Understanding the extent of dropout in higher education and
what strategies have been implemented globally to address it.
The international expert on reform and transformation of
higher education, Dr. Jamil Salmi, produced a document entitled " Combating
Desertion in Higher Education: Lessons from International Experience ",
which addresses the issue of desertion in Higher education focusing on
the factors that influence this phenomenon and
on actions that are being carried out in different parts of the world to try to
face this reality . A document for reflection and to take note of
ideas and initiatives to address a global problem.
The reason for the problem
The fundamental reason for the dropout at the level of
policies, both nationally and by higher education institutions, is the concentration
of development policies too focused on the search to increase the coverage rate
without taking into account the different types of students Which entered with
very different characteristics and levels of preparation.
Desertion, rather than student failure, is a clear indicator
of a failure in the system that encompasses higher education, including
institutions with high dropout rates.
Data on the phenomenon of desertion to put into
perspective
In the United States this problem was studied a lot and an
estimated 400,000 students drop out every year. More than 40 percent of
American students who begin four-year programs do not earn their degree in six
years. In the so-called community college, only fifty percent earn their
degree. In addition, according to the report, when studying the
dropout associated with the socio-economic level of students , as
measured by family income levels, it is observed that a student of a family
whose income is more than US $ 90,000 Have a one in two chance of
graduating from an undergraduate at age 24 , while for those
young people who belong to families whose incomes are less than $ 35.
In Europe, the drop-out rate ranges from 20% to 55%,
accentuated by large migratory processes and the financial crisis. On the
other hand, in Latin America, where social inequalities are so marked, the high
drop-out rates are between 40% and 70% throughout the region.
To continue analyzing the reason for this problem and
analyzing what has been done to combat it, it is important to understand that
the causes of desertion do not correspond to a single factor, but to a
combination of several.
Factors of greater incidence in the desertion
Sociocultural factors: there are
prejudices on the part of the families and the communities that know in
inferiority of conditions that motivate the belief that they will not be able
to finish their studies, causing a low self-esteem.
Structural factors : poverty, class or race
causes pressures and needs that hinder the continuity of studies. This
reality also has an impact on the quality of higher education they
received. This last point is very important, since after passing the
barrier of disinterest or believing that the university is only for the rich,
those who want to venture into higher education face deficiencies in their
training that make the road even more difficult.
Political factors : related to the lack of
cross-cutting policies and budgets to promote, for example, scholarships.
Institutional factors : institutional practices
that do not support the student, inadequate evaluation systems, lack of
practices that promote the integration of students, understanding the
heterogeneity that exists and lack of recognition of students with
disabilities, among others.
Personal factors : related to health problems,
child care, work needs, family influence, etc.
Learning factors : learning difficulties
and shortcomings in secondary education resulting from the low quality of the
education they receive. This factor ends up having repercussions on
entering university and / or keeping up with the rhythm in the case of those
who enter.
Programs and concrete actions to combat the problem
There are different models that aim to attack the problem in
different stages. It can be for example early, before the end of high
school; To prepare for admission to university; Or during their stay
at the university to avoid abandonment. Below we will see some initiatives
that have been carried out in different parts of the world.
Tutorials
It consists of the work of tutors who give support in
specific subjects helping to prepare better for the examinations of completion
of higher education as well as to study a university career. In South
Africa, for example, there is the " Teachout " program where volunteer students from
the University of Cape Town attend low-performing schools in needy areas,
supporting, to varying degrees, teaching subjects such as language or
mathematics, trying to work In places where there is a certain lack of
knowledge or shortcomings in training.
Preparation of entrance exams
In India there is a privately funded " Super 30 "
program that selects 30 low-income students and prepares them for the admission
examination of a prestigious institute such as the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT).
Development of language and technology skills
In addition to the deficits in language and mathematics
resulting from perceived quality of education, there are also shortcomings in
the development of skills in the use of technologies. Which has
repercussions on the search and access to information that end up being a
barrier that prevents access to multiple opportunities. In South Africa,
for example, there are programs that prepare and train disadvantaged students
by providing training in subjects relevant to people's studies or those with
disabilities, in addition to computer literacy.
