OSAKA, Mar 11 (News On Japan) –
Osaka’s coverage of tuition-free highschool training, which was applied forward of the nationwide authorities, seems to be shifting scholar choice towards personal colleges. This development has led to a rising variety of public excessive colleges failing to fulfill their enrollment quotas.
The newest admissions information, launched final Friday by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education, revealed that 65 out of 128 full-time public excessive colleges fell beneath their enrollment capability. Among them was Nekawa High School, a prestigious establishment with over 110 years of historical past. The faculty, which has historically maintained excessive utility numbers, noticed its admissions ratio drop beneath 1.0 for the primary time—an unprecedented growth.
Nekawa High School had just lately elevated its capability by 40 college students as a result of sustained excessive demand in earlier years. However, the shift towards personal colleges, accelerated by the tuition-free coverage, could have contributed to the sudden drop in candidates. According to the prefectural board, extra college students at the moment are choosing personal establishments, and public colleges want to boost their enchantment to stay aggressive.
Osaka started phasing in its tuition-free coverage within the 2024 educational 12 months to ease monetary burdens on households. While this initiative has made personal training extra accessible, it has additionally accelerated the decline in public faculty enrollments.
In the newest admissions cycle, the general variety of candidates for public excessive colleges dropped considerably in comparison with the earlier 12 months. While enrollment quotas have been diminished by 1,539 college students for 2025, the variety of candidates declined by a fair higher margin—2,376 college students—leading to a median utility ratio of 1.02, the bottom on file and approaching the brink of falling beneath full capability.
Notably, even high-achieving public colleges weren’t spared from this development. Nekawa High School recorded an utility ratio of simply 0.95, whereas Yao High School (based over 120 years in the past) noticed its ratio drop to 0.99. In Sakai City, Daiei High School recorded a ratio of 0.9, marking its second consecutive 12 months beneath full enrollment.
The declining enrollment development is especially regarding as a result of Osaka Prefecture’s training coverage mandates that colleges failing to fulfill full capability for 3 consecutive years could face restructuring or closure. This coverage has already led to the scheduled closure of Izumitoritori High School in Hannan City as a result of persistent under-enrollment.
Many faculty directors acknowledge that the tuition-free coverage has considerably impacted public faculty enrollment. One principal remarked: “We are making efforts to improve academic performance, but we may not be promoting our strengths effectively. The aging school buildings also make it difficult to showcase our advantages.” Another principal famous: “This is the first time we’ve fallen below full enrollment. Nearby public schools are also struggling. Private schools have more resources to invest in facilities, and that disparity is becoming more evident.”
Officials from the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education acknowledge the challenges public colleges face in attracting college students. “With both a declining birthrate and tuition-free private education, more students are choosing private schools. We need to find better ways to communicate the strengths of public high schools,” an official acknowledged.
Education consultants argue that the competitors between private and non-private colleges is basically unbalanced. “Private schools have more financial flexibility to invest in facilities and hire top teachers, whereas public schools operate under strict budget constraints and centralized staffing policies,” one commentator defined.
Some are calling for Osaka Prefecture to reinvest its freed-up funds into public training. “Now that the national government has implemented tuition-free policies, Osaka’s independent funding for the program—approximately 2.4 billion yen annually—could be redirected to improve public schools. If both private and public schools had the same financial backing, students could make their choices based on education quality rather than cost,” an professional recommended.
With the bottom public highschool enrollment ratio in Osaka’s historical past, the mixed results of demographic decline and tuition-free training are reshaping the area’s training panorama. Whether Osaka’s public colleges can adapt to this shift stays an open query.
Source: ABCTVnews