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FOCUS: Sense of crisis prompts idea for school year change at key university(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) TOKYO, Jan. 19 -- (Kyodo) _ A panel of the University of Tokyo, widely perceived as Japan's top institution of higher learning, has come up with a proposal for changing the start of the academic year to fall for its undergraduate students. Behind the move is a strong feeling among officials of the university -- commonly known as "Todai" -- that radical reform is necessary in order to compete successfully for the best students around the world. Some business executives responsible for hiring graduates have endorsed the idea, but some within the university question the way discussions on the matter have been handled, suggesting Todai's top management have been imposing their views. The proposal will likely face rough going ahead, and it remains unknown if other institutions will follow suit to set a trend. "A committee on discussing the timing of admission" was inaugurated at the request of Junichi Hamada, the president of the university. "No time must be lost, and a sense of speed is called for, in examining (the issue) and acting on it at this university," the committee's interim report said. The concluding remark of the report may reflect what President Hamada has in mind. Hamada is known to have advocated starting autumn admissions on various occasions. He may be hoping to push through a plan for the change one way or the other before his term expires in March 2015. According to the report, scheduled for official release on Friday, foreign students at the University of Tokyo comprise a scant 1.9 percent of the total, compared with 10 percent at Harvard University in the United States, 6 percent at Seoul National University in South Korea and 5 percent at Peking University in China. The fall admission plan appears to be intended as a tool to draw talented students from abroad in the university's "pursuit of world-class education" as stated in the institution's charter. But a switch to fall admissions will not be a simple task in Japan, where April admissions and entrances have become thoroughly established in a wide range of entities from kindergartens to businesses and government offices. Members of the university's committee are hoping that major businesses and other universities will join in its action. Business executives have generally voiced endorsements as they hope the idea of changing the admissions season will lead to nurturing talent valuable in the international community. Yasuchika Hasegawa, chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), said, "We would like to provide support to trailblazing examinations." Toshiyuki Hamada, head of recruitment at investment bank SMBC Nikko Securities Inc., welcomed the proposal, saying, "The overall quality of students should rise as it would help facilitate exchanges with overseas students and promote overseas studies." Expectations are also rising that Todai's move could eventually prompt a change in Japanese students' inward-looking attitude, as prominently manifested in the declining number of students going abroad for higher learning. An official at the Japan Foreign Trade Council, an association of businesses heavily involved in exports and imports, said the proposal "will increase students taking overseas study programs." On recruitment of graduates, an official at one major electronics maker said, "It will not have a major impact because we have already been conducting recruitment in autumn and throughout the year as well." But some expressed reservations. An official at a pharmaceutical company said, "We feel the idea has come out of the blue." An automotive industry source said, "If universities conform to international standards, we fear students may be tempted to take up jobs with overseas companies." Among universities, it remains unknown how far Todai's idea will spread. Kyoto University and Osaka University are leaning toward examining the idea, while Michinari Hamaguchi, president of Nagoya University said, "We would like to see how discussions evolve" at other universities. The committee that drew up Todai's interim report comprised only 10 members, including the deputy president of the university. One faculty member said, "We can promote overseas studies by students under the existing framework. There is a problem about what to do with the status of students in the interim period from graduation from senior high school until (university) admission, and furthermore, there would be too much of a burden for changing institutional arrangements such as curriculums and systems for supporting students." The faculty member added, "I suspect there may be an ulterior motive of containing dissents (against the admissions proposal) within the university by presenting an interim report." Todai students, in the meantime, expressed mixed views, with one saying the measure would help the university compete internationally but another saying it would be "tough" to change the recruitment activity period. A senior in humanities said, "We would need a system to support students financially and in securing jobs." An official at the education ministry said, "There is a heap of problems that need to be addressed. We should see to it that students at Todai will not be guinea pigs." Another ministry official said, "Fall admissions alone will not make it possible to compete with the world. There are other things that also need to be done." He added, however, "Todai's action is significant in that it stirs up discussions." (c) 2012 Kyodo News International, Inc. |