higher education

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Affordable education still out of reach for Indians

Ishan Anand

By: Ishan Anand.

Before last Sunday’s attack in Jawaharlal Nehru University, the students’ union was protesting a fee hike in the university for months. An analysis of National Statistical Organisation (NSO) data shows that affordable education is a larger problem that needs to be seriously discussed.

The NSO recently released a report based on an all-India survey conducted in 2017-18. The survey shows that only 10.6% of the Indian population aged above 15 years has successfully completed a graduate degree. This proportion is only 5.7% in rural India and is 8.3% among women. The proportion of graduates in the same age group was 8.2% as per the 2011 Census.

Since micro data for the 2017-18 survey on education is not yet available, it is not possible to go into the socio-economic background of those who received higher education. Another NSO survey, the 2017-18 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS),can be used for this, though.

The PLFS data confirms the intuitive belief that social and economic disadvantages perpetuate educational inequalities. The proportion of the population (15 years and above) with a graduate or a higher degree is much lower for the socially backward sections than others. Muslims fare worse than even the Scheduled Caste (SC) Hindus. To be sure, the social gap has been reducing over the years, but it still remains significant. There is also a gender gap when it comes to access to education. (See table 1)

A similar pattern can be seen by economic status as well. Disaggregation by deciles of monthly per capita consumer expenditure shows a strong correlation between economic status (spending) and educational attainment. Data clearly shows the social gap in educational attainment as well as the gap by economic status across and within socio-religious groups. (See table 2)

The NSO report on education also tells us about the average cost of education in the country.

The average annual expense on a graduate course was Rs 10,501 in a government institution, and almost double in an unaided private institution (Rs 19,972). The expenditure for a graduate degree in technical courses in a government college was Rs 36,180 as compared to Rs 72,712 in private unaided institutions.

This must be seen along with the income data available from PLFS (2017-18): 45% of the regular workers, 60% of the self-employed and almost all casual workers earned less than Rs 10,000 a month.

Overall, about 67% of Indian workers earned less than Rs 1,20,000 in a year.

India remains a country with an overwhelming number of poor people who cannot afford expensive education.

The NSS report on education spending also reveals that in the age group of 3 to 35 years, 15% of men and 14% of women never enrolled in an educational institution because of financial constraints; 5% of women never enrolled as there was ‘no tradition in community’.

Among those who were enrolled at some point in time but were not attending at the time of the survey, 24% of men and 18% of women cited financial constraints as the reason for dropping out; 13% of women cited marriage as the reason for dropping out.

What is the importance of a graduate degree in India? If we look at the distribution of graduates in the workforce, 62% were in regular jobs in 2017-18. The wage for a worker with a graduate (or higher) degree in salaried jobs was 1.6 times the overall average wage of a regular worker.

Here, it must be noted that the unemployment rate is much higher among the educated.

Quality education leads to better job prospects and higher wages for all, but also provides a path for social mobility. Students’ demand for better and just prospects for all is completely justified.

Source of the article: https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/affordable-education-still-out-of-reach-for-indians/story-Ud6MFDKYfUrnTKMnqX4Y8J.html

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Higher education must not leave working families behind

Andy Van Kleunen

By: Andy Van Kleunen.

Why short-term training programs make sense for both careers and budgets

 

The promise of education in America is a promise of opportunity. A promise that education — especially higher education — can offer a pathway to the middle class and an opportunity to build a successful life for yourself, your children and your grandchildren.

The unfortunate reality, though, is that our higher education system isn’t delivering on that promise of opportunity for far too many families, particularly those who choose to pursue career-focused learning in fields that require less than a four-year degree. A major barrier is the bias against working students in our current federal financial aid system.

The conventional view of a college student is someone who just graduated from high school, who is on the verge of turning 18 and moving to a college campus to pursue a full-time, four-year degree. Today’s students, however, tend to be older — nearly 7.6 millioncollege students in 2018 were 25 years or older. And of the 12.1 million students enrolled in community colleges in 2015-16, about 900,000 were 40 or older.

Many are parents — more than one in five, with nearly 4 million raising children while in college. The majority are already in the labor market. Sixty-two percent of all community college students attend on a part-time basis, and nearly three-quarters of them are working either full- or part-time.

All of this means that these students are pursuing higher education while balancing work and family obligations for the explicit purpose of climbing the ladder to prosperity in the job market.

Federal education funding, such as Pell Grants, primarily supports traditional, full-time students pursuing degree programs, leaving out working families who enroll in short-term job training programs — that is, courses that are connected to a local industry, a job and higher wages, but that may not meet the Pell-eligible standard of 600 clock hours set 40 years ago.

