Sea of Youth (Seinen no umi / 年の海)

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University Correspondence Education. Open University

Faster!

Brighter!

In time!

All together!

Piano! Crescendo!

Kuribayashi Toyohiko, bureaucrat, Hosei, economics.

Hideko Kobayashi, waitress, Keio University, history.

Yasuaki Tateishi, cram school teacher, Keio, economics.

Makoto Yamane, steel worker, Keio, literature.

Four Open University students.

This is no time to be silent.

It's time to speak up.

Reform begins today.

We'll speak up for our side.

It's not very literary.

"Ivory tower" is literary.

We shouldn't make an ivory tower.

Are you a young literary man?

10 years late.

"Yu"? Write "Yu"?

Let's write big.

I just want you to write "yu".

SEA OF YOUTH

4 Open University Students.

Working students, in order to understand enough...

The opportunity for working people

to do university

correspondence courses came in 1947.

This was still the postwar period of privation.

In 1950, 5 private universities opened.

Now nearly 20 years later,

there are 60,000 students in 10 universities nationwide.

Night school is not effective.

Open University contributes little

to university funds.

The main reason I decided to study history is

to understand the truth about the past.

By tying together past, present, and future,

we can imagine what the future will be like.

Because I think we must know

what to do in the future,

I decided to specialize in history.

Also, I wanted to learn about the Japanese

because I am Japanese.

Me too. I wasn't worried about qualifications.

I wanted to study literature.

So I did 4-year Open University course.

Then I wanted to specialize in my field.

So I chose this course.

But now I'm a hairdresser,

to beautify heads.

We must attend summer courses in person.

I often can't attend because of my work.

I entered in the 17th year of the course,

now after 3 years I'm here.

I live in a rural area where August,

O-bon season, is the busiest time.

Now we aren't busy anymore.

I had to think of the temple when I started.

I have to deal with the parishioners at home.

I felt some conflict with them.

I'd been thinking about it anyway, but finally

I talked with the parishioners,

I couldn't admit my ignorance to them.

When I thought about it

I realized that I lacked knowledge

and experience in life.

So, I decided that Open University, OU,

would be the best thing.

1965 Open University Summer Course.

Like full time students, they need 124 credits.

30 of those must be taken at the university.

The time spent on campus

is a requirement for graduation.

I liked the idea of having to do everything myself.

Having to read the textbooks

and study myself until I understand,

gives me real motivation in my studies.

Then there are many difficulties,

and you must rely on your own strength

to overcome them.

So you want to meet the challenge.

I make bags at home.

I have a business

producing and selling bags,

so I can't take much time off and it's difficult.

Last year during summer term,

I heard talk of forming a student council.

Has it been formed?

Students are expected to either play or study.

I thought I'd like to try proper study.

I found real pleasure in studying.

I'm still young, I'd like to have a girlfriend too.

How is everyone?

We're now entering the 2nd half of the studies.

Take care of your health and study hard.

But leave some time for yourselves too!

You have a job and you want to study.

Your job is important, and so are your studies,

so you must develop a technique to do well.

"Technique" may be a strange word.

The trouble with a correspondence course is

you don't make friends.

When I first went to

the summer term at Keio

I had the feeling

it was really my university.

Open University Reforms.

An important aim of government education policy

is promoting Open University.

We're students of Keio and Hosei Universities.

We've formed a committee to stop the reforms.

Please sign.

We can succeed if many people sign.

Mid-August, 1965.

A number of students discovered the reform plans.

Surprised and angry, they wished to inform others,

They went in front of everyone and told them,

unorganized and completely defenseless,

but with sincerity.

We were captivated by their dedication.

I just happened to receive a leaflet.

I thought we had to attend 4 summer courses

but now it might be extended to 5.

This sort of thing really discourage us.

I work at the Oita Prefectural Office.

Some people might take 5 years.

That's individual pace.

But the system shouldn't demand 5 years.

But summer term study is the core

of the OU system.

I think it's really necessary, but

4 times is hard enough for working students.

When it extends to over 5 times...

Even now there are many drop-outs.

More drop-outs could destroy the whole system.

So this is "regression," not "reform."

This if the first I've heard of it.

I'm completely against the 5 year system.

The students believe that if we all pull together,

they can defeat the reforms.

They hope to gather strength as soon as possible.

Yamane, Tateishi, Kuribayashi, Kobayashi,

This was when we first met these 4 students.

At first studying is hard because you're alone.

You can't make friends at work,

and you don't know how to study.

There are reports and exams to worry about.

That's why so many drop out in the 1st year.

You need free time for your studies,

and it costs money.

But one credit.

How can I stay and finish?

You just have to stick it out.

You must pursue it right to the end.

But many quit before that.

If I work at the same school, I want a degree.

I should finish this year,

but I have a family,

I'm teaching the top year

and I'm getting older.

This dilemma really caused suffering.

To study you must find time,

then work very hard.

I only get 5 hours of sleep.

Otherwise I can't do it.

That's why people drop out.

From the beginning, OU students

resign themselves to being alone.

They think there is no other way.

We, who unearthed the problems,

began to act at once.

An organization exists for these problems

but we realized it wasn't functioning.

We are trying hard to create

a common space

where all students can meet.

Our efforts can strengthen the organization.

I think it's possible to grow strong.

When you go back home,

explain in detail the reason for the signatures.

Please try to meet and talk to people.

By discussing everyone's problems,

the organization will be improved.

From that point of view I'm optimistic.

The notice has been out since yesterday.

Today at 4 there will be a forum on our problems

in Room #112.

And in that forum

we'll discuss materials on

the problems of the reform proposals.

We're going to distribute them now.

Please attend the meeting

and make the discussion lively.

We're distributing the discussion materials.

Be sure to look them over.

In fact they grasp human needs.

They grasp them properly.