The Merits and Demerits of Todai Risan: Questioning 'Education' in the Age of AI

—A Series Re-examining the Essence of Education: Part 1—

▪️Why talk about 'Todai Risan' now?

Even if there are people who have never climbed Mount Fuji, everyone knows about it.

Todai Risan is similar to this.
Only about 100 people pass the entrance exam each year.

However, much like the popular manga 'Dragon Zakura,' there is hardly anyone involved in entrance exams who does not know the name Risan.

To begin with, Todai Risan is an abbreviation for the 'University of Tokyo, College of Arts and Sciences, Natural Sciences III,' and it is known as a place where the greatest minds gather.

The book 'Todai Risan: Messages from Geniuses,' a collection of interviews with successful Risan applicants, has been a long-seller for over 40 years since its first publication in 1985.

I myself have appeared in it three times: once for my own account of passing the exam, once for an account by a student I taught, and once in the messages from seniors section.

These certainly present information about Todai Risan to society.

However, as they are accounts of passing the exam, they inevitably focus on 'the path to getting into Risan,' and information about 'life after entering Risan' is lacking.

In order to discuss 'education' more deeply, information about the 'afterward' of those who have gone through Risan is equally important.

In these times when AI is on the rise, we cannot avoid the question, 'What is it that cannot be replaced by AI?'

This means that a 'redefinition of education'—what education should be from now on—is necessary.

In this context, I believe that correctly re-perceiving 'Todai Risan,' which is a symbol of 'education as it has been,' is meaningful for both individuals and society as a whole.

▪️Relativizing Todai Risan

However, I feel that information regarding 'Todai Risan' is surprisingly misunderstood by the general public.

People who are not involved might comment, 'Once you become a doctor, it's the same whether you went to Todai Risan or another university.'

Even in general books, the content is often overly simplified for the sake of the market (general readers).

Or, teachers at preparatory schools or cram schools might encourage students to aim for 'Todai Risan' for the sake of their school's track record, rather than the student's own aptitude.

Is the information obtained from such backgrounds truly the 'essence'?
Rather, the question arises as to whether this might be misleading for those who are deeply concerned about 'updating the state of education' in the AI era.

As an alumnus of UTokyo Science III, I love my alma mater.
However, at the same time, I also recognize its limitations.

Not as an idol created by someone somewhere.
But with information about UTokyo Science III as a life-sized, real image.

I want each of you to interpret and digest this information in your own way and apply it to your own education.

I want it to be that kind of 'fair world'.

UTokyo Science III is a symbol, but it is by no means absolute.
Keio has its own merits, and Jikei has its own merits.

The same applies to other universities.

I believe that in order to respect the 'uniqueness' of each, we need to relativize 'UTokyo Science III' as a symbol.

▪️The true value of education is understood later

In the first place, UTokyo Science III is just a passing point.
Considering the life that follows,

・Career formation as a doctor
・Economic benefits
・A happy spouse and family
and many other elements exist that are on a different axis from deviation scores.

Being at UTokyo Science III gives you the right to stand in the batter's box. However, whether you can hit a hit or a home run in that at-bat is another story.

In this sense, the significance of being in Science III is certainly limited.
Then, if you ask if there is no meaning to Science III, that is also an extreme argument.

Let me tell you a little personal story.

When I was five years old, I used to read Kenji Miyazawa's 'Ame ni mo Makezu' aloud.
Of course, I didn't understand the meaning at the time.
I was just reciting it.

—Then, 32 years later.
On my 37th birthday, I had the opportunity to visit the Kenji Miyazawa Memorial Museum.
At that time, I was in a period where I was continuing to search for the meaning of life.

Just as I was thinking about how to spend the coming year, I learned that Kenji Miyazawa died at the age of 37.
And, according to Kenji Miyazawa's younger brother, the 'Ame ni mo Makezu' that I used to recite was:

'That is not a posthumous work. It is a song of prayer from Ken-san, who wanted to live more.'
I was shocked by that comment.

Each day of my future is time that Kenji Miyazawa wanted to live so badly.
The recitation from when I was five years old, after 32 years, overwhelmed me.

It is one of my original experiences.
The true value of education is not so shallow that it can be fully understood at that time, in that moment.

I believe that the true meaning of being in Science III is something that can only be understood after experiencing the 'after' of Science III.

That is, surely.
I believe it is the same for all of you.

▪️Entrance exams are a 'world with answers'—the prelude to society

Let us reconsider what university entrance exams are once again.

Entrance exams are, no matter how far you go, a matter of a 'world with explicit answers'.
There is a model answer, and it does not change even after many years.

Also, from another perspective.
In fact, the examiners who create the problems are under overwhelmingly greater constraints than the students who solve them.

Let us consider the position of actually creating entrance exam questions.
It is necessary to accurately measure the academic ability of students in a test held once a year.
And that, while adhering to the guidelines of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

The number of examinees is estimated to be 670,000.
As long as you are dealing with this many people, the results will inevitably lead to statistics.

If it is a good problem, the performance of 670,000 people will be beautifully distributed.
If it is a bad problem, the performance of 670,000 people will be distorted and biased.

In other words, for the side setting the questions, it can be said that their own 'problem-setting ability = the ability to assess the market of students' is being judged.

If you set questions randomly like a thrill-seeker, your evaluation from peers will decline.
Ultimately, you may be judged as not having the ability suitable for an examiner, and there is even a possibility that your future treatment will deteriorate.

Looking at it this way, I think you can understand that tremendous constraints are imposed on entrance exam questions.

After all, entrance exam questions are nothing more than a matter of a 'world with answers'.
That alone does not guarantee success in society, which is a 'world without answers'.

Isn't bridging this gap also a role originally expected of education?

In entrance exams, the 'quality of the solution,' which competes for problem-solving ability, was important.
In society, the 'quality of the question,' which competes for problem-setting ability, is what is truly important.

In business terms, it is the difference between 'strategic thinking' and 'issue-based thinking'.

Where in this Japan does the entity exist that consciously and actively questions this gear shift?

▪️Redefining the essence of education

I believe that such relativization of Todai Risan ultimately boils down to the question, 'What is the essence of education?'

If I were to state my own answer, I believe it is the 'reliving of inspiration'.

Whether it is classroom learning, sports, or art.
Conversely, it also means that 'education without inspiration is not essential'.

Whether or not that education has value should be measured not by whether the curriculum was completed, but by whether it inspired emotion.

As a result, that leads to academic improvement and passing exams.
I believe that is the kind of education that is truly good.

'How to teach' is more important than 'what to teach'.
I believe this is the essence that cannot be replaced by AI.

That is all for this article.
In future installments, I will continue to deliver content exploring the essence of education, using 'UTokyo Science III' as a subject.

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Ginza i-GLAD Clinic
Director Masato Inui