The labor market challenges that today’s working families face are dramatically different from what they were four decades ago. Back in 1973, only 28 percent of jobs required postsecondary education or training, which meant that entering the higher education system to acquire additional skills to grow in a career wasn’t a necessity for most workers.

Today, a majority of U.S. jobs require some form of postsecondary education or training. Not to mention the nearly two-thirds of jobs in the United States that are expected to change significantly in the coming years because of new technologies.

That’s why short-term training programs, particularly at community and technical colleges, are expanding today. Millions of workers are seeking non-degree credentials that teach skills they need to keep pace with a rapidly changing economy. It’s why a clear majority of Americans — 82 percent — wish to see more classes that teach job and career skills.

If we truly want to fulfill the promise of opportunity in our higher education system, it’s only fair that we extend federal financial aid to working students who choose to pursue skills training, just as we do to “traditional” students seeking four-year college degrees. This idea is supported by 86 percent of Americans.

The good news is that two lawmakers in Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH), co-chairs of the Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus — have introduced legislation to address this issue: the JOBS Act, which would extend Pell Grants to high-quality short-term programs of at least 150 clock hours of instructional time over a period of eight weeks.

To be clear, federal financial aid for working students isn’t a silver bullet. It’s a necessary — but not sufficient — step toward meeting the needs of working families. It’s not enough simply to provide access to affordable skills training programs. We must also ensure that students get the support they need to succeed in and complete those programs. That means providing more dedicated federal funding for support services — like child care, transportation and comprehensive career counseling — which tend to be obstacles for working students.

More federal support is also needed to sustain existing partnerships between local businesses and community and technical colleges. Investing in these partnerships would help ensure that local training prepares workers for well-compensated local jobs.

Finally, students deserve access to secure, transparent and easily accessible data that lets them know exactly what educational institutions and training programs will give them the best return on their investment. College is the biggest financial investment that most students make aside from buying a home. They have a right to more information about student outcomes, including data on enrollment, completion and post-college success across colleges and programs.

These are a few of the meaningful solutions that we can pursue to modernize our higher education system and help America fulfill its promise of opportunity for all students, not just those pursuing four-year degrees.

Source of the article: https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-higher-education-families/

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EE.UU.:Community colleges open the door to selective universities

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North America/United States/27-10-2019/Author(a) and Source: theconversation.com

When it comes to getting into a selective university, high school GPA and test scores typically play the most important role.

But in a recent study, we show another way to attend a selective university: transfer from a community college.

This alternative option is important for students who are minority, low-income, and underprepared academically for higher education. Students from these particular groups are less likely to gain admission and enroll at a selective university.

As researchers who specialize in the study of higher education, we know that going to a selective university often gives students a competitive advantage on the job market.

Students who didn’t attend selective universities – especially racial minorities – face disadvantages when they compete for jobs with students who do. For instance, students who graduate from a highly selective university get more responses from employers when they’re on the job market – which could be due to the perception that students at prestigious universities receive a better education than students at other institutions.

A way in

Our study included 7,110 college students nationwide. We found that students who transferred from a community college were 24% more likely to attend a selective university than students with similar background characteristics who began at a four-year institution. In general, selective universities admit students based on criteria related to past academic performance and test scores. Selective universities differ from open-admission institutions, which admit nearly anyone who applies.

The students in our study who transferred from a community college to a four-year university were more likely to be minority, low-income, and academically underprepared students with low high school GPAs.

Based on the academic characteristics of these students, starting at a selective university out of high school was likely not an option. But community colleges can open the door to selective universities.

Our study accounted for differences in students’ race, family income, academic preparation and other characteristics. We don’t know, however, whether certain types of students, such as immigrants, were more likely to transfer from a community college to a selective university.

Practical benefits

There are practical reasons to begin at a community college that can help to explain our findings. For instance, students who start at a community college can save money due to the low price of community college courses. For price-conscious students who may have been wavering on the decision to pursue a bachelor’s degree at a university with high tuition, community college offers a chance to make progress toward their degree at a low price.

Community colleges also offer more remedial course options than four-year universities. Remedial courses can benefit students who are not prepared for college-level work.

Students who transfer from a community college may be more likely to get into a selective university due to factors beyond their own academic development in college. Simply put, high school grades and SAT scores are less important for transfer students than students who are seeking admission directly out of high school.

While starting at a community college might be a good way to make college more affordable or help students develop their academic skills, it doesn’t always lead to a positive outcome.

Students who transfer from a community college to a four-year institution are 37% less likely to earn their bachelor’s degree than students who start at a four-year university. And when they do complete their bachelor’s degree, it takes them about three months longer to graduate.

Career consequences

Students who transfer from a community college to a four-year university may experience a wage penalty as they begin their career. One reason these students might earn less early in their career is that community college credits don’t always transfer to a four-year university. This loss of credits leads to a delayed entry into the workforce. Meanwhile, their peers have a head start to become eligible for promotions and raises.

