This spring, the proposal to shift the start of the school year to September instead of the current April to March format suddenly gained traction amid concerns about disruptions in school learning due to the new coronavirus outbreak.

The proposal lost momentum as it became clear that the change would entail many tough challenges.

But the government’s committee on the regeneration of education is now set to start fresh debate on the idea.

Education minister Koichi Hagiuda has stressed that the proposal should be discussed as a medium- to long-term issue without any rush to reach a decision. That is the correct approach to this matter.

Actually, this idea has been debated, off and on, at government advisory panels for more than three decades. Experts agree that a sweeping shift to a school year starting in September, from universities down to elementary schools, would put a massive strain on society.

That would require, for instance, sharp increases in the numbers of teachers and classrooms to deal with the swollen ranks of students in the transition year, when the school years for two different age groups would partially overlap.

These students would face stiffer competition for places in higher schools and companies.

The wholesale change would also have significant effects on the issue of children who have to wait to be admitted to day care centers and corporate recruitment efforts.

The additional financial burdens on the central and local governments and households would add up to several trillions of yen (several tens of billions of dollars), depending on the way the shift is implemented, according to one estimate.

This spring, a group of politicians scrambled to push for changing the academic year in 2021 amid great confusion over the public health emergency without paying enough attention to the challenges involved. The snafu should not be repeated.

We urge the committee to focus its discussions on universities for the time being. The panel should consider a gradual shift to a dual-path approach--autumn admissions in addition to spring enrollment--instead of a uniform switch all at once.

Proponents of autumn admissions often emphasize one specific advantage of adopting the same academic year as that used in most Western countries. That would make it easier for Japanese universities to accept foreign students and for Japanese students to start studying abroad.

But there would be more benefits.

There are at least 17 universities in Japan that offer two options for admission for Japanese students who have returned home after studying abroad and foreign exchange students as well as for general applicants, according to the Recurrent Education Network and Alternatives, a citizen group tracking the admission policies of universities in Japan.

The experiences of these universities indicate that many Japanese students take advantage of this approach as additional opportunities to take entrance exams.

Sophia University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts, for instance, attracts many Japanese high school graduates who take advantage of a second chance for admission after failing an exam for spring enrollment.

Exams for autumn admission to J.F. Oberlin University and Seigakuin University also draw students who have become disillusioned with other schools and corporate employees planning to quit their jobs to boost their academic achievements.

Offering early opportunities for such young people to adjust their academic plans has much significance.

For students, the biggest obstacle to opting for autumn enrollment is a half-year hiatus after graduation from high school. On the other hand, however, this system would give high school students dedicated to sports or certain other activities an extra six months for preparing for entrance exams after pursuing their activities until graduation.

Offering two options for admission would increase the burdens of universities related to entrance exams. But this approach would allow them to make more flexible responses to unexpected emergencies, such as the coronavirus crisis or natural disasters.

Greater diversity in the student profile would make universities more attractive. Japanese universities would benefit significantly from expanding their enrollment options through reasonable efforts.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 20