In technical universities, the dropout rate is more extensive. The record holder is the Faculty of Engineering of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, which achieved what seemed impossible – 90% dropouts. What are the reasons for this phenomenon?
It is precisely the dropouts due to academic failure, the number of which has been growing for the second decade, that have become the topic of a new study. Its authors seek to understand characteristic trends and predict how new generations of students will study. Not being the first by far, they warn of a growing shortage of certain specialists and the need to improve the teaching of exact sciences in schools.
According to the survey, almost 60% of bachelor's students (single-level higher professional education) in the Czech Republic fall into the dropout category and do not become holders of the coveted diplomas. What is the catch here – "problematic" disciplines, the need to combine work and study? Obviously, the reasons for dropouts vary. Experts give this an ambiguous assessment, emphasizing that attrition also has a positive effect.
– Of course, in some cases it is even good that students do not complete their studies, because in the Czech Republic there is no devaluation of university education. This is a signal for employers, allowing them to hope that people with higher education have the necessary knowledge and practice in a specific field and have achieved professional standards. But overall, 60% is undoubtedly a serious figure. One can assume that such trouble is a sign of inefficiency in the higher education system. The survey, for example, showed that not all students left their universities because studying was too difficult for them. Among the factors that lead to dropout, the following were listed: young people do not consider education relevant to their needs, see no meaning in it, have lost interest in studying, or feel uncomfortable, so they leave the walls of higher education institutions, – told Radio Prague co-author of the study Studijní neúspěšnost na vysokých školách Šimon Stiburek.
– That is, it is necessary to identify reserves for increasing efficiency in the higher education system to reduce the risk of dropping out of universities? Many universities are late in introducing more effective methods, including a differentiated approach to learning.
– Yes, in some cases this remains a problem. Another difficulty is that universities often offer students something completely different from what they want to get, and do not meet their expectations. At the same time, the students themselves do not meet the university teachers' ideas about the personality and level of students.
Currently, a completely different category of young people is rushing to universities than in the 1980s-90s, when about 15% of high school graduates entered universities. The situation in universities was completely different, as was the structure of the higher education system. I think universities today also find themselves in a difficult position. There is no universal solution here, and universities very often simply do not have the funds to introduce more modern teaching methods and organize an individual approach in the learning process.
– How do higher education institutions in the Czech Republic perceive the costs associated with losing such a large number of students?
– Differently, and over the past three to five years, the attitude has fundamentally changed. Previously, most universities viewed attrition as a certain pattern. As natural selection, which helps maintain a high level of qualification and guarantees that graduates will have a certain level of knowledge and competence. In recent years, the situation has changed for a number of reasons. One of them is the demographic situation, as a result of which the number of students in universities has decreased; in some years, the birth rate in the Czech Republic was low. Universities face the problem of unfilled places and are unable to fulfill their obligations to the state. And this subsequently affects the fact that their funding from the state budget is cut.
At the same time, universities are increasingly connecting to foreign projects, participating in exchange programs, and communicating more closely with partners in Western Europe, North America, and other countries. And many of our academics are increasingly finding out that, it turns out, not everywhere this issue is assessed from a conservative point of view, as in our country, but is viewed from a different angle, and as a result, they begin to change their approach as well.
– Dropping out of university before receiving a diploma is a loss of funds for the state. How does this affect society as a whole?
– Yes, this is an important factor. Funds are spent from the state budget that do not serve the intended purpose – obtaining a diploma. This can be considered inefficient investment, and I hold the same opinion. On the other hand, I must agree with the opinion of opponents who believe that even if a student, after studying for a year or two, never received a diploma, but acquired knowledge and experience that will be useful in further studies or at work, then such investments cannot be considered wasted money.
The issue of a shortage of technical and other personnel, specialists in chemistry, is also very acute. This is a problem for employers and the Czech economy as a whole, as it can only transform very slowly into a more "fast" economy based on knowledge and innovation.