop ties with Japan in the light of the ministry's policy of academic and scholastic multiplicity and openness.She elaborated that the Sultanate looked admirably to the remarkable emergence of Japan from the ashes of World War II to accomplish the economic miracle and become a world leading power. She added that the Sultanate was looking forward to learn from the unique Japanese model of the proverbial scientific advancement in fields as industry and technology. The two parties deliberated specific issues such as exploring the possibility of sending Omani students to study at renowned Japanese universities such as the Technical University of Tokyo as well as the collaboration in exchanging scholarships and teaching Japanese and Arabic as foreign languages.They also discussed other topics including the arrangement of orientation workshops to introduce Japanese culture and academic system to Omani students who were to study in Japan. The two parties agreed to continue their meetings and exchange visits for the purpose of accomplishing their mutual goals.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100117034633/Oman,%20Japan%20explore%20avenues%20in%20education
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100117034633/Oman,%20Japan%20explore%20avenues%20in%20education
"Look East" Policy Cited For Success Of Japan Study Programme
The "Look East" policy introduced by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1982 has been an important factor for the success of the programme to send Malaysians to study in Japan, said Universiti Malaya (UM) Pro-Chancellor Toh Puan Dr Aishah Ong.The policy had resulted in 2,986 UM graduates furthering their studies and undergoing training in Japan to emulate Japan's work ethics and business techniques, she said."Under the policy, Malaysia strengthened its cooperation with Japan in the economic, industrial, technological training, academic, research and management fields."The success of the policy prompted the Japanese government to increase the intake of Malaysian students in universities in Japan," she said at a dinner to honour students who had completed a special preparatory course for study in Japan in the 2009/2010 session, at a hotel here on Saturday's night.Dr Aishah said that through a programme established by Japan in 1982 under the university's Centre for Foundation Studies in Science, the almost 3,000 students had furthered their studies in Japan, particularly in engineering, medicine and dentistry.-- बेरनामा
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=468929
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=468929
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Global Education: Wooing students to Japan and China
Japan aims to step up its recruitment of foreign students by increasing the number of courses taught in English, write SUZIEANA UDA NAGU and SHARIFAH ARFAH।
THE news that Waseda University in Tokyo had the most number of international students among Japanese tertiary institutions as of last year came as no surprise to those who are familiar with the university.
“I do feel as if I’m in a European country whenever I visit Waseda University,” says Norhana Rashid (not her real name), a Malaysian who resides in Tokyo.
She was responding to a report in Japan Today, a Tokyo-based online newspaper, that the population of foreign students in the country has reached a record 132,720 as of May last year — up 8,891 from the previous year.
According to Japan Student Services Organisation, Waseda University has 3,125 students, followed by Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Oita Prefecture with 2,786 and the University of Tokyo with 2,473.
Waseda University received its first foreign student in 1899 from China and has taken in many more since then.
Similar to other institutions in Japan, students from China, Korea and Taiwan form the majority of foreign learners at Waseda University.
In the university’s bid to become a truly global campus, it aims to accept 8,000 international students — 4,000 undergraduates and 4,000 postgraduates — and increase the ratio of foreign professors to local ones by 20 per cent in the near future.
Recruiting Malaysian students at the Facon Education Fair held in Kuala Lumpur recently is line with this goal, says Waseda University Southeast Asia office regional manager Masaki Tamada.
“We currently have only 41 Malaysians on campus and we would like more to join us. In fact, we hope to recruit more from Southeast Asia,” adds Tamada.
If the university’s ties with approximately 500 universities across 70 countries are not impressive enough, Tamada hopes that students from this region would consider Waseda based on the 34 courses— 13 undergraduate and 21 postgraduate — delivered in English.
There is a growing interest in China among foreign learners. Higher Education Deputy Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung and former University of Malaya vice chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim congratulate UM undergraduates on being selected for an exchange programme between Beijing Foreign Studies University and UM.
“From this year onwards, Political Science and certain Science programmes will also be in English,” says Tamada. The education sector worldwide is increasingly reliant on income from overseas students’ fees.
With so many countries fighting for a slice of the international student market cake, players must be creative in commercialising their education services.
Given international students’ preference for Anglo-Saxon countries (such as Australia and the United Kingdom) as study destinations, other countries view courses delivered in English as the answer to levelling the playing field.
In France, about 500 programmes are taught in English. The move to offer English courses is driven by the notion that English — which is spoken by 500 million people as opposed to 220 million French speakers — is the tongue of international teaching.
Japan — which is among the top countries after China and India, which have been fuelling the growth of international students’ market in English-speaking countries — is also seriously considering courses taught in English as part of its internationalisation efforts.
Two years ago, Japan unveiled its ambitious plan to recruit 300,000 international students by 2020.
The Global 30 Project for Establishing Core Universities for Internationalisation was the mechanism implemented to realise this goal — through select measures, which include the recruitment of foreign students and establishment of internationalisation centres.
Waseda University is among the 13 universities identified to spearhead the Global 30 initiative.
“They will receive prioritised financial assistance of between ¥200 and ¥400 million (RM14.75 million) annually for the next five years. With this aid, each university will strive to recruit 3,000 to 8,000 international students,” noted the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry website.
Yokohama National University (YNU) may not be among the 13 chosen academies but it has taken its own initiative to introduce programmes in English.
Associate Professor Yamamoto Yasuo believes this is the way forward for Japan “as it is facing tough competition for international students”.
