Temporary Educational Conference And Development Of Japan Private Universities

Entering the late Meiji Reformation, the private higher education of Japan, via the development of nearly half of a century, had formed a considerate scale and strength. Influenced by the Centerism of state-run schools, its legal position as a university was delayed to be recognized, and thus, its further development was severely restricted, In 1917, in order to solve the long-term suspensive problem of school system and handle the political and ideological crisis after World War I, the temporary education conference was held by the government of Japan. The conference is the first higher standard educational considering insitution led by the prime minister directly under the cabinet and ratified by Mikado. The board of the institution is composed of walkers of all lines and adopts comparatively more democratic rules of procedure. In its long duration of one year and a half, the conference thoroughly examined the whole educational fields of Japan and formulated a series of policies on educational reform, which had a far-reaching influence on the development of the education in Japan. The problem of university education, as a special topic for discussion in the conference, was considered and a resolution on it was formed, which permitted the juridical person of financial group to establish private university. Meanwhile, the degree system, restricting the development of private unversity, was reformed. The resolutions of the temporary education conference broke the long-term ideological shackle of the Centerism of state-run schools, removed the policy restictions on the development of private university, and provided vast space for the fast development of private university, which was an important conference with epoch-making significance. In 1918, on the foundation of the resolutions, the government of Japan promulgated and other related laws, and thus, the legal position of private universtiy was ascertained. According to the requirements of DAIGAKUREI, the private special schools raised funds, strengthened the construction of universities, and the upgrade of university was realized. Till 1922, sixteen private special schools had upgraded to universities. After World Warâ…¡, the number of private universities increased to 39, which far exceeded the sum of state-run and public universities both in scale and quantity, and which laid a solid foundation for the further development of private universities of Japan. After the Meiji Reformation, the development of private education sped up the issue of policy on private university by the temporary education conference, and consequently, the reforms of policy on private universities severely promoted the development of private universities. The main reasons for the tremendous promotion of the development of private universities of Japan motivated by the temporary education conference are summarized as follows:First, the temporary education conference is taken seriously by the ruling group of Japan and is a policy considerating institution with the highest authoritativeness and standards. Second, it has advanced and rational organization system. Third, its considerating procedures are comparatively more democratic. Fourth, the success of the temporary education conference largely relys onOKADARYOUHEI, the minister of Culture in office at that time. The successful experience on how to solve the problems of private university by the temporary education conference can be adopted as fine reference for today's development of universities run by the local people in China.