◆ Reporter of "Japanese Overseas Chinese Daily" Lu Yang
The gymnasium of Tokyo University of Social Welfare Isezaki Campus on April 5 was once again full of energetic freshmen. Representatives of the 2024 class of undergraduates, graduate schools, special courses, and distance education students from Tokyo University of Social Welfare gathered to welcome the opening ceremony of the sixth year of Reiwa.
The freshmen followed the video and reviewed the highlights of the Class of 2024 Graduation Ceremony held not long ago. Looking at the camera, the seniors who successfully graduated, dressed in traditional graduation dresses, received their graduation certificates from the principal with humility and gratitude, and the new juniors also felt the same joy and glory.
Last year's Dahe drama "What to Do with Ieyasu" once again brought the cultural perspective of the media back to that era of turbulence and heroes, and hit dramas have also become a hot topic for new students. Shiro Chaya, who was instrumental in the establishment of the Edo shogunate and brought stability and peace to Japan for more than 260 years, led fleets to visit Vietnam and other countries and regions, and the spirit of exploration that he represented was passed down through the generations at Shiro Chaya Memorial School and Tokyo University of Social Welfare.
Takeo Nagasura, chairman of the board of directors of the Chaya Shiro Jiro Memorial School Park, spoke first. This year, 1,790 undergraduate students entered Tokyo University of Social Welfare, and 382 new students entered graduate school, as well as new students who studied Japanese language courses and online classes. A total of 2,297 new students joined the Tokyo University of Social Welfare family. Mr. Takeo Nagasura, Chairman of the Board of Directors, introduced the faculty and teaching characteristics of the university, and wished the new students a happy and memorable four years of life at Tokyo University of Social Welfare.
In his speech, Nobuo Ota, President of Tokyo University of Social Welfare, said that in the past few years, when the pandemic has been plagued by the pandemic, both Japanese students studying in high schools in Japan and foreign students studying at language schools and vocational schools have experienced many difficulties that they had never imagined before. To this day, every student has made great efforts. Beyond the difficulties, but also beyond yourself.
Principal Nobuo Ota gave an example of what is the difference between high school and university. Entering the university stage, students need to cultivate the ability of spontaneous and independent learning, the ability of scientific research, and the ability to recognize, discover and solve problems. He encouraged students to make full use of the resources inside and outside the classroom, combine theory with practice, and use both hands and brains to enrich themselves. Principal Nobuo Ota also shared his experience and feelings of studying in the past, and encouraged the students to cherish their time and absorb more knowledge in the most energetic youth. President Nobuo Ota spoke warmly and candidly, drawing bursts of applause from the audience.
In their speeches, the freshman representatives from the Faculty of Social Welfare expressed their desire to take on challenges and become people who make sense to society.
Director of Planning Atsushi Hosokawa attended the opening ceremony of Tokyo University of Social Welfare Reiwa 6 as a special representative of the Mayor of Isesaki City, Yasuo Arm. A number of members of the Japanese House of Representatives, including Yuko Kobuchi, Toshiro Ino, Hiroyoshi Sasakawa, and Tatsuo Fukuda, as well as members of the Japanese House of Councillors, Mato Shimizu, and Koji Fujio, vice chairman of the Gunma Prefectural Assembly, sent representatives to attend the opening ceremony of Reiwa 6 of Tokyo University of Social Welfare. It was reported on local television.
After the opening ceremony, the faculty and staff of Tokyo University of Social Welfare answered questions and answered questions about their studies, life, scholarships, and career planning.
The fact that Tokyo University of Social Welfare has been able to maintain such an enrollment rate in an era when the problem of declining birthrates and the shortage of students is not unrelated to the university's up-to-date, sensitive and pragmatic professional setting, educational philosophy that focuses on stimulating and cultivating students' self-directed learning ability, and its attractive employment rate. Among the 2024 graduates of Tokyo University of Social Welfare, 25 have passed the Civil Service Qualification Examination, 46 have passed the Teacher Adoption Examination, 143 have passed the National Qualification Examination for Social Welfare Workers, 53 have passed the National Qualification Examination for Mental Health Welfare Workers, and 8 have passed the National Qualification Examination for Care and Welfare Workers.
The reporter randomly interviewed several new students studying abroad at the scene, and listened to the real voices on the trends and prospects of overseas study and employment.
Indeed, as some media have said, in recent years, there has been a significant change in the group of Chinese students studying abroad. There are fewer and fewer overseas students who used to spend a lot of money just to look good on their resumes, but there are many cases of planned and targeted study abroad. "In 2023, the employment rate of new graduates in Japan will reach 97%" and "In 2024, the average number of graduates in Tokyo will be 278 jobs for 100 graduates...... Japan's increasing efforts to attract talents, as well as Japan's ultra-high employment rate, have become the motivation for Chinese students to choose to study in Japan.
At the beginning of this year, "strengthening the supply of goods and services for the elderly, and vigorously developing the silver economy" was written into China's "Government Work Report". At the "two sessions" held not long ago, representatives from all walks of life spoke enthusiastically around the issue of pension, and the media also focused on the "silver economy", which conveyed a strong signal that artificial intelligence can easily replace low-skill and repetitive work today, the silver economy has become a new track to expand domestic demand, digest employment and stimulate consumption, and has great potential for development.