Private universities which had difficult financial outlook to stop student admission and to disperse school incorporation- the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

経営難の私立大は募集停止や学校法人解散に 文科省

2018年7月31日 4時22分

経営が厳しい私立大学が増える中、文部科学省はこれらの大学に対し債務超過の危険性などが確認できた場合、学生の募集停止や学校法人の解散といった指導を行うと通知しました。

現在、全国におよそ600校ある私立大学は少子化の影響などで全体の４割が定員割れするなど、経営状況が厳しくなっています。このため、文部科学省はこれら私立大学に対してより踏み込んだ経営指導を行うことを通知しました。

具体的には、まず大学経営が３年連続で赤字となったり借入金が預貯金より多くなったりした場合、文部科学省の委員会が大学が提出した経営改善計画などをもとに３年間をめどに改善に向けた助言を行うとしています。

しかし、それでも経営が改善せず債務超過に陥る危険性が確認された場合は、学生の募集停止や学校法人の解散といった指導を行うとしています。

大学経営に詳しい東京大学大学総合教育研究センターの小林雅之教授は「私学助成金という税金が投入されている以上、国は指導や助言は行わなければならない。一方で、教育の問題は経営とは別で大学の自主性は尊重されるべきだ。文部科学省による画一的な指導は問題になるだけだ」と話しています。

Translation

As the number of private universities that had severe management problem was increasing, when the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology could confirm the danger of an excessive debt in these universities, it would give notification by providing directives such as the stopping of student recruitment, and the dismissal of school incorporation.

Due to the influence of a low birthrate, at present among the approximately 600 private universities in the whole country approximately 40% fell below the schools quota on the number students recruited, and the situation became severe for the management. For that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology would notify the management by giving out directives and to involve itself with such private universities.

In the case that a university management had started with a deficit for the first 3 years continuously in which a borrowing loan became substantially bigger than its deposit, then based on an improved management plan etc. submitted by this university, a committee of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology would supposedly give an advice to them to improve up to a period 3 more years.

But if the management still could not improve, and a danger of falling into an excessive debt was confirmed, it was supposed that a directive would be given to stop student recruitment and to dismiss the school incorporation.

Prof. Masayuki Kobayashi of the University of Tokyo’s consolidated university education research center who was conversant with university management said that “On top of the fact that private school grant were inputs from tax, a country has to do guidance and advice. On the one hand the educational problem is different from management, and the autonomy of a university should be respected. The wish of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to have a uniform guidance will exactly be the problem."

So, the Ministry of Education in Japan has a hard time in dealing with those private universities that have difficulties in continuing with their operations.