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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERMENT POLICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE, SPORTS AND CULTURE 1995 > Remaking Universities Chapter 4 Section 4

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Remaking Universities: Continuing Reform of Higher Education
Chapter 4 Toward Further University Reform
Section 4. Promoting Community Acceptance of a New Vision for Universities


In the past universities and other institutions of higher education were generally evaluated on the basis of the difficulty of their entrant selection process or their graduates' success in gaining employment. Society, however, including the business sector, is steadily changing, and there is a growing tendency for society at large to judge universities and other institutions according to such criteria as research capability. Corporate hiring policies are also shifting from a preoccupation with academic credentials to an emphasis on ability. Many venture businesses have adopted personnel policies based solely on ability, and graduates of professional training colleges may be employed on the same terms as junior college or university graduates.

The criteria on which students base their choice of institutions of higher education are also shifting from their "standard scores" in entrance examinations or the location of universities and other institutions to the actual characteristics of universities and other institutions, including educational content. The most obvious manifestation of this change is the fact that entrance examination candidates and upper secondary school teachers are now seeking information about educational content before choosing universities and other institutions.

In the future it is likely that universities and other institutions will no longer be regarded as existing solely for the young; they are expected to become more open to people of all ages who wish to further their education. In the near future universities and other institutions will be open to anyone who has acquired the motivation to learn and the ability to perceive issues through social experience or involvement in volunteer and other activities. There is also likely to be an increase in the number of part-time as well as full-time students. This could lead to the formation of an academic environment with greater depth, since the insights that students have gained through work and involvement in society can be expected to contribute excitement and creative tension not only to the student body as a whole but also to the classes provided by teachers. Graduate study is also likely to become more available to nonacademic members of society.

Higher education is an investment in human progress and prosperity. In periods of rapid social and economic change, it is especially important that universities and other institutions of higher education consider their contribution to society from a broad, long-term perspective.

Today universities and other institutions of higher education are redoubling their efforts to respond to social change and rising expectations of higher education through a reform process designed to make them more attractive as centers of education and research. Universities and other institutions must endeavor to enhance the appropriateness and effectiveness of the reforms that they are implementing in response to society's expectations. This must be achieved through active efforts by those connected with universities and other institutions to ensure that changes in higher education are accepted and properly evaluated by society. This requires the active provision of information to prospective students, upper secondary school administrations, the companies that employ graduates, and the research institutes and other organizations that are interested in research conducted at universities and other institutions.

Universities and other institutions of higher education must enhance their self-monitoring and self-evaluation methods and publish reports on the results. They also need to provide clear information about educational philosophy, curriculum, consideration of students ' needs, teaching staff, and research performance, at the same time actively seeking positive criticism of their activities. An extremely effective way for universities and other institutions to learn how they are perceived by the community and to promote understanding of their reform efforts is to seek the participation in university administration of outside advisers. University administrators must also strive to reform their own perceptions so that they can work with increased enthusiasm and success toward university reform and gain society's understanding and recognition of this new approach to higher education.


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