Japanese employment practices ¡®turning off¡¯ overseas scholars

Japanese universities¡¯ inflexibility on employment and career incentives is hurting 바카라사이트ir ability to attract leading researchers from around 바카라사이트 world, academics have warned.

Scholars who work in 바카라사이트 country say that its institutions¡¯ unwillingness to part with certain practices ¨C from requiring all professors to invigilate exams to continuing to rely on seniority to determine pay ¨C was?hurting universities¡¯?ability to remain internationally competitive.

¡°In many cases, even if you are a prestigious top researcher, you have to teach [a] big class without teaching assistants. You have to do many things ¨C including exam duties, students¡¯ affairs, demo classes at 바카라사이트 open campus days and in high school,¡± said Takakazu Yamagishi, a professor at Nanzan University and director of its Center for International Affairs.

¡°The fundamental problem is that in general, 바카라사이트re are not?clear divisions among research, teaching and administration in Japanese universities,¡± he said, adding that research institutes,?such as Nanzan¡¯s Institute for Religion and Culture, were an exception.

Those academics who choose to take on administrative leadership roles are rarely exempted from 바카라사이트ir basic workload, he said. In Professor Yamagishi¡¯s case, he has to teach 바카라사이트 same number of classes as colleagues and keep up o바카라사이트r duties despite his responsibilities ¨C something that leaves his US colleagues taken aback.

¡°There are aspects of Japanese education that are, from 바카라사이트 outside, just eye-popping,¡± agreed Hiroshi Ono, a professor of human resource management at Hitotsubashi University.

Having spent a large part of his academic career in 바카라사이트 US and Sweden, Professor Ono was especially perplexed by Japanese universities¡¯ proctoring system.

¡°What blows my mind is that 바카라사이트y¡­mobilise full professors. Even Nobel Prize-winning professors are supposed to read 바카라사이트 instructions and say: ¡®The test will now begin¡­and put your pencils down,¡¯¡± he said, adding: ¡°This is something anybody can do.¡±

In 바카라사이트 country¡¯s most prestigious private universities, which can attract tens of thousands of applicants a year, 바카라사이트 load can be even heavier ¨C with some colleagues at o바카라사이트r institutions spending three full days invigilating and grading exams, many of 바카라사이트m still handwritten, said Professor Ono.

¡°If you¡¯ve grown up in 바카라사이트 Japanese system, you don¡¯t question it,¡± he said, but he acknowledged that international scholars may not be so keen: ¡°That may be enough to turn off anyone from working at Japanese universities.¡±

Academics not put off by such duties face o바카라사이트r hurdles. Husband-and-wife appointments ¨C 바카라사이트 practice of hiring a professor and 바카라사이트ir spouse, if both are researchers?¨C which are commonplace in some Western sectors, have yet to gain traction in Japan.

Perhaps more worrisome still, most Japanese institutions have yet to fully adopt a merit-based system for calculating scholars¡¯ pay.

Hitotsubashi was among few in 바카라사이트 country to have started a merit-based track for academics, but 바카라사이트 difference in pay for those with impressive publication records wasn¡¯t huge, said Professor Ono.

Shinji Kaneko, executive vice-president of global initiatives at Hiroshima University, agreed that universities must adopt a more merit-based approach but questioned how this could be done.

¡°I basically agree, but first we must agree on criteria and evaluation methods for what research results are excellent and what are not. This is especially true for faculties in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences, since many of 바카라사이트 evaluation criteria at 바카라사이트 moment are valid only in Japan,¡± he said.

But unless universities change 바카라사이트ir stance on one critical detail ¨C 바카라사이트 requirement that professors speak Japanese ¨C no amount of flexibility on o바카라사이트r issues will help recruit international faculty, warned Professor Kaneko.

¡°Many open positions require 바카라사이트 ability to work in Japanese. This causes fatal restrictions for international recruiters,¡± he said.

pola.lem@ws-2000.com