Education Rebuilding in Japan

1
Education Rebuilding in Japan
JSAA 2007 Plenary Lecture

• Mineo Nakajima,
  Ph.D. ?? ??
• President, Akita International University
• Member, The Education Rebuilding Council
• 
  

2
I. The Education Rebuilding Council
(18 Oct. 2006)

• 17 Members (social, business and academic
  sectors) Prime Minister, Chief Cabinet
  Secretary, Minister of Education (MEXT),
  Assistant for the Cabinet
• Abes advisory panel on education reform.
• direct recommendations and proposals to the
  Cabinet.
• Abes strong will to make a beautiful country
  by education reform infringing upon MEXTs
  vested rights

3
The Education Rebuilding Council vs.
Central Council of Education (MEXT)
4
1. Education Rebuilding by Society as a
Whole

• Councils 1st Report (24 Jan. 2007)
  Education Rebuilding by Society as a Whole
  First Step toward Rebuilding the Public Education
  System
• (???????????????????????)
• bullying violence learn quietly
• teacher quality moral education
• family as the starting point for education
• parents, guardians and the community

5
Seven Recommendations and Four Urgent
Measures

• Measures focused on elementary and secondary
  education
• reconsider current education with reduced
  classroom hours and curriculum content
• boost academic ability.

6
Education Reform Bill

• Abe ordered Education Minister to amend
  Educational laws by the end of fiscal 2006,
  no need to wait on education rebuilding.
• 3 Education reform bills passed
  (20/Jun./2007)

7
School Education Law

• The revised School Education Law
• (??????????)
• reflection of the revised Basic Law of
  Education
• (public spirit loving our country and
  hometown)
• (posts of vice principal and chief teacher)

8
Local Education Administration Law

• The revised Local Education Administration Law
• (?????????????????
• ???????)
• to demand or call on local education boards to
  take correct
  measures

9
Educational Personnel Certification Law

• The revised Educational Personnel Certification
  Law
• (????????????)
• teachers to renew their licenses every 10 years
  and
• obliges them to undergo a 30-hour training
  course

10
2. Education Rebuilding by Society

• The Councils 2nd Report (1 June 2007)
  Education Rebuilding by Society as a Whole A
  Further Step toward the Rebuilding of the Public
  Education System and the Reconstruction of the
  Basis for a New Era of Education
• (???????????????????????????????????????????????
  
• Allow public schools to offer Saturday
  classes, increasing class hours
• by 10 at public schools.
• Make moral education (??)a special subject
  at elementary and
• junior high schools.

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Fundamental reform for Japanese universities
and graduate schools

• At least five Japanese universities and
  graduate schools enter into world top 30
  within the next 10 years with at least one into
  the top 10.
• Instruct universities nationwide to allow
  students to enter in September (amend the rules
  of School Education Law).
• Promote liberal arts education.
• Restrict students of graduate school from the
  same department and the same university to 30
  maximum.
• To introduce semester system and GPA.
• Shift from increasing the number of international
  students to attracting top-quality students in
  the world.
• Expand the scope of classes taught in English.
• Promote open and public recruitment of faculty
  and staff.
• Introduce a contract system with a fixed term.
• Recommend integration of universities for their
  future.
• President of national university should not be
  elected by vote in order to enhance his/her
  leadership.

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? General Issues

• Government guidelines for teaching (??????)
• room to grow education / cram-free education
  / relaxed education(????)
• or scholastic ability / academic
  performance(??)
• International Comparisons
• (PISA/OECD 2006)
  
  
• (TIMSS/IEA 2006)
• What is scholastic ability?
• Research on the situation of Education
  Process of Primary and Secondary
• School(??15????????????????)

13
? General Issues

• Early Education(???) No child left behind
  (Bush/USA) Suzuki Method (????)
• __________________________________________________
  _______________________
• Kindergarten ( ???) / Nursery school(???)
  MEXT vs. M. of H.L.W.
• __________________________________________________
  _______________________
• Introducing English education at the
  elementary school (?????????)/
• from grades 3-6 in a class for Integrated Study
  or from grades 1-6 as a course of study
• (??????????????? ????????????)
• Action plan to train Japanese who can use
  English in their work
• ?????????????????????????(2004-10)
• TODAYs GP (Good Practice) (??GP)
• Special Committee on Foreign Languages, CCE,
  MEXT
• (???????????????????)

