The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has set up a meeting of experts and started discussions on countermeasures while private universities are suffering from financial difficulties due to the lack of student capacity. A report will be compiled in March 18 with the intention of discussing the consolidation and abolition of private universities and measures to promote cooperation, ahead of the "university 2018 problem" in which the 2017-year-old population will begin to decline.
The Council of Experts will be held about once a month in the future to sort out problems related to private universities, give a certain view on what private universities should be, and exchange opinions on specific countermeasures.
According to the Ministry of Education, the 18-year-old population in Japan has continued to decline due to the declining birthrate, reaching 2014 million in 118.Although it has been flat for a while now, it is expected to start decreasing again from 2018.
Private universities have already become over-competitive, with 2015% under capacity in FY43.2.Aichi Shinshiro Otani University in Shinshiro City, Aichi Prefecture, and Ritsushidate University in Saka Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, were forced to close schools, merge with absorption, and abolish campuses one after another.In particular, at local private universities in Hokkaido, Tohoku, and Chugoku-Shikoku, where the population is declining significantly, the number of students is becoming less than normal, and the deterioration of management is becoming more serious.
A total of seven schools, including Yamaguchi Tokyo Science University in Sanyo Onoda City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Kochi University of Technology in Kami City, Kochi Prefecture, have relaunched as public universities after seeking help from local governments due to financial difficulties.Asahikawa University in Asahikawa City, Hokkaido, has become more vulnerable to the decrease in enrollment and is requesting Asahikawa City to become public in February.
However, if the population continues to decline in the future, it is believed that it will not be possible to maintain management simply by serving as a recipient for local students.Some expect this effect to spread to local national and public universities.
