THE TWO TYPES OF HIGHER TECHNICAL SCHOOLS. Higher technical education in Japan is provided by engineering colleges forming departments of universities, and by special technical schools. The term "special" in this relation is officially applied to the type of school higher than the secondary and not quite up to the university grade. In view, however, of the unique position occupied by these schools in the educational classification, it is desirable, perhaps, to show their relation to both secondary and higher education by actual comparison. In regard to admission requirements, the special technical schools stand lower than the corresponding university colleges. To be admitted to a special technical school, the secondary school certificate and a rather exacting examination are all that is required. But a student can not be admitted directly from a secondary school to a university college; he must first pass through a three-year preparatory course corresponding to the first two years of a standard university. The university course following this is of three years' duration, with the exception of the departments of medicine and law, which have a four-year course. The university course corresponds to the last two years of the American college course, with some extensions which, however, do not raise it to the plane of American graduate courses. Special provision is made for the graduate studies in the Japanese universities by the maintenance of Daigakuin, or University Halls, equipped with all facilities for research work and postgraduate studies. These postgraduate studies often are extended over five years. It may be observed that the whole period of primary, secondary, and higher education, of which the final sanction is a university degree, is considerably longer in the Japanese than in any other educational system. This is explained by the difficulties encountered by the Japanese students in their language study; in order to follow the higher studies they must master at least one European language, which is necessarily the medium of modern scientific instruction. It is evident that the acqusition of foreign languages is much more difficult to a Japanese boy than to an American boy, the principles of etymology and syntax of European languages being utterly strange to the Japanese mind. In relation to the university course in engineering, the course of the special technical schools may be regarded as abbreviated. The object of the latter, as stated officially, is to "give those intending to engage in agricultural, technical, and commercial pursuits a more advanced knowledge of arts and sciences." In accordance with this purpose, the instruction has more practical character, with emphasis on manual training. The departments are numerous and corre spond to as many different practical careers. Aside from the agricultural and commercial schools, which do not enter into this consideration, the technical schools have the following departments: Dying, weaving, ceramics, applied chemistry, mechanics, electrical mechanics, electrical chemistry, electricity, marine engineering, naval architecture, naval engineering, architecture, civil engineering, mining, metallurgy, designing, and brewing. There is a growing tendency to raise the level of the special technical schools to the university rank. The establishment of the Port Arthur Technical School, with four-year courses in all departments, may be regarded as a step in that direction. ADMINISTRATION. Both the universities and the special technical schools are under the direct control of the department of education; attached to the department is the higher educational council, in which, among other high officials, are heads of all higher educational institutions, and officers in charge of primary and secondary education. The council is an advisory body, but its opinions often have decisive importance. Locally educational matters are controlled by prefects, or governors, of 47 administrative districts called prefectures. Universities. The internal administration of the imperial universities is based on the imperial ordinance of 1886. At the head of the university stands the director, who controls all affairs of his university and is responsible for the enforcement of discipline. He presides over the university council, composed of directors of all the colleges and one professor from each college. The council's jurisdiction affects the following matters: Courses of study, questions concerning the chairs in the university, granting of degrees, giving opinion on questions submitted by the minister of education or by the president of the university. Directors of the individual colleges exercise general supervision over everything connected with the instruction in their respective colleges. Each college holds faculty meetings attended by all the professors of the college. The faculty meetings deliberate upon curricula of studies, examinations of students, qualifications of candidates for degrees, and questions presented by the minister of education or by the president of the university. Special technical schools. The organization of the special, or higher, technical schools, resembles that of secondary schools. The professors take no part in the administration of the school. The director, who is the head of the school, is appointed by the Emperor and is intrusted with the entire internal administration, including supervision of the work of professors and instructors. He is responsible directly to the minister of education. There is also an advisory body at the head of each higher technical school, called board of councilors. The board of councilors consists of the following members: Higher officials of the department of education...... Higher officials of the department of agriculture and commerce. 2 2 3 to 7 The board of councilors discusses the questions connected with subjects of study, the courses of instruction, the regulations, and such other important matters as the director may deem it necessary to submit to its consideration. The decisions of the board on special questions submitted to it are reported by the director to the minister of education. PECULIAR FEATURES OF UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS OF ENGINEERING. Preparatory courses.-Admission to university colleges is conditioned by the completion of a preparatory course of three years. These courses are provided by the higher schools (Koto Gakko), usually connected with universities. They are divided into three sections, corresponding to the rough division of higher university courses, and the students on entering the preparatory school must at once decide about their future college studies. There is a course provided for those intending later to enter the college of law or the college of literature; another course is offered for those who intend to study engineering, science, agriculture, or pharmacy in the university course; and the third division is provided for aspirants to the medical college. The division preparatory to the college of engineering has the following courses of instruction: Courses preparatory to the college of engineering. Theoretically, the completion of the preparatory course admits to the university course, but owing to great numbers of candidates, there has been established a rather complex system of selection based on competitive examination and numerous other considerations. For admission to special technical schools the following conditions are required (besides the usual proof of secondary education): 1. The candidate must possess good character and sound constitution. 2. He must have a firm resolve to pursue in future an industrial career. 3. He must pass the prescribed entrance examination or fulfill the conditions upon which admission is granted without examination. The examination is based on the last year's work of the middle school and includes English, mathematics, physics and chemistry, and drawing, both free-hand and instrumental. Graduates of middle schools who have achieved eminent success in studies are admitted without examination. Postgraduate study and degrees.-University graduates who wish to obtain a degree must pass through a course of postgraduate studies in the university hall. Graduation itself conveys the right to the name gakushi and carries with it certain privileges relating to civil service, but does not impart a real academic degree. The degree equivalent to doctor or master is called hakushi and is used with different prefixes, according to the branch of science to which it refers. Thus, igaku hakushi means doctor of medicine; hōgaku hakushi, doctor of laws; kōgaku hakushi, doctor of engineering, etc. Postgraduate studies are open not only to university graduates, but also to graduates of other higher institutions, who pass special examinations arranged separately for each individual case. Postgraduate work consists of scientific research whose subject is selected by the student and approved by the faculty of the respective department. A graduate student may also follow a series of lectures in one or several of the university colleges, according to the requirements of his special aim. If his research involves travel with scientific purposes, the administration of the university may supply him with necessary funds. At the end of each year the students must report on the progress of their work. After two years a thesis must be submitted. In addition to this the faculty may find it desirable to examine the student in certain subjects before he is granted a degree. The period of postgraduate study may be prolonged to five years. A number of research scholarships are provided for graduates recognized as deserving by the university council. FINANCES. All the imperial universities, as well as all the special technical schools, are State-maintained. The Government appropriations for universities are regulated by the law of 1907. This law fixes the annual appropriation for the University of Tokyo at yen 1,380,000, for the University of Kyoto at yen 840,000; the other two universities receive varied annual grants, according to their budgets. No figures |