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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > FY2003 White Paper on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology >Part1 Chapter1 Section3.5

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Part 1   Higher Education to Support a Knowledge-Based Society Full of Creative Vitality - New Developments in Higher Education Reform
Chapter 1   Current Extent of Higher Education Reform
Section 3   Giving Flexibility to Educational and Research Systems
5   Junior Colleges, Colleges of Technology, Professional Training Colleges



(1) Junior colleges

Under the School Education Law, junior colleges are positioned as universities that have a different aim and required duration of study than four-year universities. Since the establishment of the system, the focus has been on quantitative improvement of private junior colleges. In particular, junior colleges have played a major role in providing opportunities for girls to receive higher education. Currently, however, measures based on social changes, such as the advancement of science and technology, the progress of internationalization and computerization and the shift to a lifelong learning society, and changes in the conditions surrounding junior colleges, such as the reduction in the population of 18-year-olds and the increasing popularity of four-year universities among female university students, are required.

For junior colleges to play an even more important future role in society, it is necessary for these institutions to make the most of their distinctive qualities, aim for greater diversification and individualization, and further improve education functions that meet diverse demands. Such measures include:1) specialized vocational education combining general education and practical education; 2) general education that takes into account the realization of a richer civil life; and 3) the provision of diverse lifelong learning opportunities that meet the needs of a wide demographic including adults and the elderly, while maintaining close contact with the local community.

As one measure to deal with this situation, there is a current new trend to establish comprehensive departments (junior college departments to meet the diverse educational demand of regions) that aim to respond flexibly to the demands of communities, including adult students (in FY2003, four such departments were established in four junior colleges).

Junior college departments to meet the diverse educational demand of regions are a new type of department in which the field of study is not specified and which have the aim of responding to the diverse demands of the community. A number of different fields and previously existing departments are reorganized and converted and are made into one comprehensive department. They are structured so that they can meet the demands of students and the community. From FY2002, qualification approval by the Junior College Accreditation Association to guarantee the distinctiveness and the quality of the education of the junior college departments to meet the diverse educational demand of regions commenced, and these measures are expected to achieve results.


(2) Colleges of technology

Colleges of technology, in order to continue to fulfill an important role as educational institutions that train practical engineers with a rich ability to come up with ideas, are proceeding with industry-academia cooperation in both education and research under the strong leadership of their presidents, including the promotion of technology consultation, joint research and internships.

Looking at the history of the establishment of colleges of technology it can be seen that to achieve balanced development throughout the country they have been set up in nearly all the prefectures of Japan and are centered on departments concerning engineering and mercantile marine. Looking at their advanced specialized technology and human resources training functions, it can be seen that they play a role at the center of revitalizing local communities.

Taking measurements at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Fukushima National College of Technology (Graduate Reseach)

Colleges of technology create seeds booklets * and pamphlets describing the specialized fields and research fields of educators, and carry out extension courses such as classes taught by university educators outside the university to provide advanced study opportunities to the local community. Among these, there are colleges of technology that carry out consultation meetings outside the university and seminars presented by university educators outside the university to promote industry-academia cooperation, and colleges of technology that are making efforts to create a database * search system for college of technology researchers in cooperation with multiple schools. Colleges of technology are making efforts to contribute more actively to revitalizing communities without waiting for external urging.

Active efforts are being made to introduce internships to train practical engineers, placing the importance on experiments, practical training and practical skills. Nearly 90 percent of colleges of technology are implementing such internships.

In order to train internationally-viable engineers, active efforts are being made to proceed with the preparation of conditions needed for mutual international certification of engineer qualifications as well as accreditation by the Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (JABEE), which carries out accreditation of education programs of a certain level or above. In FY2002, accreditation was extended to the following technical education programs: Advanced Course of the Miyagi National College of Technology (Production System Design Engineering), Electronics-Systems Engineering Advanced Course and Information-Systems Engineering Advanced Course of the Sendai National College of Technology (Electronics and Information Systems Engineering Program), and Civil Engineering Advanced Course of the Kochi National College of Technology (Civil Engineering).

Center for Technology Reseach and Development of the Kisarazu National College of Technology (explanation at the Technology Exchange Meeting of the equipmnet analyzes materials internally)

Furthermore, colleges of technology are enhancing the education and research functions of manufacturing base technologies and training practical engineers with more advanced specialist skills and creativity. In combination, colleges of technology are promoting the development of centers for technology research and development as preparation for the facilities to provide the basis for revitalization with the aim of revitalizing the regions through strengthening technology consultation for small and medium-sized companies, cooperative research functions and engineer reeducation functions. In FY2002, centers for technology research and development were established in four colleges of technology: Hakodate National College of Technology, Numazu National College of Technology, Tsuyama National College of Technology, and Ube National College of Technology.


* Seeds booklet

A booklet created to introduce technology developed at universities and laboratories to industry, etc.


* Database

The collection of a large amount of information that can be searched at any time.


(3) Professional training colleges

Based on the June 1999 Lifelong Learning Council Report, "Making Wide-Ranging Use of the Fruits of Learning," the "Standards for the Establishment of Special Training Colleges" (Ordinance of the Ministry of Education) were amended in October of that year. The major amendments were: 1) study at other universities, junior colleges, professional training colleges, etc. undertaken while studying at a professional training college or before entering the professional training college can be regarded as study for class subjects in the current professional training college of up to one-half of the total class time necessary to complete the professional training college course; and 2) classes using diverse media in an advanced manner (remote classes), including those utilizing the Internet, are positioned as a class method.

In March 2002, the "Standards for the Establishment of Special Training Colleges" were further amended, and self-monitoring and self-evaluation in professional training colleges were institutionalized.

Specific self-monitoring and self-evaluation methods are stipulated by individual schools. For example, monitoring and evaluation is carried out for such areas as education, school facilities and equipment, and student services. Monitoring is implemented in ways such as questioning "How does the curriculum reflect the education target" with respect to education, and "Is the size of the practical training room and laboratories and the incidental equipment appropriate" with respect to school facilities and equipment.

At the same time, professional training colleges are now required to widely provide information on their educational activities, such as their educational targets and curricula and recruitment information about people who have completed their courses, for students who wish to enter the school and other local residents and people related to upper secondary schools.

Through such reforms, MEXT is proceeding with a variety of measures to ensure that professional training colleges meet the expectations of society as institutions of higher education, and as places for lifelong learning for adult students and others (refer to Part II, Chapter 1, Section 5, 2 (2)).


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