Blog #5 - Empty Seats Fill Japan's Higher Ed Classrooms

"The number of 18-year-olds in Japan" has been steadily declining since the 1990s, while the expansion of their university system has continued to increase. Along with this expansion, the Ministry of Education reported a sharp increase and diversity in majors and graduate programs. What this has meant for enrollment is low numbers with private universities now “operating in the red.”

There have been several approaches attempted in order to correct this issue. Universities have campaigned to add study-abroad programs to attract foreign students. They have introduced more modern-sounding names to their departments. And the new departments “emphasize forward-looking, interdisciplinary programs that fit the 21^st century.” Oftentimes, this attempt at diversifying and innovating has led to confusion for high school students and their counselors. The tactics universities are employing are hardly filling their available seats. In fact, 46 percent of university space has been left unoccupied because of Japan’s aging population.

There are now more than 1,200 degree options for undergraduates to choose from. These programs focus on the process of thinking and learning as opposed to knowledge acquisition through rote memorization. Some schools have students focus on tackling major projects instead of working through a maze of requisite courses. And there is a heavy emphasis placed on the globalized work environment. The effects on employability are too early to tell, as the first students are just now graduating from these programs. Some students have reported that the department names, instead of being confusing, have been a source of intrigue for hiring personnel – opening the interviewee up to a potential advantages within the interview than more traditional students receive.

Yet, many argue that some of these new schools should fail based on their inability to reach certain quotas. But closing a university is easier said than done. The Ministry of Education has a lot of money tied into the university system; so many schools will “hang on despite low enrollments.” Only time will reveal which universities are the fittest to survive. 

Jeff Chilcott

3/1/13

2:54PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/world/asia/25iht-educlede25.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=education