Read an interesting article on Times magazine today that confirms some theories that I had long suspected. It is titled, "Class Dismissed" which talks about the current state of Japan's universities.. You can read it up here - Class Dismissed .
Being in one of the famous and prestigious private university in Japan currently myself, I couldn't help but agree to what the author has pointed out in the article. Truth be told that I am biased and I have a pre-set impression of how post-grad students and university professors should carry themselves, I was quite disappointed when I got into my Masters program. Maybe I have been in the "real" world for too long that I didn't know what to expect from the academic world... but if an university or graduate school actively takes in foreign students who can't speak Japanese and yet barely half of their professors can speak simple understandable English, then we really do have a problem..
In this world that is getting more globalised by the minute, English, is undeniably still the lingua franca, no matter what the Chinese/French/whomever might say. 20-30 years ago, Japan has the technological/innovative/creative edge and market size to dictate that anyone who wants to do business/work/study in Japan speaks Japanese. Yes, Japanese is still one of the most value-added language in the world, taking into consideration the economic powers of Japan corporations, but with its plummeting birthrates and stagnant economy, Japan has to start embracing the world and not the other way round. Nowadays, given a choice, I think most foreigners would rather learn Chinese than Japanese language, seeing how China has grown in the last 10 years and will continue to grow in years to come.. and yet, Chinese doesn't rest on its laurels.. No, there are thousands and maybe millions of Chinese learning and hoping to master new language(s) so that they could GO OUT to the world instead of waiting for the world to COME to them..
If there are more universities than students, then how could the universities ensure the students they admitted really do meet the standard?? Maybe I am in a private, more arts and social sciences focused university that could explain why I don't feel the sense of urgency or seriousness towards their studies from the Japanese students in general. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe I have gotten the wrong idea/impression, but compared to my experience 14 years ago, I think NUS students then were far more serious about their studies and their future than those in my current university.. The guys here seem to be more interested in having parties and chasing girls, while the girls are busy dolling themselves up to catch a boyfriend or two.. No doubt that there are those who take their studies seriously, but I think those are in the minorities here.. Maybe these people party hard and study hard too, who am I to say otherwise..
Also, what is the point of giving scholarships to other countries' civil servants?? The government should give scholarships to their own civil servants to go to other countries instead!! Talking from my perspective of my graduate school, there are so many government servants from developing countries on scholarships here that makes me wonder what is the hidden benefits in doing so??? Most, if not all of these government scholars can't speak Japanese and do not have the motivation to learn Japanese, because they will go back to their own countries and continue their career as a civil servant. So unless they are somebody (with real power) in their department or ministry who could authorize trade agreements or formulate Japan-friendly laws, what benefits do they bring to Japan?? Pardon me for saying this but so far, I have yet to meet a civil servant who is serious about his/her studies.. Majority of them just treated the 2 or 3 years in Japan as their R&R period.. that is the feeling I am getting.. which could be, again, wrong... Maybe I am just puzzled and/or too thick to get the reason behind this...
Anyway, since I am here I will make the best out of the situation. I might be losing touch with the technical aspects of IT, but I will try to make up for it by doing subjects that I have never done before, like finance and economics. Because seriously, how can a IT manager/director/CIO not know anything about corporate finance, right?? So this semester, I will be taking 3 finance or economics related subjects from 2 Professors who are well-known to be no-nonsense and very demanding of their students. School is barely 1 day old and already I have 4 books to read as assignments!! But I am not complaining.. at least I know I will learn something useful for the REAL world... :) So I have decided to drop 3 Japanese classes this semester and just take 2 Japanese grammar classes.. I will make up for it the next 2 semesters..
1 comment:
Welcome to the Japanese Education world. I am a Malaysian, did 7 years of education in Japan more than 20 years ago, on scholarship and returned with Bachelor & Masters degree. If education is just academic that you are seeking, then Japan is the wrong place to come to. What did I learn ? The language ( definitely, nowhere else you can learn Japanese this fast ), the admirable work ethics, and the beautiful seasons in the country, also mean food, scenery, onsen, etc. If you don't learn the language where you are now, you are losing the biggest opportunity there. Some post-grads I knew spent 2 years and got by without using much of the language in their day-to-day life .. and not learning much about Econs/Fin whatnots either. Just a memorable time. So, take my advice...learn the language well, and later in your career, the Japs you deal with would warm up to you faster than signing the deal.
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