Early Exposure to the University World
These are programs that provide early exposure to college
and university environment. They can be particularly effective in college
students from families where no one went to college and they do not fully know
what it means to go to college and what opportunities it offers.
In Canada, for example, the Westview Partnership in
cooperation with the Toronto District School Board created the Advanced Credit
Experience Program in Canada, which offers low-income youth the opportunity to
participate in dual enrollment courses at the University of York and Seneca
College (community college), where selected students spend a semester in an
introductory college course exposing them to higher education within a
structured and supportive environment, thus building trust in students who
otherwise have not Considered the university as an attainable goal.
There are also countries such as Germany, China, the
Philippines, Finland, and Thailand known as "campus schools", which
are primary and / or secondary schools developed and run by the university
itself. These schools are within the campus allowing students to have
direct contact with campus facilities and resources.
Summer programs prior to university entrance are also a tool
that helps facilitate the transition between secondary and higher
education. At the University of Virginia in the US, the Rainey Scholarship Program invites low-income students
who have been accepted into the institution to participate in a 9-week summer
program to acclimate to the institution. Students, during that time, live
in student residences on campus, and take two college courses in order to start
earning an official degree in the institution. Students are also connected
with a mentor within their peers and participate in workshops on study
techniques, technology, and other relevant topics throughout the summer.
Sensitization, motivation and dissemination of
information: other key aspects
Students who are members of families or communities who have
historically had no access to higher education are not exposed to the
possibilities and opportunities offered by advanced studies. Therefore,
raising awareness about the benefits of higher education and encouraging the
willingness to enroll is a process in which to work.
In Scotland, for example, there is the Top-Up Program for 5th and 6th grade students
in a region with a low participation rate in university education, where
workshops are held in schools where opportunities are given Which represents
studying a career.
Another initiative is the Oxford Young
Ambassadors Program in the UK, which selects a group of students from
families in which none of their members have entered higher education and are
given the opportunity to participate in a program of 4 Years in which students
attend 3 to 4 times a year to Oxford University to interact with students,
participate in workshops, conferences, and other activities in order to raise
awareness and generate interest.
Education costs: a major obstacle
Obtaining sources of financial aid can be particularly
difficult for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Scholarships are
implemented in several countries as an incentive, although there are different
types of scholarships.
In countries like Mexico or Chile there are need-based
scholarship programs, such as the National Higher
Education Scholarship Program (PRONABES) in Mexico that awards monthly
subsidies for up to 5 years, or the Padre Hurtado de la
PontÃfica Universidad Católica de Chile, which covers enrollment in a
comprehensive manner, aimed at students who have maintained excellent academic
performance in high school and achieved high scores on entrance exams.
Educational credits are also a widely used
tool. According to the document prepared by Salmi, a study conducted by
the University of the Andes in Colombia, students with educational credit have
a lower probability of dropping out of school compared to those who are not
credit beneficiaries but had conditions and characteristics Similar. In this
country there is a program promoted by the Ministry of Education called Ser Pilo Paga , where low-income
young people with good academic performance in their high school and with high
averages in the standardized test that are carried out throughout the country
for income To the university, obtain a condonable credit to study in a public
or private universities accredited as of high quality. The credit covers
the cost of tuition and support during the race. The reimbursement or not
of the credit is contingent to the student obtaining or not the university
title for which it was enrolled.
Alerts to detect desertion
In order to prevent students from dropping out, in the
United States they are implementing data analysis using big data, tracking
students' fingerprints and detecting changes in habits and behavior linked to
academic difficulties in order to help them before it is Afternoon .
According to the expert Jamil Salmi published in this
document, educating families on the importance of accessing and completing
higher education is essential to improve the transition from high school to
higher education. It is important to attach great importance to the
participation of families in interventions as it is recognized that family
members greatly influence the aspirations of their children towards higher
education.
