僻地出身者における高等教育就学機会

－奄美群島内の一高校卒業生の事例から－

抄録

  When one is 18 years old, there is large difference of opportunity for higher education (university and college) between social classes or regions. From the point of ‘real equality of educational opportunity’, it is important that we make an effort to correct the differences in life-long learning. I surveyed the learning activity since adulthood of people who are born in remote places. They aren't blessed with opportunities for higher education when they graduate from high school. In this survey, I tried to clarify 1) how many have been to university or college since adulthood, 2) how many have aspirations to do so, and 3) who are such people. The sample of this survey consists of, 450 people born in Amami island in Kagoshima prefecture.

  As a result, it is found that nearly half of them have developed aspirations to go to university since adulthood. A very few of them have actually realized these aspirations, but the others could not. At present, many of them have returned to the island and live there with aspirations that have not been satisfied yet. The profile of them and their motives for higher education are characteristic of the life course of people born in remote islands and the socio-economic conditions of remote regions.