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Whole screen in a place where I shouldn’t be? Wrong selected education and low prior knowledge are behind many drop -offs from the university. File image. Photo: Bertil Ericson/TT
Many students who aim to become a teacher, engineer or nurse jump off their college studies. Often the higher education institutions are left without a message.
It would be a reasonable requirement for the students to announce their assortment, and not just stop showing up, according to the OAG.
Education for several socially important professions lose students. In the college engineering programs, half do not graduate, on the basic teacher programs 39 percent. In nursing education, 26 percent disappear during the course of education.
– It costs for the university, because they get less income when a student jumps off. It costs for the student who spent time and taken student loans, and it costs for taxpayers, says audit director Ann-Mari Skorpen.
Can too little
In its review, the Office of the Auditor General sees that the two most common causes of drop -offs on the three vocational education are weak prerequisites in Swedish and/or mathematics as well as the choice – the realization that one should invest in something else.
Expanding the study guidance could further counteract some of the error selection jump. But to deal with lack of prior knowledge is much more difficult.
The Office of the Auditor General notes that “kind grades”, when high school students who should receive F receive approved grades, place unreasonable demands on the teachers of the colleges. Therefore, it is welcome that the government had investigated grading inflation. But it will be delayed before investigative proposals become a reality.
“Not easy”
Raising the admission requirements, which has been proposed regarding teacher education, gives fewer students and thus reduced chances to meet the needs of the labor market, according to the OAG. The authority points out that a lot of them with low credit values from high school actually complete their college education.
– It’s not so easy to solve this problem. There is no “quick fix”, says Ann-Mari Skorpen.
One of the authority’s recommendations to the government is in any case to place higher demands on the students. Today, students do not have to announce that they are leaving education, let alone why, which sends a signal that the place they have received is associated with few requirements, according to the OAG. Mandatory reporting is absolutely central if the higher education institutions should be able to work preventively.
The factual audit recommendations
The OAG recommends the Government that:
Introduce provisions that students must report interruptions/departures from their education.
Clarify what applies to students and higher education institutions if students fail for a long period.
Have the University and University Council investigate extended study guidance to reduce drop-offs and errors.
Source: The National Audit Office’s report The universities’ work against drop -offs from shortcomings.
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