YNU will first introduce English courses at the postgraduate level.
“Soon, those pursuing Master’s degree programmes in Infrastructure Management; Public Policy and Taxation; and doctoral degrees in Engineering, can complete their dissertations in English,” says Yasuo, who heads the YNU task force for designing English programmes.
“This will enable foreign students to study in Japan even with minimum proficiency in the language,” adds Yasuo, who was at the Facon Education Fair with his team to promote courses at YNU to Malaysian students.
“YNU is making great efforts to take on foreign students from Malaysia and neighbouring countries. We currently have only 18 Malaysian students,” he says. Meanwhile, Chinese universities are banking on the popularity of Mandarin and traditional Chinese medicine among foreign learners to boost their student numbers.
It is reported that the number of non-Chinese people learning Mandarin outside of China has soared to 30 million in the last five years.
“Many want to learn Mandarin as they believe that China will be the dominant power in the 21st century and employment opportunities for those with a proficiency in Mandarin are immense,” states a 2007-report in The Economist.
Beijing’s Capital Medical University (CMU) Office of International Cooperation officer David Feng hopes the growing international interest in traditional Chinese medicine will persuade Malaysians to join the university.
“The influence of traditional Chinese medicine is great and more people globally are accepting it as an alternative form of treatment. So far, we have only one Malaysian undergraduate at CMU and we hope more will join us as we are one of China’s top medical institutions,” says Feng.
Beijing University of Technology (BUT), a multi-disciplinary university established in 1960, receives about 500 foreign students yearly.
BUT International Exchanges department officer Zhou Yuan says: “However, we don’t have any Malaysians on campus. We know that about 24 per cent of Malaysians are ethnic Chinese.
“We hope the economic prosperity of Malaysia will spur them on to invest in education in China.”
Re-engineer the education market
JAPANESE and Chinese universities may have popular appeal but they do not pose much threat to private educational institutions in Malaysia.UCSI University Business Development and Student Affairs vice-president Moses Ling Wei says: “There is no real competition as Malaysia also has a wide appeal.” Aside from strong government support, Malaysia has a multicultural society that many foreign students want to experience.
“Having English as a second language has also helped boost student numbers,” he adds.
Foreign students are also attracted to the low cost of living, good infrastructure and political stability in Malaysia.
“Our position in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference has put us on the world map and indirectly influenced students from other Muslim countries to study here,” he says.
While some foreign students may find Malaysia attractive, others may choose Japan and China for their strengths.
“China positions itself as the place to study Mandarin, Chinese Literature and traditional Chinese medicine, while Japan is the country for Biotechnology and Automobile courses.
“There is also strong government backing to attract foreign students in these two countries, which is why they have been active in promoting their courses in Malaysia.” He adds that the education scene, like any other industry, is bound to face competition and this is something which local players have already anticipated.
Taylor’s University College vice chancellor and president Professor Datuk Hassan Said agrees.
“We already have 70,000 international students and are aiming for 150,000 by 2020. Most other countries also aspire to raise their international profile and intake of foreign students,” says Hassan.
That China and Japan are keen to recruit Malaysian students should be taken as a sign that “they recognise the quality of our students and education system”.
Hassan believes that the competition for students with other countries does Malaysia a lot of good.
“This means we have to strive to provide top-notch services to our students,” he says.
Ling agrees.
“(Competition) creates a healthy market force which will spur on business opportunities and ultimately re-engineer the education market.” As visa restrictions on those bound for Western countries become tighter, more students are looking towards Asia as their study destination.
“We in Malaysia need to be flexible in order to remain attractive to international students,” says Ling.
What’s on offer
AS of last May, there are 2,395 Malaysian students pursuing their studies in Japan. They make up the fifth largest international student population in Japan after China, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. On the other hand, there are more than 1,300 Malaysians students in China as of last year.
However, Japanese and Chinese tertiary institutions feel that the number is too small and are aggressively recruiting Malaysian students.
Representatives of these institutions which participated in the recent Facon Education Fair held in Kuala Lumpur shared what they have to offer to Malaysian students.
Senshu University International academic affairs foreign student adviser Koji Ogawa “We have never had very many Malaysians on campus and we hope that our 128-year-old history as a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo founded at the dawn of modern Japan would entice them to join us.
In addition to this, our strength is in the Social Sciences. We are proud to have the largest number of undergraduates and postgraduates pursuing courses in the Social Sciences in Japan.” Takasaki City University of Economics senior lecturer Professor Takeshi Mizuguchi “We are a municipal university located in Takasaki City in Gunma Prefecture, which began as a junior college in 1952 and became a university in 1957 with only one faculty — Economics.
Being a small university run by the regional government, we are able to keep our fees lower than most institutions in Japan.
We have participated in several education fairs to boost the number of Malaysian students who are interested in Economics, Management or Regional Policy courses. Currently we have only one Malaysian student.” North China Electric Power University (NCEPU) foreign students director Wu Chungqing “NCEPU was founded in 1958 and has two campuses — in Beijing and Baoding. Support from China’s seven biggest electric power plants has helped us become one of the foremost universities in Engineering studies.
Of some 35,000 students, we only have about 200 foreign students — most are mature learners. We don’t have any Malaysians on campus yet, so we hope to attract some at the education fair.
If there are enough Malaysians pursuing Engineering at NCEPU, a cooperative can be established between Malaysia and China, where graduates can work in the field of Engineering in Malaysia and benefit from technology transfer.
