TOKYO—Japan is retooling its public universities, sacrificing liberal-arts programs in collaboration with a business community eager for better-skilled graduates.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's goal is to transform Japan's government-funded universities into either global leaders in scientific research or schools focused on vocational training. He has called on them to "redefine their missions" and restructure their curricula.
All 86 of the country's national-level public universities were required by the education ministry to submit restructuring plans by the end of June, and they were told that government funding, upon which they depend, would be allocated according to their embrace of this new vision.
The drive is part of Mr. Abe's efforts to revitalize Japan, injecting more dynamism and innovation into the economy through a greater focus on research, and improving the competitiveness of its graduates with precisely tailored course work. Many businesses have cut back their training programs and are looking to universities to fill the gap. As businesses become more global, companies are seeking workers with better social and organizational skills and the ability to work in teams.
Critics, though, say the willingness to sacrifice liberal arts along the way is misguided.
MTC GLOBAL- Educate, Empower, Elevate
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Management Teachers Consortium, Global" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to join_mtc+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment