日本は桜が舞い散る春の四月に年度が始まり春寒の祈りの三月で終わりますが、欧米を中心に世界の七割の国は九月に年度が始まり、夏のバカンスまでに一年が終わるようになっています。そのため、日本も世界の標準に合わせるべきであり、東大が率先して秋入学を全面的に導入する方向にしようとの提言が、大学内の諮問委員会で先日ありました。このような大胆な方策導入の背景には、より優秀な学生や研究者を世界中から集め、グローバルな大学間競争に打ち勝とうとする狙いがあります。既に東大の大学院生の七割は海外からの留学生であり、より優秀な人材集めを推進する必要に東大は迫られています。ゆえに、世界のトップ大学を目指す一歩として、年度を世界標準に合わせたいとする考えに至りました。
全体での導入ですから、日本人が多い学部生の入学も秋となる予定です。そのため、合格してから入学までの半年を学生にどう過ごさせるのかや就職活動への影響の懸念など課題があります。これらの点を解消するため、東大は入学までの半年間の準備期間のプログラムを用意したり、企業や官庁に学生の就活への協力を要請したりするなど、導入への準備をしていく予定です。また東大は、日本の他大学にも秋入学の導入を要請し、そのための協議会を呼びかけています。主要な大学の導入で、日本全体で議論を進めたい考えです。早慶など有力大学も協議会設置に前向きな意向を既に示しています。ちなみに、早稲田大学は秋入学を既に一部導入しており、今後もその拡大に努めるようです。
さて、大学間競争は世界のトップレベルの大学ではますます熾烈になるのは間違いないと思います。欧米のトップの私立大学はどこも授業料は高く、大変な額の寄付金や収入をさらに資産運用し、大変裕福で潤沢な資金力で優秀な研究者や設備を誇ります。※それに対して日本の大学は運営費がはるかに小さい反面、授業料などは安くおさえられており、誰にでも開放的な大学と言えます。また、今回の年度の変更は他の日本の制度にも影響を与えるかもしれません。日本は会計の年度も、小中高すべての年度も四月始まりです。また、サッカーのJリーグのシーズンも三月から夏を挟みます。このようなところも、もしかすると今後変わるかもしれません。サッカー選手も海外移籍が増えましたし、強豪国との強化試合は日本と他国が違う年度のため、組みにくいということもあります。さらに、夏場は欧米はバカンスで暑い時期に働くことを極力避けることができますが、日本の学校は夏休みがあるものの、なかなか社会全体は休むようにはなっていません。節電などのためにも、夏に休む必要から年度の変更が今後あるかもしれません。
AI translation, cross-checked between two models.
In Japan, the academic and fiscal year begins in April, in spring when cherry blossoms flutter through the air, and ends in chilly March; however, in roughly 70 percent of countries around the world, mainly in Europe and North America, the year begins in September and ends before the summer vacation. For this reason, an advisory committee within the University of Tokyo recently proposed that Japan should align itself with the global standard and that the university should take the lead in fully introducing autumn admissions. Behind the introduction of such a bold measure is the aim of attracting more outstanding students and researchers from around the world and prevailing in global competition among universities. Already, 70 percent of the University of Tokyo’s graduate students are international students, and the university is under pressure to further promote the recruitment of outstanding talent. Thus, as one step toward becoming one of the world’s top universities, it arrived at the idea of bringing its academic year into line with the global standard.
Since the change would be introduced university-wide, undergraduate admissions, where Japanese students make up the majority, are also expected to move to autumn. This raises issues such as how students should spend the six months between acceptance and enrollment, as well as concerns about the impact on job-hunting activities. To address these issues, the University of Tokyo plans to prepare for the change by offering programs for the six-month period before enrollment and asking companies and government agencies to cooperate with students’ job-hunting activities. The University of Tokyo is also calling for the establishment of a council for discussion and asking other Japanese universities to introduce autumn admissions. It hopes that adoption by major universities will advance the discussion throughout Japan. Leading universities such as Waseda and Keio have already expressed a positive attitude toward establishing such a council. Incidentally, Waseda University has already introduced autumn admissions in some areas and appears likely to continue expanding them.
Now, I think there is no doubt that competition among the world’s top universities will become increasingly fierce. Top private universities in Europe and North America all charge high tuition, and they further invest their enormous donations and income, giving them tremendous wealth and abundant financial resources with which to secure excellent researchers and facilities. ※By contrast, Japanese universities operate on far smaller budgets, but their tuition and other fees are also kept low, making them universities that can be said to be open to everyone. Moreover, this change in the academic year may affect other systems in Japan as well. In Japan, the fiscal accounting year and the school year at all elementary, junior high, and high schools begin in April. The J.League football season also begins in March and continues through the summer. Areas like these may perhaps change in the future as well. More football players are also transferring overseas, and because Japan and other countries follow different annual schedules, it can be difficult to arrange strengthening matches against leading football nations. Furthermore, in summer, Europe and North America enter vacation season and can minimize working during the hottest period, whereas in Japan, although schools have summer holidays, society as a whole does not readily take time off. The need to take summer breaks, for reasons including conserving electricity, may therefore lead to changes in the annual calendar in the future.
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