For example, should our Vietnamese students graduate from NCEPU and return home, they would be the top choice of Chinese companies affiliated with the seven power plants when they establish projects in Vietnam.” Renmin University of China (RUC) International students office officer Li Lianjing “RUC specialises in Humanities and Social Sciences but, oddly enough, most students who visited our booth were keen to know more about courses in Economics and Engineering, which we do not offer.
We are not discounting the possibility of RUC offering these courses in the future since there is demand for them.
We welcome Malaysian students as they generally perform well. We currently have about 200 Malaysians on campus pursuing various undergraduate courses.” Beijing International Chinese College (BICC) teaching affairs department project supervisor Sun Wei “BICC was established only five years ago and it is devoted to the international promotion of Chinese language.
It hopes to promote Chinese language through the training of Mandarin teachers, organising language camps and standardised Chinese language proficiency tests.
BICC has around 300 international students from 40 countries, including eight from Malaysia.
We are currently seeking students to enrol on the Master’s degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages, which emphasises the history of China, Chinese culture, and inter-cultural communication, aside from listening and speaking.
We hope that our students can eventually teach the language at university level.”
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20100109155916/Article/index_html
THE news that Waseda University in Tokyo had the most number of international students among Japanese tertiary institutions as of last year came as no surprise to those who are familiar with the university.
“I do feel as if I’m in a European country whenever I visit Waseda University,” says Norhana Rashid (not her real name), a Malaysian who resides in Tokyo.
She was responding to a report in Japan Today, a Tokyo-based online newspaper, that the population of foreign students in the country has reached a record 132,720 as of May last year — up 8,891 from the previous year.
According to Japan Student Services Organisation, Waseda University has 3,125 students, followed by Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Oita Prefecture with 2,786 and the University of Tokyo with 2,473.
Waseda University received its first foreign student in 1899 from China and has taken in many more since then.
Similar to other institutions in Japan, students from China, Korea and Taiwan form the majority of foreign learners at Waseda University.
In the university’s bid to become a truly global campus, it aims to accept 8,000 international students — 4,000 undergraduates and 4,000 postgraduates — and increase the ratio of foreign professors to local ones by 20 per cent in the near future.
Recruiting Malaysian students at the Facon Education Fair held in Kuala Lumpur recently is line with this goal, says Waseda University Southeast Asia office regional manager Masaki Tamada.
“We currently have only 41 Malaysians on campus and we would like more to join us. In fact, we hope to recruit more from Southeast Asia,” adds Tamada.
If the university’s ties with approximately 500 universities across 70 countries are not impressive enough, Tamada hopes that students from this region would consider Waseda based on the 34 courses— 13 undergraduate and 21 postgraduate — delivered in English.
There is a growing interest in China among foreign learners. Higher Education Deputy Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung and former University of Malaya vice chancellor Datuk Rafiah Salim congratulate UM undergraduates on being selected for an exchange programme between Beijing Foreign Studies University and UM.
“From this year onwards, Political Science and certain Science programmes will also be in English,” says Tamada. The education sector worldwide is increasingly reliant on income from overseas students’ fees.
With so many countries fighting for a slice of the international student market cake, players must be creative in commercialising their education services.
Given international students’ preference for Anglo-Saxon countries (such as Australia and the United Kingdom) as study destinations, other countries view courses delivered in English as the answer to levelling the playing field.
In France, about 500 programmes are taught in English. The move to offer English courses is driven by the notion that English — which is spoken by 500 million people as opposed to 220 million French speakers — is the tongue of international teaching.
Japan — which is among the top countries after China and India, which have been fuelling the growth of international students’ market in English-speaking countries — is also seriously considering courses taught in English as part of its internationalisation efforts.
Two years ago, Japan unveiled its ambitious plan to recruit 300,000 international students by 2020.
The Global 30 Project for Establishing Core Universities for Internationalisation was the mechanism implemented to realise this goal — through select measures, which include the recruitment of foreign students and establishment of internationalisation centres.
Waseda University is among the 13 universities identified to spearhead the Global 30 initiative.
“They will receive prioritised financial assistance of between ¥200 and ¥400 million (RM14.75 million) annually for the next five years. With this aid, each university will strive to recruit 3,000 to 8,000 international students,” noted the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry website.
Yokohama National University (YNU) may not be among the 13 chosen academies but it has taken its own initiative to introduce programmes in English.
Associate Professor Yamamoto Yasuo believes this is the way forward for Japan “as it is facing tough competition for international students”.
YNU will first introduce English courses at the postgraduate level.
“Soon, those pursuing Master’s degree programmes in Infrastructure Management; Public Policy and Taxation; and doctoral degrees in Engineering, can complete their dissertations in English,” says Yasuo, who heads the YNU task force for designing English programmes.
“This will enable foreign students to study in Japan even with minimum proficiency in the language,” adds Yasuo, who was at the Facon Education Fair with his team to promote courses at YNU to Malaysian students.
“YNU is making great efforts to take on foreign students from Malaysia and neighbouring countries. We currently have only 18 Malaysian students,” he says. Meanwhile, Chinese universities are banking on the popularity of Mandarin and traditional Chinese medicine among foreign learners to boost their student numbers.
It is reported that the number of non-Chinese people learning Mandarin outside of China has soared to 30 million in the last five years.
“Many want to learn Mandarin as they believe that China will be the dominant power in the 21st century and employment opportunities for those with a proficiency in Mandarin are immense,” states a 2007-report in The Economist.
Beijing’s Capital Medical University (CMU) Office of International Cooperation officer David Feng hopes the growing international interest in traditional Chinese medicine will persuade Malaysians to join the university.
“The influence of traditional Chinese medicine is great and more people globally are accepting it as an alternative form of treatment. So far, we have only one Malaysian undergraduate at CMU and we hope more will join us as we are one of China’s top medical institutions,” says Feng.
Beijing University of Technology (BUT), a multi-disciplinary university established in 1960, receives about 500 foreign students yearly.
BUT International Exchanges department officer Zhou Yuan says: “However, we don’t have any Malaysians on campus. We know that about 24 per cent of Malaysians are ethnic Chinese.
“We hope the economic prosperity of Malaysia will spur them on to invest in education in China.”
Re-engineer the education market
JAPANESE and Chinese universities may have popular appeal but they do not pose much threat to private educational institutions in Malaysia.UCSI University Business Development and Student Affairs vice-president Moses Ling Wei says: “There is no real competition as Malaysia also has a wide appeal.” Aside from strong government support, Malaysia has a multicultural society that many foreign students want to experience.
“Having English as a second language has also helped boost student numbers,” he adds.
Foreign students are also attracted to the low cost of living, good infrastructure and political stability in Malaysia.
“Our position in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference has put us on the world map and indirectly influenced students from other Muslim countries to study here,” he says.
While some foreign students may find Malaysia attractive, others may choose Japan and China for their strengths.
“China positions itself as the place to study Mandarin, Chinese Literature and traditional Chinese medicine, while Japan is the country for Biotechnology and Automobile courses.
“There is also strong government backing to attract foreign students in these two countries, which is why they have been active in promoting their courses in Malaysia.” He adds that the education scene, like any other industry, is bound to face competition and this is something which local players have already anticipated.
Taylor’s University College vice chancellor and president Professor Datuk Hassan Said agrees.
“We already have 70,000 international students and are aiming for 150,000 by 2020. Most other countries also aspire to raise their international profile and intake of foreign students,” says Hassan.
That China and Japan are keen to recruit Malaysian students should be taken as a sign that “they recognise the quality of our students and education system”.
Hassan believes that the competition for students with other countries does Malaysia a lot of good.
“This means we have to strive to provide top-notch services to our students,” he says.
Ling agrees.
“(Competition) creates a healthy market force which will spur on business opportunities and ultimately re-engineer the education market.” As visa restrictions on those bound for Western countries become tighter, more students are looking towards Asia as their study destination.
“We in Malaysia need to be flexible in order to remain attractive to international students,” says Ling.
What’s on offer
AS of last May, there are 2,395 Malaysian students pursuing their studies in Japan. They make up the fifth largest international student population in Japan after China, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. On the other hand, there are more than 1,300 Malaysians students in China as of last year.
However, Japanese and Chinese tertiary institutions feel that the number is too small and are aggressively recruiting Malaysian students.
Representatives of these institutions which participated in the recent Facon Education Fair held in Kuala Lumpur shared what they have to offer to Malaysian students.
Senshu University International academic affairs foreign student adviser Koji Ogawa “We have never had very many Malaysians on campus and we hope that our 128-year-old history as a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo founded at the dawn of modern Japan would entice them to join us.
In addition to this, our strength is in the Social Sciences. We are proud to have the largest number of undergraduates and postgraduates pursuing courses in the Social Sciences in Japan.” Takasaki City University of Economics senior lecturer Professor Takeshi Mizuguchi “We are a municipal university located in Takasaki City in Gunma Prefecture, which began as a junior college in 1952 and became a university in 1957 with only one faculty — Economics.
Being a small university run by the regional government, we are able to keep our fees lower than most institutions in Japan.
We have participated in several education fairs to boost the number of Malaysian students who are interested in Economics, Management or Regional Policy courses. Currently we have only one Malaysian student.” North China Electric Power University (NCEPU) foreign students director Wu Chungqing “NCEPU was founded in 1958 and has two campuses — in Beijing and Baoding. Support from China’s seven biggest electric power plants has helped us become one of the foremost universities in Engineering studies.
Of some 35,000 students, we only have about 200 foreign students — most are mature learners. We don’t have any Malaysians on campus yet, so we hope to attract some at the education fair.
If there are enough Malaysians pursuing Engineering at NCEPU, a cooperative can be established between Malaysia and China, where graduates can work in the field of Engineering in Malaysia and benefit from technology transfer.
For example, should our Vietnamese students graduate from NCEPU and return home, they would be the top choice of Chinese companies affiliated with the seven power plants when they establish projects in Vietnam.” Renmin University of China (RUC) International students office officer Li Lianjing “RUC specialises in Humanities and Social Sciences but, oddly enough, most students who visited our booth were keen to know more about courses in Economics and Engineering, which we do not offer.
We are not discounting the possibility of RUC offering these courses in the future since there is demand for them.
We welcome Malaysian students as they generally perform well. We currently have about 200 Malaysians on campus pursuing various undergraduate courses.” Beijing International Chinese College (BICC) teaching affairs department project supervisor Sun Wei “BICC was established only five years ago and it is devoted to the international promotion of Chinese language.
It hopes to promote Chinese language through the training of Mandarin teachers, organising language camps and standardised Chinese language proficiency tests.
BICC has around 300 international students from 40 countries, including eight from Malaysia.
We are currently seeking students to enrol on the Master’s degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages, which emphasises the history of China, Chinese culture, and inter-cultural communication, aside from listening and speaking.
