Quebec wants to improve graduation rates at the college and university levels and announces the creation of the Observatory on Success in Higher Education (ORES).
Posted at 3:34 p.m.
However, this is not a new organization, but the transformation of an existing organization, in this case the Consortium for animation on perseverance and success in higher education (CAPRES).
The Minister of Higher Education, Danielle McCann, clarified when announcing the creation of the Observatory on Monday that the aim is to raise the graduation rate at the college level, which is currently 64%, 70% within five years. At the university level, this rate is 80% at the baccalaureate and we want to bring it to 84% over the same period.
The CAPRES, whose mission is “to work towards the development of a culture of accessibility, perseverance and success in higher education in Quebec”, according to its mission statement, will therefore give way to the Observatory starting next fall. The Observatory will thus be integrated into the Legault government’s Action Plan for Success in Higher Education.
The mission, objectives and activities of the two organizations are strangely similar, but the Observatory will benefit from eight employees rather than the two currently employed by the Consortium. Minister McCann thus announced an additional $2.85 million over three years to support, among other things, this increase in personnel.
These activities consist, in particular, of monitoring and disseminating the various studies and research relating to accessibility, perseverance and success, transferring knowledge with institutions and being a reference for developments towards better practices in higher education institutions.