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Coating treatment is a part of surface treatment, which is my field of expertise. This involves coating substrate materials, such as metals, with extremely thin surface layers of nitrides, oxides, etc., to enhance the functionality of the material or impart new functions while maintaining the original functions of the substrate material. Naturally, if the coating layer peels off, those functions are lost.

Now, the environment surrounding universities has changed drastically over the last 20 years, and especially in the last few years. One of those changes is the shift in the trends of incoming students. Around me, working at a regional national university, I feel that there are increasing concerns about the decline in the basic academic abilities of incoming students.

There are various reasons why the trends of incoming students have changed. The biggest reason is likely the declining birthrate. The population of 18-year-olds began to decrease after peaking at 2.05 million in 1992, and currently stands at about 1.12 million. In contrast, the number of students entering four-year national, public, and private universities has gradually increased from 540,000 in 1992 and has remained at approximately 620,000 since 2000. In short, it is natural that the average basic academic ability of incoming students has declined compared to the standards of 30 years ago.

On the other hand, demands from society are becoming increasingly diverse and sophisticated, and students are expected to acquire more skills than before. Various matters are being proposed one after another, such as internationalization, globalization, regional revitalization, innovation, entrepreneurship, data science, cross-disciplinary fields, interdisciplinary fusion, and transferable skills. Every time these matters are proposed, universities are required to establish new educational systems. For the past 10 years, I have also been preoccupied with tasks related to educational reform within the university, struggling with reorganization and the accompanying reforms of the educational system. Furthermore, I cannot deny the feeling that these new initiatives appearing one after another are causing indigestion among some students, affecting their acquisition of basic knowledge in their foundational specialized fields.

In the field of coating, research on multilayer films combining various thin films is increasing. In the education of students, I feel it will become important to create a mechanism that multi-layers various knowledge and skills suited to the times while maintaining the foundation of each specialized field, ensuring they do not easily peel off.