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Universities are not optimistic about the number of students who will enroll next semester, much less when it comes to programs postgraduate, in which it is estimated that the desertion will be the highest.
And it is that according to forecasts of various institutions consulted by EL TIEMPO, in this type of programs the enrollment rate could drop to 70 percent, that is, only 3 out of 10 graduate students will continue their studies in the next semester.
This is a scenario that worries analysts, Those who argue that the country currently needs an academically advanced workforce to meet the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
(Also read: Ucentral: ‘We cannot return to a fully face-to-face education’)
This was stated by the education expert Álvaro Sinisterra: “This is a clearly alarming situation, if we bear in mind that we are talking about professionals who are pursuing a specialization, master’s or doctorate who will not be able to continue. ANDThe impact will be very strong in the current scenario. “
And he added: “The country needs to continue training postgraduate students for two things: first, that the crisis caused by the pandemic requires people with advanced knowledge in many subjects, to strengthen hit and run private and public sectors. And second, because the competitiveness of a country is also measured by the quality of its professionals and its educational level. That is to say, We would lose many of the advances in education that we have made in recent years. ”
Despite this, and the country’s need for postgraduate professionals, many students or those who thought of entering a postgraduate course have been seriously affected in economic matters.
Such is the case of Ricardo Garzón, who aspired to do a master’s degree next semester: “My work and financial situation at the moment made me put off my dream of having a master’s degree. I had already been approved by the university to enter the program, but I was forced not to continue with the process. ”
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Garzón points out that the institution gave various financing options to enter the program. However, he points out that he is in such job instability that he prefers to allocate the separate resources for his study in a savings before any eventuality, like being unemployed or a reduction in salary, as he says has already happened with his colleagues.
Stories like this abound in students who point out that they cannot have 10 million pesos for a semester of specialization or master’s degree.
Foreseeing this situation, universities prepare for the worst. An executive from a renowned university in the country who asked not to be identified said that the demand for these programs for the second semester of 2020 will be very low, accentuating serious economic problems.
“The point is that the teaching staff and the administrative expenses of these programs, although they are not massive as in undergraduate programs, they are more expensive. They are better qualified teachers who we still have to pay, even if only one person enrolls. Why? Because national legislation obliges us to guarantee the continuity of the teaching staff at least until the end of the year ”.
(Also read: What does the return to face-to-face classes in the country depend on?)
But beyond the economic problems that this emergency would bring, there is another great concern, and that is the competitiveness and positioning of the country’s institutions. A prestigious issue in which universities have been investing for years and which would now be affected.
“The university rankings are made taking into account several things, such as the attractiveness of an institution or a program in the middle of the academic offer, as well as the level of its students and graduates. If there are fewer students, it is also understood in the guild that the impact of the university on society is also reduced. In addition, we could see a reduction in articles published in indexed journals, another point that is taken into account in the global, regional and national ranks, ”said Sinisterra.
EDITING EDUCATION – @EducacionET