Community college students don’t have to lose credits when they transfer to a four-year university. All states could implement “articulation agreements” to ensure that community college credits are accepted at four-year universities.

Only 30 states have articulation agreements that guarantee the transfer of core community college credits and the associate degree upon enrolling at a state university.

Articulation agreements are a common-sense measure that would allow transfer students to avoid unnecessary hurdles and graduate sooner.

Community colleges educate 55% of low-income college students in the United States. Only a small portion of these students transfer to a selective four-year university.

But the small share of low-income students at selective universities would likely be even smaller without the community college pathway.

Source and Image: https://theconversation.com/community-colleges-open-the-door-to-selective-universities-122978

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Japan: 97% of schools eligible to provide free higher education

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Asia/ Japan/ 23.09.2019/ Source: the-japan-news.com.

The education ministry announced Friday that 97.1 percent of 1,074 universities and junior colleges in the nation have been recognized as eligible for a free higher education program (see below) for students from low-income households, a system that will be launched in April 2020.

A total of 31 private universities and junior colleges did not apply to the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry for accreditation. Institutions with financial difficulties are not eligible to provide free education. The ministry suspects that financial woes were the reason some institutions did not apply. Universities that are struggling financially could have further difficulty attracting students.

The ministry said that 1,043 out of 1,074 national, public and private universities and junior colleges have been certified. Of the 1,043 institutions, 744 are universities and 299 are junior colleges. All national and public universities, including the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University, have been granted eligibility. According to the ministry, the 31 institutions that did not apply were all private schools.

Of the 2,713 vocational schools in the nation, 1,688, or 62.2 percent, were certified. All 57 of the nation’s technical colleges were accredited.

The system will be introduced to prevent a divide in educational opportunities, as the percentage of people who go on to higher education is lower among low-income households. However, some people argue that the system should not serve as a life raft for financially stricken private universities.

In response, the ministry has created a benchmark: Incorporated entities that have liabilities in excess of assets, face payment deficits for three straight years and have a student enrollment of less than 80 percent of the school’s quota for three straight years are ineligible for the program.

“Of the universities and junior colleges that didn’t file applications, nearly 10 are believed to have judged that they couldn’t meet such administrative standards,” said an official of the ministry’s office for higher education support.

Medical and dental universities did not apply apparently because the upper limits on free tuition under the system meant their hefty tuition fees could not be covered.

Part of the revenue from an increase in the consumption tax rate from October will be used to make higher education free. The ministry estimates that up to about 750,000 people will be eligible for the program, and that the annual cost will be up to ¥760 billion.

■ Free higher education program

A program to waive or reduce the tuition and entrance fees of universities, junior colleges, vocational schools and technical colleges, while expanding grant-type financial aid, including for living expenses. Up to about ¥700,000 will be provided in annual tuition fees, and up to about ¥910,000 will be provided in grant-type financial aid. For example, in the case of a family with two parents and two children, the program will apply if the household makes an annual income of less than ¥3.8 million, in principle. Such households with an annual income of less than ¥2.7 million are exempted from residential tax. Speech

Source of the notice: https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0006021575

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China makes great leaps in education over 70 years

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Asia/ China/ 16.09.2019/ Source: www.xinhuanet.com.

China has made great leaps in developing basic and higher education over the past 70 years as the country endeavors to improve its comprehensive strength.

In the early days after the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, the illiteracy rate in the country stood at 80 percent. Today the newly-added labor force has received over 13.3 years of education on average.

Over the decades, compulsory education coverage in China has been expanded to the average level of high-income countries as the country has given strategic priority to education and included compulsory education into legislation.

This year the Ministry of Education announced that China has built the world’s largest higher education system with the gross enrollment ratio in higher education rising to 48.1 percent from 0.26 percent in 1949.

China’s higher education will enter a new phase which will see over half of the college-age population being able to have access to higher education.

Vocational education has also registered marked progress as the country has cultivated 270 million high-caliber laborers and skilled workers.

Source of the notice: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/08/c_138375346.htm

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China makes great leaps in education over 70 years

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Asia/ China/ 10.09.2019/ Source: www.china.org.cn.

 

China has made great leaps in developing basic and higher education over the past 70 years as the country endeavors to improve its comprehensive strength.

In the early days after the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, the illiteracy rate in the country stood at 80 percent. Today the newly-added labor force has received over 13.3 years of education on average.

Over the decades, compulsory education coverage in China has been expanded to the average level of high-income countries as the country has given strategic priority to education and included compulsory education into legislation.

This year the Ministry of Education announced that China has built the world’s largest higher education system with the gross enrollment ratio in higher education rising to 48.1 percent from 0.26 percent in 1949.

