Part 1
Higher Education to Support a Knowledge-Based Society Full of Creative Vitality - New Developments in Higher Education Reform
Chapter 3
Aiming for the Further Development of Higher Education
Section 1
Future Concept for Higher Education
1
Basic Concept for Higher Education so Far
Since 1975, the model for Japan's higher education has been reflected in the form of a higher education plan, but the 1991 University Council Report "Improvement of Higher Education Beginning in FY1993" indicated the following two areas as the direction for the development of higher education until FY2000:
1) Understand higher education in a broad sense including diverse education forms after graduation from upper secondary schools, and proceed with making the higher education structure more flexible
2) Aim for large qualitative improvements rather than a quantitative expansion of universities and junior colleges
The report also indicated that no method for establishing planned development targets on a quantitative scale would be taken.
Based on this policy direction, the following approach was indicated in the report for the next period, FY2000-FY2004 "Future Concept for Higher Education Beginning in FY2000" (1997 University Council Report):
1) Actively respond to the increasing desire to go on to higher education
2) Higher education institutions meet the diverse demands of society and the public as higher education overall by achieving free and diverse development that responds to social changes
With a view to switching smoothly to the future tough competitive environment that is predicted, the handling of entrance quotas and estimated calculation of the overall scale of universities and junior colleges was indicated (
Figure 1-3-1
).
In addition, the 1998 University Council Report "A Vision for Universities in the 21st Century and Reform Measures" indicated the following four basic philosophies of university reform:
1) Cultivation of issue exploration ability - Qualitative enhancement of education and research
2) More flexibility in education and research systems - Securing the autonomy of universities
3) Responsible decision-making and implementation - Improvement of the administrative structure
4) Establishment of a plural evaluation system - Individualization of universities and continuous improvement of the education and research (
Figure 1-1-2
)
During this period, a restraining policy was basically taken towards the quantitative scale of higher education, but in response to the 2002 Central Council for Education Report "Building of a New System to Guarantee the Quality of Universities," the higher education restraining policy was basically abolished.
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