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PART Issues and Perspectives ofHigher Education

In order to provide more learning opportunities for working adults, it is important to make the modes of learning at universities more diverse and more flexible.

There is a call for the expansion of learning opportunities for those people who find difficulty in leaning at universities or junior colleges on a full-time basis by providing them with more opportunities to spend their limited time effectively on part-time learning at these institutions. The creation of a certain form of public evaluation for their learning results would contribute to increasing their motivation to learn.

From this point of view, the University Council is considering the feasibility of introducing a "one-subject register" system (which is intended to admit students who aim at earning a certain number of credits for a particular subject) and a "course register" system (which is intended to admit students who aim at earning a number of credits in the particular group of two or more subjects specified in a particular course).

In recent years, there have been increasing demands by working adults for learning on weekday evenings after leaving work. There is an expectation for an increase in "evening graduate courses" in response to these demands. In addition there is a call for an increase in evening undergraduate courses, and in those courses, which offer lessons both in the daytime and in the evening to enable students to attend lessons in such a way as to fit for their life style. Relevant amendments to related laws and regulations are necessary to meet this demand.

Further the Central Council for Education has recommended that lifelong learning centers be created at universities, junior colleges and other institutions of higher education. It is hoped that individual institutions of higher education will create such centers on their own initiative. The Council is also considering the issue of an evaluation of the learners' results from their lifelong learning.