Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERMENT POLICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE, SPORTS AND CULTURE 1995 > University Reform in Other Countries

In North America and Europe the popularization of higher education has been accompanied by the emergence of a number of shared issues, including the diversification of students, a decline in the quality of education and research, and a heavier financial burden. The continuing expansion of higher education in Western countries reflects increased expectations of higher education because of social and economic progress, heightened enthusiasm for higher education as a consequence of rising living standards, and government policies calling for the expansion of higher education.

In the United States the number of people undertaking higher education began to increase rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, and in 1991 the advancement ratio to institutions of higher education reached 49%, or 67% if part-time students are included. In France the government is working to expand the number of people advancing to higher education under a 1985 policy designed to raise the percentage of people reaching the final year of upper secondary education to 80% of people in that age group. In the United Kingdom the government published a white paper titled " Higher Education: Meeting the Challenge " in 1987, and policies implemented on its basis have caused the percentage of students entering institutions of higher education to rise from a little over 20% in the early 1980s to over 40% in the 1990s. Germany has also pursued an expansionary policy, and the growing number of people enrolled in institutions of higher education is reflected in a chronic shortage of capacity.

The diversification of students resulting from the popularization of higher education has prompted reviews of the role of university education. In the United States and France universities are endeavoring to meet the diverse needs of their students by providing professional as well as academic education. In France and Germany there is also a trend toward the expansion of institutions of higher education other than universities.

The maintenance of quality in university education and research has become a key focus of concern. The United Kingdom has introduced a system of quality assessment by the Higher Education Funding Council, for research since 1986 and for education since 1993. The results of these assessments are reflected in the distribution of subsidies. In the United States an accreditation system based on the review of universities by accrediting agencies has played an important role in maintaining and improving the quality of education and research. Consideration is now being given to various improvements to this system, including the evaluation of educational results in addition to the traditional approach, which has focused primarily on educational conditions. In recent years some states have begun to conduct assessments of state universities.

Another major issue is the growing financial burden. In the United States and the United Kingdom universities are being encouraged to make self-help efforts to secure financial resources, including private-sector funds, and to improve operational efficiency.

The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany thus share a number of issues. Each of these countries also faces unique problems that reflect the history, structure, and other characteristics of its higher education system. A variety of reforms are being undertaken in response to these problems. Russia and China, which have experienced vast social change during their transition to market-economy systems, are also implementing drastic reforms of their traditional systems of higher education, which were based on planned economies.