China’s higher education will enter a new phase which will see over half of the college-age population being able to have access to higher education.

Vocational education has also registered marked progress as the country has cultivated 270 million high-caliber laborers and skilled workers.

Source of the notice: http://www.china.org.cn/china/2019-09/08/content_75184892.htm
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What India needs at higher education institutions

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Asia/ India/ 09.09.2019/ Source: www.financialexpress.com.

There is a need for expert management, and innovative and professional human resource development systems at higher education institutions.

Higher education is now a priority area for the government, as is obvious from the recommended standards and budgetary provisions for the same in the recent Union Budget. While higher education is booming in many countries, including in India, managing the massive expansion of higher education has become challenging for governments and regulatory bodies alike. In many countries, higher education is suffering from problems such as falling standards and quality, poor infrastructure and maintenance services, inadequate support systems, capacity overload, and inadequate manpower and good faculty.

In the context of growing global competition in the higher education space, a university or a higher education institution (HEI), as an organisation, may have to cope with changes in demographic structures, descriptive technologies, regulatory reforms, new learning products and frontier research. The paradigm of a university being a static instrumental entity appears to be obsolete in terms of scope and scale. While a modern university seeks to explore new frontiers of knowledge through learning and research, it also faces issues relating to scale and scope. By scale what is implied is the capacity of a university to absorb the growing number of learners and their unmet needs in pursuit of learning and research. For a dynamic university, enrolment tends to grow over time rather than remain

Higher education is now a priority area for the government, as is obvious from the recommended standards and budgetary provisions for the same in the recent Union Budget. While higher education is booming in many countries, including in India, managing the massive expansion of higher education has become challenging for governments and regulatory bodies alike. In many countries, higher education is suffering from problems such as falling standards and quality, poor infrastructure and maintenance services, inadequate support systems, capacity overload, and inadequate manpower and good faculty.

In the context of growing global competition in the higher education space, a university or a higher education institution (HEI), as an organisation, may have to cope with changes in demographic structures, descriptive technologies, regulatory reforms, new learning products and frontier research. The paradigm of a university being a static instrumental entity appears to be obsolete in terms of scope and scale. While a modern university seeks to explore new frontiers of knowledge through learning and research, it also faces issues relating to scale and scope. By scale what is implied is the capacity of a university to absorb the growing number of learners and their unmet needs in pursuit of learning and research. For a dynamic university, enrolment tends to grow over time rather than remain constant over the years. Scaling up may generate quality concerns with regard to learning and research outcomes. What transforms a scaling-up university to an innovative one is its ability to invent progressive processes that coordinate between scaling up and quality concerns. In the context of scaling up that induces more quality in terms of scope for new research and learning streams, the pivotal aspect in transforming the organisation to an innovative and resilient one depends on how a university is evolving as an organisation through systems, processes and praxis (practice). In this milieu, along with other organisation processes, human resource management is an indispensable component in organising a dynamic and innovative university into a globalised higher education system.

The term ‘human resource development (HRD)’ has been widely used by management experts in the corporate sector. Given the recent development of HEIs metamorphosing from an institute to an organisation, HRD has to play a key role. Initially, the governance of a university or an HEI was fully taken care of by academic staff members. However, given the various challenges, objectives, accountability, governance structure, challenges of fund management in absence of full support from the government, dependence on student fees, brand-building, etc, the responsibility has at least partially shifted to trained HRD professionals for taking care of such challenges. This responsibility includes manpower management, recruitment, training and development, designing good HR policies for attracting and retaining talent, performance evaluation systems, staff welfare measures, etc. Currently, the role and importance of HRD is ignored at most Indian academic institutions. Given that human resources of an HEI is extremely important, whether it is academic or non-academic, both need to be taken care of professionally to achieve the ultimate goals—bright graduates and research output—in a consistent manner.

India’s HEIs have grown enormously since 1947, but the condition of higher education is still not up to global standards, and very few Indian HEIs make it to the list of the top universities in the world.

Most HEIs in India still follow traditional management systems such as the old personnel management style; instead, we need expert management systems and innovative development systems.

The primary objective of an academic institute is to develop the knowledge, skills and all-round personality of its students, and provide them high-quality and comprehensive educational training, development and opportunities. The realisation of these goals is only possible if the development and motivation of academic and non-academic staff is also taken care of.

In this context, HEIs in India should develop dynamic professional human resource management systems that should focus on (1) recruitment and selection, (2) training and development, (3) strategic human resource management, (4) higher education and development, (5) performance management, (6) human resource planning, (7) labour relations, (8) social welfare development, and (9) compensation and benefits.

Source of the notice: https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/what-india-needs-at-higher-education-institutions/1699982/

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