Society

COVID-19 pushes 1,300 Japanese university students to drop out

Mar 01 (Japan Times) - More than 1,300 students have dropped out of universities and other higher education facilities in Japan since April last year due to the impact of the novel coronavirus epidemic, according to the education ministry.

While seeking advice at consultation centers, some students said they cannot pay tuition and others expressed loneliness, as they couldn’t make friends through online classes.

As a result, experts are calling for support tailored to the situations of individual students.

A total of 1,367 students left public or private universities, junior colleges or other tertiary institutions from April to December last year, the ministry said.

Many of them cited economic difficulties, difficulty adapting to school and a loss of motivation to study as reasons for dropping out. About one-third of them quit school in their first year.

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