Japan colleges witness increased dropout rates amid COVID-19

Around 5,800 college students in Japan have either left school or temporarily discontinued their studies between April and December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japan government said on February 21.

In a survey conducted by Japan’s ministry of education in four-year universities, colleges, junior colleges, and technical colleges, it was reported that around 1,367 students left permanently while 4,434 students left on a temporary basis. Around 1,009 schools had participated in the survey.

An overall report states that around 28,647 students permanently discontinued schooling within eight months of the pandemic and as many as 65,670 students had left temporarily.

Reasons for the decline

Many officials are of the opinion that the decline is due to the coronavirus outbreak and the support mechanisms introduced during the pandemic.

Government initiatives

Most schools have extended the tuition payment deadlines for the second term with many reducing or waiving tuition fees for financially unstable students.

The government has also introduced a new national scholarship system in April 2020 for students from low-income households. As of December 2020, nearly 270,000 students have been granted scholarships through this scheme.