By Naonobu Nishimoto

　Japanese students usually depend on their parent's funds to go to college. Some, however, work their way through college without their parents' assistance by receiving a newspaper scholarship. Newspaper scholarship students board at a press agents' house, deliver papers, collect subscription fees, promote subscriptions, and so on. This system provides them with room and board and monthly salaries besides their school expenses, so they can study at colleges or other schools through their own hard work.

In reality, however, this system is not as simple as it sounds. In the Scholarship Associations' brochures and on web sites it is stressed that this system suits those who want to go to school without their parents' help or those who want to live their own lives earlier than those around them. It is closer to the truth if we say that this system is run by the combined interests of both the press agents who want to secure stable employment and students who cannot get a college education because of their parents' economical condition. In other words, the scholarship student system is not only a plan for newspaper companies to help students, but it is also a stable recruiting system for the newspaper companies, so scholarship students must work for the company's profit in return for the benefit they receive.

There are a variety of problems in the present newspaper scholarship student system: recruiting brochures do not always tell exact information on the amount of work, working hours or the treatment of students which sometimes differ greatly from each agent. The idea is to pay back the money borrowed from the scholarship association for their entrance fee or tuition, so it is rather difficult to retire from the scholarship plan before finishing the contracted term. There are other difficulties, especially for scholarship students. One problem is they cannot always take classes they like because they have to deliver papers after the third period of the school timetable, which ends around 2:30. This means that they have much trouble in accumulating credits.

It sounds like there are many obstacles and tough times waiting scholarship students, but it is a joy second to none when they get thanks from customers while on their routes or feel relieved after finishing delivery on rainy days or in snow storms. And at the times when they are not working, they are just the same as ordinary students and can hold their heads high. Many of them, however, quit the job because it is so tough or for other reasons. Most of those who quit the job cannot finish college.

Four years of college life is short and it seems that there are many who do not use the time meaningfully. Students usually consider how to use the time happily and usefully, but for newspaper scholarship students the main priorities are delivering papers and studying. Club activities come next, and enjoyment comes last.

But we can say that both students with or without part-time jobs are equally doing their best. Once they graduate from college both those who delivered newspapers and those who had a normal college life, will stand on the same starting line as members of society. It is the time when they are examined for the abilities they acquired during their college days. I hope newspaper scholarship students will continue their tough job and finish their college education and that they will do their best and that their efforts will be rewarded.