einstein (São Paulo). 15/Dec/2021;19:eED6447.
Barriers to access and permanence at the university: a point of view
DOI: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2021ED6447
THE CURRENT SITUATION IN AMERICA AND EUROPE
Latin America improved access to higher education at universities by using different strategies such as funding for public universities, scholarships for students, and educational loans.( ) Ecuador, after had been the country with the least cover and educational quality,( ) adopted these strategies to rose the access to university by offering 55.56% and the gross and net rate of enrollment to 31.86% and 21.23%, respectively. Likewise, Argentina is currently known for its high quality system and unrestricted free access to education for Argentinian nationals.( ) In contrast, however, countries as Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil although offer free education, the access to it is restricted due to the lack of budget. For this reason, universities have been adopted an admission test to select candidates for open positions, and this system has further reinforced inequalities, given that better-prepared students often do not belong to low-income families.( )
Moreover, even if access to higher education could be improved in the Americas, the number of students that obtain a degree would be very low. In Latin America the rates of college dropout are 57%, and this ranges from 82% in countries like Guatemala to 40% in countries like Argentina. In developed countries such as Spain and the United States, this rate is not so different, dropout is around 30% to 50%. In European countries such as Germany or Finland, the college dropout is about 10% to 25%.( )While no huge differences exist in dropout rates between North- and Latin America; there are important differences in the access to higher education. These differences can be partially explained by other factors, e.g., the investment by large company in higher education (universities, colleges) that is significant higher in developed countries than their developing counterparts.( ) During the great recession, financial support declined and many colleges and universities shifted from offering need-based scholarships to merit-based scholarships. In addition, they reduced support services to student, which may have impact on those from disadvantaged families.( )
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