In the wake of its plan to increase the proportion of Quebecers who obtain a college or university diploma, the government is setting up an Observatory on Success in Higher Education.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
It is to the Consortium of animation on perseverance and success in higher education (CAPRES) of the University of Quebec that we gave the mission to create this observatory. To do this, the Ministry of Higher Education will announce on Monday that it is granting him 2.85 million dollars.
The organization, which has existed for twenty years, will change its name to become the Observatory, but will continue to focus on issues of accessibility, perseverance and success among students in higher education.
The Observatory intends to keep a watch on the various issues that affect the world of education, on the research that is being done, in Quebec and around the world.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LE CAPRES
Caroline Lessard, President of the new Observatory on Success in Higher Education
“People tell us that they don’t have time to search, to go and read 200 or 300 page research. They want to find in the same place what has been done in research,” explains Caroline Lessard, president of CAPRES.
It is also about enabling teachers to better understand the “challenges” facing students.
The president of CAPRES cites, for example, issues of mental health or distance learning among CEGEP and university students.
The pandemic has highlighted certain issues and demonstrated the importance for a teacher to find different methods.
Caroline Lessard, President of CAPRES
Quebec funding will allow, she says, “to go much further”, for example to do more science popularization for teachers or managers of CEGEPs and universities.
Increase the graduation rate
The creation of this observatory is part of an action plan unveiled in September by the Minister of Higher Education, Danielle McCann, whose objective is to raise by just over 4% five years from now the proportion of Quebecers aged 25 to 64 who have a college or university diploma.
At the launch of this $450 million action plan, the government noted that “Quebec’s population is lagging behind” when comparing the level of education of its population with that of Ontario and Canada as a whole.
In 2019, the proportion of Quebecers aged 25 to 64 with a university degree was 29%, compared to 32% in Canada as a whole and 35% in Ontario.
In its plan, Quebec has set specific targets. For example, he hopes that within five years, 70% of students enrolled in CEGEP will obtain their diploma in two years. For the 2014 cohort, this rate was 64%.
At the baccalaureate, data from Quebec show that in 2019, 80% of students enrolled had completed it in six years or less. The government wants it to be 84% in 2027.