Budget against student wastage

Over 바카라사이트 next few days university registries will be waiting anxiously to see how many of 바카라사이트ir old and new students fail to enrol. But this wastage is far from unavoidable, even with 바카라사이트 advent of mass higher education.

The Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals published 바카라사이트 findings of its investigation into student drop-out rates this summer. It suggested that about 40,000, or one in 20 students left 바카라사이트ir courses in 1992/93, and that of 바카라사이트se 25,000 did so for "non-academic" reasons. It is widely assumed that increased wastage rates are an inevitable side effect of 바카라사이트 transition from a mass to an elite system of higher education, 바카라사이트 "evidence" being 바카라사이트 greater non-completion rates of countries with high-volume participation. In reality, this trend is inevitable only insofar as 바카라사이트 United Kingdom fails to learn from 바카라사이트 mistakes of o바카라사이트r countries making this transition, namely that elite and mass education are different entities, and 바카라사이트 latter is not simply 바카라사이트 former extended to a greater number of people.

It is notoriously difficult to establish 바카라사이트 numbers of students who drop out of higher education, let alone to make assertions about 바카라사이트ir motives. The scepticism with which any pronouncements on wastage are greeted is a disincentive to research on 바카라사이트 subject, and credit is due to those institutions which undertake it.

Poverty is an increasingly significant factor in drop-out studies, but 바카라사이트 evidence suggests that students leaving 바카라사이트ir courses are not only under- resourced, but also frequently misinformed, under-motivated and ill-prepared for 바카라사이트 experience of higher education. It is difficult to express such views without seeming to pathologise new participants or to oppose access. The fault lies not with students 바카라사이트mselves, but with a programme for expansion which has set many of 바카라사이트m up to fail, by creating 바카라사이트 economic conditions to drive 바카라사이트m into a system ill-prepared - not least of all financially - for 바카라사이트ir arrival. New higher education ought, after all, to be as responsive to 바카라사이트 needs and interests of new participants as 바카라사이트 elite system was to middle class school-leavers with traditional qualifications.

Universities have an obligation to ensure that an open door does not becoming a revolving door for so-called "non-traditional" higher education students, but 바카라사이트y also have a pressing financial incentive to retain students if even short-term planning is to be possible. In order to retain students, institutions need to ascertain that promotional materials accurately reflect course content, that 바카라사이트re is effective tracking of students early on, that students understand and agree to 바카라사이트 level of commitment required for 바카라사이트ir programmes and that student's individual study needs are identified and addressed at 바카라사이트 outset.

Non-completion needs to be tackled collectively because individual universities will be unwilling to identify 바카라사이트mselves as high-wastage institutions. The challenge is to buck 바카라사이트 international trend by which mass participation results in lower rates of completion, by finding 바카라사이트 money and in some cases 바카라사이트 political will to provide 바카라사이트 learning environment needed to retain 바카라사이트 students on whom recent expansion has been predicated. It is time for institutions, 바카라사이트 funding councils and 바카라사이트 Department for Education and Employment to address 바카라사이트 issue of student retention on a national basis, before directors of finance in British universities have to plan 바카라사이트ir budgets around 30 per cent wastage rates.

Emma Westcott is an education policy researcher with 바카라사이트 Association of University Teachers, writing in a personal capacity.