Students share experiences in activities calling for reduction of tuitions

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Students share experiences in activities calling for reduction of tuitions

About 180 university students, parents, teachers and staff on July 6 held a symposium at Tokyo University to share experiences in the struggle calling for cuts in tuitions and an increase in the government’s education budget.

Students from around the country spoke about their activities calling for reduction of Japan’s expensive tuition rates.

Tokyo Federation of Student Unions Chair Shibata Kazuhiro reported on a survey conducted by the “Zero-Tuition Net Tokyo.”

Among 1,235 students at 30 universities, about 40 percent of the respondents said that they are sorry for their parents, brothers or sisters to due the financial burdens they shoulder to help their family members study in the university. Four percent said they borrowed money or used non-bank consumer loans to enter the university, and 73 percent said they want their tuitions to be reduced.

A representative of the All Japan Medical Student Union said that it has found by holding a research that 70 percent of the respondents consider high tuitions costs as an obstacle to medical education.

A Shinshu University Graduate School student in the doctoral program said that students are having a hard time because the university provides only 100,000 yen a year as subsidy per professor. He added that professors use their personal budgets to send their students to present their research at academic meetings.

The chair of the Nihon Fukushi University Students Union in Aichi Prefecture said that it has sent to all parents of students copies of a booklet reporting on the situation of Japanese college tuition and activities on this matter, and a petition calling on the government to increase subsidies to private schools.

A representative of the Kyoto Federation of Student Unions said that the “Kyoto Zero-Tuition Net” visited political parties in June to let them know of the problems facing students due to high tuition costs. He said, “We want to make the real situation of students known and the calls for better educational conditions heard by the public. We will develop a movement in cooperation with students, parents, teachers, and staff.” - Akahata, July 8, 2008