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PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture

In order to promote the renewal of facilities for education, science and culture by means of making them more information oriented, the Ministry is taking the following steps: 1)furthering the construction of "intelligent campuses" at national and other universities; 2)upgrading university hospitals to make them more information-oriented; 3)sending circulars to prefectural boards of education and other organizations advising them to consider the provision of space and equipment for computer education (such as desks for computer use etc.) 4)subsidizing public schools for new construction and renovation of computer education classrooms.

Also in regard to the National Council on Educational Reform's proposed "Plan for Intelligent Schools," the Council carried out survey research on "making facilities for education, science and culture more intelligent" and drew up a report with the same title in March 1990. Based on this report, the Ministry has been conducting pilot and model studies since 1990 for examining the feasibility of planning and development for local information networks and other projects.

With a view towards meeting diversified and sophisticated learning demands through providing proper information services and counseling services regarding lifelong learning opportunities, since 1987 the Ministry has been subsidizing projects aimed at developing systems for the provision of information for lifelong learning activities. Also, in 1991, the Ministry started subsidizing the development of library information networks with prefectural libraries at the center.

Furthermore, the Ministry is facilitating the development of science information systems, centering around the National Center for Science Information System, whereby researchers at universities and other institutions of higher education can quickly access the exact information they need. The development of on-campus information networks is under way at individual universities.

The Ministry is also endeavoring to facilitate the further development of various data bases, so that a wide variety of science information may be efficiently used.