We hope that our students can eventually teach the language at university level.”
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20100109155916/Article/index_html
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Now, 13 Japanese universities to woo Indian students
New Delhi, Jan 8 (IANS) After many European and American universities, it’s now the leading Japanese universities who are set to woo Indian students.
According to the Japanese embassy here, at least 13 major Japanese universities will participate in the “Study in Japan Fair”.
“Many Japanese universities have degree courses which are offered fully in English and the foreign students can (pursue) bachelor, masters and PhD degrees without language barriers,” the Japan Information Center here said about the forthcoming event.
The varsity officials will interact with prospective students and provide their consultations about opportunities in Japan. The fair will take place at Daulat Ram College of the Delhi University Jan 11.
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/now-13-japanese-universities-to-woo-indian-students_100300969.html#ixzz0c4LaTRULMonday, January 04, 2010
Universities must look abroad to reverse Japan's brain drain
Japan appears to be suffering from brain drain. Examples include chemist Osamu Shimomura and physicist Yoichiro Nambu, both of whom won Nobel Prizes in 2008 for research conducted in U.S. universities.
Japan is not the ideal place to seek employment for some postdoctoral researchers. According to a study conducted by Masako Asano of Osaka Prefecture University, 41 percent of postdocs in particle physics leave Japan to get jobs because there aren't enough here to go around.
But Japan's public universities rate quite well internationally, according to the evaluation committee on national universities, part of the education ministry.
Six universities were ranked among the world's best by Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. in 2009, including the University of Tokyo (22nd) and Kyoto University
"Japanese universities are greatly advanced, particularly in natural science research," said Motohisa Kaneko, an education professor at the University of Tokyo, otherwise known as Todai.
"For example, the number of papers (in the natural sciences) submitted for publication to academic journals is the second most after Harvard," he said, adding he thinks Todai got a lower ranking than it deserves.
According to Norimichi Kojima, an executive vice president at the University of Tokyo, scientific research there gets high marks overseas. Although its work in the humanities is also highly rated, Todai isn't as well-recognized in this field because some publications are issued only in Japanese.
"The University of Tokyo is one of the top research-oriented universities, and we educate what we call elites in the country," said Akihiko Tanaka, another executive vice president there. "Forty-four percent of the (current) DPJ Cabinet came from our university. Sometimes we're also criticized for this, but many of our graduates also work in the ministries and courthouses."
Despite the wide recognition, Todai is still struggling to bring in more undergraduate female and international students.
"Female students account for only 20 percent of the university," said Kojima. "More female students are entering the humanities, but not the physics or mathematics departments."
Among 2,550 foreign students, more than 2,000 are doing postgraduate work because some postgraduate studies are conducted in English.
Tanaka, part of the Global 30 project to bring more foreign students to Japan, said postgraduate students from overseas are more common in research-oriented universities. To lure more international students to its undergraduate programs, the University of Tokyo will start a program in two years conducted solely in English, he said.
Tanaka said Chinese and Korean students have relatively high incentives to come to Todai, but more scholarships are needed to attract students from all over the world. "That's what American universities are doing, so students with excellent academic backgrounds tend to go there," he said.
Meanwhile, the University of Hong Kong,
"The chances of scholarship are high compared with other universities around the world," John Spinks, chairman of the admissions committee at Hong Kong University, said in a recent interview with The Japan Times.
"Scholarship provision is good. We have at least two major sources. One is government. We also have a number of private donors who are very keen to see their donations used directly for students," he added.
All research students at Hong Kong University receive a grant that includes fees for daily necessities. According to vice chancellor Paul Tam, funding for postgraduate students comes from the government, and "HKU has been most successful among local institutions in obtaining external competitive research funding for projects and large programs."
However, he says research and development funds in Hong Kong are low, reaching only 0.79 percent of GDP, compared with an average of 2 percent to 4 percent in developed countries. "An increase of funding is much needed," he said in an e-mail message.
While its academic and research achievement ranked much lower than Todai, Hong Kong University succeeds in creating a more international environment for students.
Including students from mainland China, international students occupy 26.2 percent at the school, more than double the percentage at the University of Tokyo.
In 1999, Hong Kong University began sending faculty staff to China to raise its visibility and to interview candidates. From 2005 onward, they started working in neighboring countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, and then went to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to get information out this year, Spinks said.
The university is also using YouTube and Facebook to reach potential candidates over the Internet.
"(The international campus environment) helps students develop more global competences, a set of skills required in today's world," Spinks said.
In Japan, although universities are trying to promote "internationalization," the number of outbound exchange students has fallen in recent years, according to Kaneko of the University of Tokyo.
"I think a one-year exchange program has an educational effect on students," but only 3 percent of undergraduate students at Todai study abroad, he said.
Kaneko also thinks Japanese universities don't rank high partly because professors lack international networks with other researchers around the world and aren't quoted very much.
Highest-rated schools in '09
SOURCE: Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. |
"While professors in EU countries have their network, Japan and other East Asian countries don't really have regional networks," Kaneko said.
But he believes the current concept of higher education itself is the major problem now facing Japanese universities.
"It's becoming more difficult for young people to have prospects for the future," he said. "They don't know what they want to do. I think we should redefine the concept of university education."
According to him, university education in Japan is targeted at students who want to pursue postgraduate studies and gives them autonomy for doing what they want to do. But there has been a great mismatch between students and the labor market recently, he said.
