Efforts should be made to enable high school students whose families are facing financial difficulties to enter the universities or other schools of their choice as much as possible. It is important to design a system based on that purpose.
An expert panel at the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is considering measures to reduce the burden of school expenses incurred by students from low-income families who enter such educational institutions as universities and vocational schools.
This is because the policy package adopted as a Cabinet decision at the end of last year, worth as much as 2 trillion yen, states that higher education will be made free of charge starting in fiscal 2020. The main financial resources for the plan will be procured through a planned increase in the consumption tax rate in October next year.
The scheme will not only entail a reduction in or exemption from tuition and other financial aid but will also cover some living expenses. Given that tax revenue is used for the plan, it is vital to winnow down eligible students to those highly motivated to learn, not implementing these measures as lavish government handouts. Efforts must also be made to secure the quality of universities covered by the system.
However, doubts are raised by the conditions set by the policy package, regarding the universities to which eligible students are admitted.
The package states that at least 10 percent of lessons must be conducted by teachers with practical work experience, and that directors recruited from outside must account for more than 20 percent of the entire board. These requirements are said to be aimed at placing importance on the balance of academic pursuits and practical education, partly based on requests from business circles.
This could narrow the range of options available for high school students regarding the universities to which they can be admitted.
Take a flexible approach
The requirements seem to indicate the government's motive to have universities in the palm of its hand. Such matters as the employment of its teaching staff and decisions on the contents of its lessons should essentially be left to the discretion of each university. It is understandable for many universities to oppose the conditions as "interference with university autonomy."
Although university reform is important, it should be promoted separately from the free education scheme.
The education ministry conducted a survey on how teachers with practical work experience are assigned at universities, but it was not able to amalgamate the results of its findings. This was because different universities have different definitions of work experience. There is also a gap in the necessity for work experience among different faculties.
The expert panel's decision to reverse its stance and not to impose strict standards for the allocation of teachers was a realistic response to the situation. Lessons organized in cooperation with companies will also be covered.
It is advisable to cautiously consider requirements to be met by students regarding their school records. The policy package includes a plan to stop assistance to students under certain conditions, such as if their academic records continuously remain stuck in the bottom quartile of grades after entering university.
Although it is necessary to confirm students' eagerness to learn and their school records, there is a difference in the evaluation standards adopted by individual universities. It is unreasonable to mechanically make a judgment under uniform standards.
Another task is how to treat students who cannot be covered by the free education scheme due to the circumstances surrounding prospective recipients, including even a slight gap in the amount of their family income.
The Liberal Democratic Party's Headquarters for the Revitalization of Education has compiled a plan to create a system under which the government would pay students' tuition fees on their behalf and they would repay their debts after starting to work. The plan would set an upper limit on the annual income of recipients' families, requiring them to begin repayments when their income earned after graduation reaches a certain level.
Efforts should be made to promote careful discussions and build a system that will not undermine young people's motivation.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 18, 2018)
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