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? Higher Education Reform Measures
at MEXT

• A Vision for Universities in the 21st
  Century
• and Reform Measures To be Distinctive
• Universities in a Competitive Environment
• (University Council Report, October 26, 1998 )
• ???????????????????????????????????????
• (??????????????????????)

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Vision for Universities in the 21st Century

• Promotion of exchanges with universities
  overseas
• (???????????)
• Assistance to the activities of UMAP
• (UMAP ??????)
• Utilization of Information and Communication
  Technologies
• (????????????????)
• Development of the ability to communicate in
  foreign languages(?????????????????)

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Liberal Arts Education in the New Age

• Report of the Central Council for
  Education,
• February 21, 2002)
• ???????????????????????(???????????????????? ?)
• Support for universities placing importance
  
• on Liberal Arts Education
• (?????????????)

17
New Policies for International Students

• On the Development of New Policies for
  International Students Toward the Broadening of
  Range and Improvement of Quality of Foreign
  Student Exchange (Report of the Central
  Council for Education, December 16, 2003)
• ????????????????????????
• ??????????????
• (?????????????????????)
• Receiving International Students of High
  Quality
• (????????????)
• Pressing Importance on Sending International
  Students
• ( ????? ???)
• Promotion of Study Abroad for High School
  Students
• (????????)
• Applying for Admission to Schools Offering
  Pre-Arrival Admission
• (?????????)
• EJU ( Examination for Japanese Universities
  Admission for International Students
• (????????)since 2002 / 19 cities

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• The Corporation of National Universities
• (April 2004) 87 universities / MEXT
• (??????????????)
• The Public University Corporation
• (April 2004) AIU / 78 / Local
  Government
• (??????????????)
  
  
  
  
• cf. 568(Private) 1(The University of the
  Air)
• total 733 universities in Japan
• Strong recommendation for university integration
  by
• The Education Rebuilding Council.

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University Integration

• Ex. Osaka University(??)
• Osaka University of Foreign
  Studies(????)
• Independence / Autonomy (????)
  
  
  
• Deregulation / Ex post fact check of
  universities
• (??????????)
• Interim Purpose / Interim Plan(???????? )--6 yrs
• Grant for Operating Costs / Subsidies to
  state-run universities
• (??????)
• Competitive Resources based on effort and
  results
• (?????)
• Accreditation( ????) / Evaluation by a Third
  Party
• (?????)

20

• School Education Law
• (?????)
• The University Establishment Standards
• (??????)

21
The Special Law for Educational Public
Servants

• (????????)
• restriction of employment for foreigners
• (?????????)
• intellectually closed shop of Japanese
  universities(????????????)
• Japanese teaches Japanese in Japanese
• (?????????????????)
• The Senate / Faculty Meeting / President
• (??????????)

22
A Future Vision for Higher Education of
Japan

• ( January 28, 2005)
• ??????????????
• (?????????????????????)
• Knowledge-Based Society and universal access
  to universities
• (????????????????????????)
• Differentiation of universities(????????)
• COE(?????????)
• Graduate School for Training Professionals
  with Professional Graduate School
• for Advanced Specialties (???????????????? )
  /
• Faculty with Social and Professional
  Experience (?????) /
• Comprehensive Education for Liberal Arts
  (???????)/
• Lifelong Education (????)

23
A Future Vision for Higher Education of
JapanContinued

• Fundamental Reform of Post-Graduate Education
• (???????????)
• Ph.D. System (Ph.D.??) /
• Course Work (??) /
• An End to Paper Doctors( ???????)/
• Ph.D. Candidate(?????)
• Organization of Faculty (????)
• Professor Associate ProfessorAssistant
  Professor / Assistant (??????? /
  ??)(1/April/2007)

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Graduate School Education in a New Era

• Graduate School Education in a New Era
  Toward Building Internationally Attractive
  Post-graduate Education (5 September 2005)
• ???????????????????????????????
• (????????? ?????????)

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Graduate School Education in a New Era

• Improvement and enhancement of courseworks
• (???????????)
• Promotion of smooth awarding of doctoral degrees
• (?????????????)
• Explicit disclosure of grade calculation and
  examination process(????????????????)
• Creating Social Climate to Promote Graduate
  School Education Reform
• (??????????????????)