"Companies used to train university graduates, saying university education isn't particularly useful, but they don't anymore," he said. "Business people complain about university education, but they themselves don't know what kind of competences students need."
Kaneko argues that it is convenient for employers to criticize university graduates because they can control the starting salaries.
"The starting salary for university graduates (in Japan) is one of the lowest in developed countries. That for science majors is about half of that in the U.S.," he said.
A world beyond the United States now beckons Japanese youth
'Shying away from study in America" screamed the front-page headline of the Dec. 11 evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun. The article beneath presented facts and analysis of an unmistakable phenomenon: Japanese students are not being drawn to the United States to pursue their studies as they once were.
Let's look at the figures first.
The peak was reached in 1997, when a total of 47,000 Japanese were studying in the U.S. By 2007, their numbers had fallen to 34,000.
Nonetheless, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the overall number of Japanese traveling overseas for study has increased in recent years. In fact its latest data available, from 2005, put that number at around 80,000 — some 1.3 times that of 10 years before.
But whereas the U.S. was the destination for around 75 percent of Japanese going to study abroad in 1995, it now accounts for fewer than half. The slack has primarily been taken up by China, where close to 19,000 Japanese were studying in 2005 — twice as many as a decade earlier.
What has caused this shift away from U.S. academia? Has the aura that was America faded, and have some of the charms fallen off the perceived gilded bracelet?
The Asahi Shimbun explained it in this way:
"The students who are non-competitive types, who say 'I want to go to a country where I can take it easy,' are on the rise," it declared, offering the explanation that, "One major cause (of the shift) is that, due to the internationalization of Japan, students are showing interest in various countries, and are balking at the image of America as 'a country full of vigor.' "
Indeed, the world view of many young Japanese has certainly widened to take in countries that were simply not on their radars in the past.
This modern era of widening international horizons actually began in Japan in the economically booming 1980s, when capitalists the world over came here to find out why and to see if some of the good fortune might roll onto them. Ordinary Japanese, too, then had the money and inclination to travel abroad in their millions. Most may have gone to the U.S., but the countries of Europe and Southeast Asia, as well as Australia, were beginning to attract them in droves.
What about the Asahi Shimbun's point that today's Japanese students aresoshokukei — a term, literally meaning "grass-eaters" or "herbivores," that is applied to young people who are nonaggressive and, unlike hungry meat-eaters of the past, shun competition.
Some people blame this alleged tendency on the so-called yutori kyoiku, or "low-pressure education," that was introduced in earnest in the late '80s.
I beg to differ: A trendy phrase does not necessarily make a trend.
I don't believe today's young Japanese are any less ambitious than their parents or grandparents. It is just that their ambitions have taken a different form. They saw their elders work their guts out for the company and then watched as, when the bubble burst in the early '90s, the company scrimped on their commitment to them, dumping many "permanent" employees. They saw how their elders dedicated their lives to the nation's prosperity, only to find their share of the pie meager and their lifestyles unenriched.
In contrast, young Japanese these days aspire to have a balanced lifestyle in which their family plays the major role — and work for work's sake is not a goal.
Consequently, back in their parents' day the idea of studying abroad almost always meant going to America, and only a "different" few went elsewhere. A foreign degree back then didn't have much clout in Japan, though one from a top U.S. university had some sparkle. Degrees from other countries were of almost no advantage in seeking employment, and Japanese firms were not particularly eager to hire such graduates.
When the parents of today's students were themselves of student age, too, it was a major thing to go to the U.S. to study, and friends would throw big going-away parties. In most cases, the student would be gone for a year with no visit home in the interim. There was no e-mail or Skype, and international phone calls were expensive. Parents, girlfriends, boyfriends . . . it was really a yearlong goodbye in those days.
What has changed to so reduce the number of students going to the U.S.?
First of all, thanks to the Internet, young Japanese are now aware of many opportunities to study all over the world. In the past, they had to rely on their supervisors or educational fairs run by embassies for information. Now they can make their own contacts and pick and choose themselves.
Second, short-term study is much more in vogue now than it used to be. Japanese universities are increasingly flexible in what they will allow their students to do; and a three- or six-month stint in a foreign country can, for many students, be just as stimulating and productive as a yearlong one.
Third, education in the U.S. for a foreign student who does not get a scholarship is expensive. It can easily top $50,000 a year including tuition fees, board, travel, etc. Japanese parents just don't have that sort of money to spend. Study in Canada, Australia, Europe and elsewhere in Asia can be considerably cheaper — while if the student is in China, it's easy and cheap to hop back home for a holiday.
Fourth, it is fundamentally true that the gilded charms on the U.S. bracelet have faded in Japanese eyes over the last decade. They long turned a blind eye to the crime and poverty in the U.S., seeing only the freedom and opportunity there. But then the (George W.) Bush era, with its attacks on that freedom at home and its opportunistic wars abroad, began to tarnish the gilding.
Finally, there is no doubt that, over the past two decades, the U.S. education system has deteriorated. This is particularly true in the sciences, a field that has traditionally drawn Japanese students there. American students, attracted to the virtual thrills and the seven-figure promises that the dealers of finance and their big-money chums in accounting and law offered them, have eschewed the sciences. Perhaps now that many of those high rollers are looking more like chumps than chums, young people will be lured back to the genuine thrills of science.
If U.S. officials involved in the recruitment of overseas students wish to reverse the falling numbers from Japan, my advice to them is: "Look Homeward, Angel."
