(Aug. 4, 2008) The Yomiuri Shimbun
So many universities, so few new students
私大定員割れ 合併・再編も視野に入れよ（8月4日付・読売社説）
The result of a recent survey conducted by an organization of private schools raises a question: Does Japan really need so many universities?
こんなに多くの大学が必要なのか。そう思わせるような結果である。
According to Promotion and Mutual Aid Corp. for Private Schools of Japan, a record 47.1 percent of four-year private universities in the country were under-enrolled this year.
日本私立学校振興・共済事業団が発表した今年度の私立大学入学者の動向で、全国の私大の４７％が定員割れを起こしたことが判明した。
Among 565 private universities surveyed, excluding schools that stopped accepting new students this academic year, as many as 266 schools were under-enrolled. Of the 266, 29 private universities had filled less than 50 percent of their enrollment goal.
募集停止などを除く５６５校のうち２６６校にも上る。定員の５０％未満だった私大も２９校ある。
The gross number of applicants increased slightly from last year. This is because some universities, mainly major private schools, now allow test-takers to apply to several different departments by writing a single exam, and some universities conducted their exams at more convenient local test sites.
延べ受験者数はわずかながら増えている。大手私大を中心に、１回の入試で複数の学部を受験できる制度や地方会場での入試を増やしたためだ。
Although large universities with enrollment capacity of 3,000 or more account for only 4 percent of the total, about half of all applicants wrote entrance exams for those schools.
定員３０００人以上の大規模校は全体の４％しかないが、受験者数の半分を集めた。
The survey shows a situation has developed in which private universities have become polarized into popular large universities in urban areas that attract many students and relatively small, regional schools.
人気が集中する都市部の大規模校と地方の小規模校の「二極化」が、一段と鮮明になった。
One of the reasons for this phenomenon may be that applicants increasingly aspire to attend state-run and other public universities. However, a major factor is that the number of universities has been increasing since standards for establishing universities were revised to be more flexible under a deregulation drive despite the declining birthrate.
国公立大志向が強まっていることもあろう。しかし、大きな要因は少子化にもかかわらず、規制緩和で大学設置基準が弾力化され、大学が増えている点にある。
aspire=熱望する、切望する
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Chasing shrinking demographic
（人口減少にどう対処すべきか）
The number of universities, including state-run and other public universities, rose to more than 750 from about 600 a decade ago although the population of 18-year-olds shrank by nearly 400,000 from about 1.6 million during the same period. While diverse universities and departments have been created, it is doubtful whether some of these institutions truly deserve to be called universities.
１８歳人口は１０年前の約１６０万人より４０万人近く減ったのに、大学は国公立も含め約６００校だったのが７５０校以上になった。多様な大学、学部が登場する一方、「大学」の名に値するのか疑わしいところもある。
shrank=shrink=縮む、縮小する、 diverse=多様の
Undoubtedly, the deregulation was initially intended to improve the quality of education by promoting competition through allowing new universities to enter the market. However, there are many universities that took the easy route to recruiting students by introducing interview- and essay-based tests, known as admission office exams, for example.
規制緩和は、新しい大学の参入によって競争を促し、教育の質を高めるのが狙いだったはずだ。だが、ＡＯ（アドミッション・オフィス）入試などで安易な入学者確保に走るところも少なくない。
The government's Central Education Council said in its proposal compiled in July, "Universities that cannot fulfill their mandate from society will inevitably fall by the wayside."
中央教育審議会は７月にまとめた答申案で、「社会の負託に応えられない大学は、淘汰を避けられない」との認識を示した。
mandate from society=社会の必要性、負託
The Council for University Establishment and School Incorporation, which screens the establishment of new universities should tighten preliminary checks on those schools. The Education, Science and Technology Ministry, for its part, needs to expand measures such as the creation of organizations that will accept students should their universities suffer financial collapse.
設置を認めるかどうか審査する大学設置・学校法人審議会は、事前チェックを厳格化すべきだ。文部科学省も、私大の破綻に備え、学生の受け皿など処理策を練っておく必要がある。
should their universities suffer financial collapse＝仮定法過去 （私大が破綻した場合に…）
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Schools face dire straits
（危機に瀕する学校）
Government subsidies to private universities are reduced according to the ratio of under-enrolled departments and even completely cut if the number of students enrolled is 50 percent of the capacity or less. Therefore, schools that fail to meet enrollment goals could face tougher management.
私大は学部ごとの定員割れの割合に応じて私学補助金を減額され、定員の５０％以下ならゼロになる。定員を満たせないと、経営は一層苦しくなる
。
The collapse of a private university hits its students hard. Private universities, although they have their own founding philosophy and management policy, must take bold action as soon as possible.
破綻すれば影響を受けるのは在学生だ。私学には建学理念や経営方針があるが、早めに思い切った対策を打ち出さねばならない。
One option they may take is to abolish unpopular departments and instead specialize in unique areas of study. Another possible measure is to reorganize departments into those that develop human resources wanted by local communities.
人気の低い学部は廃止し、特色のある学部に特化する。地域が求める人材の育成・輩出に絞った学部などに改組する。こうした措置が考えられよう。
State-run universities realigned before they were given corporate status and some private universities now appear to be moving toward mergers. Mergers and realignment are among the options that private universities can take. Either way, they need to make bold managerial decisions before they reach the point of collapse.
国立大学は法人化を前に再編が進み、私大でも一部に合併の動きが見られる。合併・再編も一つの手だ。破綻に追い込まれる前に、大胆な経営判断が必要である。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 4, 2008)
（2008年8月4日02時13分 読売新聞）
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