Young Japanese people who go abroad for study are seeking to further expand their vision — not only in the U.S. What goals they will achieve in the decade that has just begun remain to be seen.
However, I believe that this generation — grass-eater and carnivore alike — will come to be seen as the first truly cosmopolitan one of Japan.
Friday, December 25, 2009
No. of foreign students reaches record 132,720
TOKYO —
The number of foreign students studying in Japan reached a record 132,720 as of May 1 this year, up 8,891 from last year, a student support organization announced Thursday। According to Japan Student Services Organization, students from China accounted for the largest number at 79,082, followed by South Korea at 19,605 and Taiwan at 5,332. Students from the three areas made up 78% of overall foreign students, and Asian students occupied 92% of the total. Among those students, 64,327 were enrolled in universities, 35,405 in graduate schools and 27,914 in professional schools. By university, Waseda University in Tokyo accepted the largest number of foreign students at 3,114, followed by Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Oita Prefecture at 2,786 and the University of Tokyo at 2,473, according to the organization.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/no-of-foreign-students-reaches-record-132720
The number of foreign students studying in Japan reached a record 132,720 as of May 1 this year, up 8,891 from last year, a student support organization announced Thursday। According to Japan Student Services Organization, students from China accounted for the largest number at 79,082, followed by South Korea at 19,605 and Taiwan at 5,332. Students from the three areas made up 78% of overall foreign students, and Asian students occupied 92% of the total. Among those students, 64,327 were enrolled in universities, 35,405 in graduate schools and 27,914 in professional schools. By university, Waseda University in Tokyo accepted the largest number of foreign students at 3,114, followed by Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Oita Prefecture at 2,786 and the University of Tokyo at 2,473, according to the organization.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/no-of-foreign-students-reaches-record-132720
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Universities providing pre-entrance classes
OSAKA--Universities and colleges have recently begun offering classes to high school students who are already guaranteed admission well in advance of entrance examinations.
The move is intended to help prevent prospective entrants from dropping out due to a lack of academic ability or enthusiasm for learning.
Due to the declining birthrate, it has become possible for virtually any applicant to gain entrance to university or college. Half of the new entrants are admitted on the recommendation or the so-called AO Nyushi (admissions office screening based on essays or interviews) much earlier than those admitted based on entrance exams.
Under the circumstances, these schools have stopped waiting for applicants and instead provide fieldwork programs and classes via the Internet as well as programs in collaboration with cram schools before entrance ceremonies.
As part of a seminar on Osaka begun last year under the pre-entrance education program of Osaka Jogakuin College in Chuo Ward, Osaka, a tour of the Shinsekai district--a tourist spot in Naniwa Ward, Osaka, known for its Tsutenkaku tower--was recently held for 12 prospective students who passed the AO Nyushi screening process.
"The tower's design was originally like a combination of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe," said Masanori Ochitani, the college's admissions office director who guided the tour, giving the students some background on the popular landmark.
This year's tour participants are to give presentations on the theme in March.
An 18-year-old tour participant said: "I got more out of the seminar than I would have from reading a textbook. I could also talk to future schoolmates. It's stimulating."
Ochitani said: "Academic ability is important, but it's also important for the students to take action and think on their own."
Another means of keeping potential entrants engaged is the use of interactive classes at home over the Internet.
In 2004, Kinki University introduced a system of Artstaff Co., an education development company based in Kita Ward, Osaka.
This school year, the system will be used to give assignments in six subjects, including English and mathematics, to a total of 3,000 students of 12 departments from December to March to be completed online.
These assignments will include elements of animated films and other entertaining features and will be offered in three levels based on ability.
The university monitors how often and for how long students access the Internet classes and the areas that they need to improve, and it also contacts by phone or e-mail students who seldom use the programs.
Nagase Brothers Inc. based in Musashino, western Tokyo, which operates the major cram school chain Toshin Haisukuru, offers DVDs of classes and correspondence courses with essay questions for these students.
This school year, the company has provided pre-entrance education for 115 national and private universities and colleges, about 17 percent of those categories. About 100 university students also give advice to high school students over the phone.
Underlying these efforts is the direct link between academic achievement and pre-entrance education touted by some experts.
Reiko Yamada, chairman of the Japanese Association of First-Year Experience at Universities and Colleges and director of the Doshisha University Center for Faculty Development, said: "Sufficient care can help students smoothly transition from high school to university or college and eventually live productive lives on campus. It can also persuade them not to drop out."
Demographic crisis leaves universities in financial bind
The first day of the semester should be one of the year's busiest, but it is immediately clear at St. Thomas
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| Unrest: Students near Waseda University in Tokyo protest the university job-hunting system last month. DAVID MCNEILL PHOTO |
Apart from a sprinkling of students chatting near the entrance, the grounds are eerily quiet — the atmosphere seems more like that of a retirement home than a bustling city campus. Footsteps echo off the walls of empty corridors. Students huddle around professors at the front of nearly empty classrooms.
This small private college near Osaka was struggling long before announcing last summer it was no longer accepting freshmen. Established in 1962, St. Thomas carved out a niche among its bigger, more prestigious local rivals by focusing on literature and foreign-language studies.
But enrollment has been falling for a decade, hit hard by the demographics crisis that threatens to overwhelm the world's second-largest higher education sector. Simply put, Japan is running out of 18-year-olds.
According to the education ministry, 46 percent of the nation's roughly 550 private universities are missing their recruitment targets, the highest level ever. More than 40 percent are reportedly in debt and many are a bank loan away from the fate of St. Thomas and the four other colleges that stopped accepting students this year.
"There are many more universities like this," warns Teiji Kariya, director of the university's office of the president. "We are the tip of the iceberg."
Worse-case scenarios forecast that one-third of all private universities could go bankrupt or merge in the next decade unless help is forthcoming. But the government has so far taken a laissez-faire approach, refusing to either rescue or pull the plug on failing colleges.
In the meantime, the enrollment crisis has reached "ridiculous" proportions, says Bruce Stronach, dean of Temple University's Japan campus. "The government must decide very soon. Those colleges that are going to die should die."
In the absence of government intervention, universities across Japan, especially outside the major urban areas, are struggling. Faculty pay has been frozen or cut, bonuses have been suspended and resources trimmed to the bone. Short-term contracts for professors are increasing. Thousands of students from China are being recruited to pay fees and fill empty classroom seats.
At some institutions these students are failing to turn up for lectures, using their visas instead as cover while they go out and work. An assistant professor at Aomori University says about half the students in some departments are Chinese.
"A lot are working more than they are studying," said the professor, who requested anonymity. "The school doesn't acknowledge there is a problem because the administration just wants to fill up the classrooms."
The demographic impact has rippled through each layer of the education system, shutting elementary, junior high and high schools and now finally reaching colleges. Since peaking in 1992 at 2.1 million, the number of 18-year-olds has plummeted by more than 720,000.
"There's a lot of bitterness about this," says Martin Weatherby, an associate professor in St. Thomas' Human Development department. "We knew 10 years ago that 2009 was the crunch year — everybody in Japan knew that."
Some in the industry blame the government's adherence to free-market fundamentalism for ignoring the looming population fall and continuing to crank out licenses to private universities. The private university sector has grown by a third since the late 1980s.
"The policy was that there would be no regulation by the government, and no intervention," recalls Hiromitsu Takizawa, senior analyst at the Research Institute for Independent Higher Education, a think tank run by the Association of Private Universities of Japan.
Takizawa says the government encouraged overcapacity in the belief that competition would winnow out the weak. "The result is overcompetition. And they have ruled out a rescue scheme or a bailout. A shakeout is inevitable."
The education ministry declined comment on any of these issues, referring instead to a document compiled in June by one of its many advisory councils.
The report cites the declining population but shies away from a broad solution, suggesting instead that the market is still immature.
Just 2.6 percent of undergraduate and master's students come from overseas, it adds, compared with the OECD average of 7.3 percent. Most observers agree that Japanese colleges would benefit greatly from more mature and foreign students but say there are too many structural barriers to allow them to make much of an impact. Boosting the mature student enrollment, for example, would require something akin to a revolution in corporate Japan.
St. Thomas is among the first wave of private colleges to feel the impact. Its enrollment of freshmen plummeted from more than 400 a decade ago to 110 this year. The school currently has 542 undergraduate students, roughly half its government-set quota.
The president's office explains that as the number of high school graduates began to fall, the bigger, more prestigious colleges such as Osaka University
"Students who once couldn't get into those universities suddenly could, so they went there instead," explains Kariya. "We were left behind."
Management battled to keep St. Thomas afloat, freezing staff pay, transforming its curriculum, bringing in consultants and starting an entirely new department of human development — even hiring new teaching staff as late as last year.
An ill-fated name change
In response, St. Thomas began recruiting undergraduates heavily from abroad, with President Takehiko Oda leading at least one university delegation to China himself.
Today, 195 foreigners, most of them Chinese, make up a third of the student body, a vast increase from the 10 or so a decade ago.
Kariya admits there have been "some" problems with immigration and says St. Thomas has ruled out the possibility of increasing enrollment of foreign students to stave off bankruptcy.
"We think we have reached the limit of what we can handle," he says, adding that the education ministry would "have problems" with such a decision. "Its general policy is that Japanese universities should be for Japanese students."
Such views appear to throw cold water on a pledge two years ago by then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to nearly triple the number of new foreign students to 300,000 by the end of the next decade.
Privately, many higher education specialists call the pledge unworkable, saying Japan is simply not equipped, structurally or psychologically, to deal with such an influx without major government help.
Most cite finding a place to live high on the list of problems that must be solved. Apartments are expensive and real estate companies in rural areas often refuse to rent to non-Japanese.
Private colleges admit off the record that they don't see China or anywhere else in Asia as the solution to their problems.
"Many small private colleges have an unofficial ceiling on students from Asia of 10 percent," says an official at troubled Tokyo Fuji University, who also requested anonymity. "Accept more and the reputation of the college declines. It becomes self-defeating because Japanese students start believing the college is poor."
Weatherby concurs. "The more foreign students you have, the harder it is to get Japanese 18-year-olds to come. That's just a sad fact."
With nowhere else to turn, some colleges are pinning their hopes on theDemocratic Party of Japan
"I have seen no concrete changes so far," says Takizawa, who adds that criticism of the previous government's approach is growing. "Many accept that excessive competition has developed negative effects."
Whatever happens, it is likely to come too late to save St. Thomas.
The president's office hopes the college might be taken over by a larger university, allowing it to continue as a going concern.
"It's a pity because it is a special place," says Nobumichi Koyanagi, a second-year student. "It's small and intimate and our relationship with the teachers is friendly."
Is that why he chose to come here? "No," he says, laughing sheepishly. "I couldn't get in anywhere else."
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