The least well-off Quebecers continue to be disadvantaged in accessing college studies. They are also more likely to drop out along the way, due to the economic and social obstacles they face, shows a report published on this first day of the CEGEP school year.
As part of the second edition of the Equal Opportunity in Education Bulletin published by the Quebec Observatory of Inequalities, six researchers analyzed the gaps that persist in the Quebec education system, from early childhood services to university training.
This year, the document also includes a specific thematic section analyzing the “two faces of CEGEPs,” which, although they have contributed to the democratization of postsecondary studies, remain difficult to access for many Quebecers.
“On the one hand, we can clearly see that CEGEPs have enabled significant progress in postsecondary education over the long term,” says Pierre Doray, a professor in the Department of Sociology at the Université du Québec à Montréal, who contributed to the writing of the report. The document also highlights that 6 out of 10 Quebecers have already completed college studies. “At this level, we can indeed say that CEGEPs have truly contributed to a certain democratization of school education,” he adds.
“At the same time, the issue that comes into play is the continuation of certain inequalities,” which remain “marked” in terms of accessibility and success in college studies, the expert continues. “There is still work to be done.”
“Marked inequalities”
After analyzing the results of a survey conducted by the Léger firm last March among 1,012 adult respondents in anticipation of this report, its authors noted the existence of a “strong relationship between parental income” and the educational path of children.
Thus, 54% of Quebecers whose family income is less than $40,000 per year have never started college studies. A percentage that drops to 28% among households whose family income is $100,000 or more, shows this online survey.
“We really see marked inequalities here,” between the 20% of the richest and poorest households in Quebec, confirms assistant professor at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique Xavier St-Denis, who also contributed to this report.
Another striking finding: nearly a third (32%) of the least well-off Quebecers who began college studies at some point in their lives dropped out along the way. This is more than double the provincial average of 14%, according to the report, which states that The Duty was able to consult under embargo.
“Even among those who eventually gain access [aux études collégiales]”Access does not mean obtaining a diploma. There seem to be obstacles, particular challenges that young people who come from less well-off families and who enter CEGEP encounter,” Mr. St-Denis analyzes.
Economic obstacles
There are many reasons why young Quebecers may decide to stop pursuing post-secondary studies. There are also major disparities in the graduation rates of these young people between large centres and more remote regions, where college studies may be less attractive or more difficult to access.
The survey conducted as part of this report indicates that 17% of respondents who did not enter a CEGEP made this decision because they “needed to work to support themselves,” a percentage that reaches 19% among women.
“We know that economic obstacles are always significant,” notes researcher Xavier St-Denis. However, social factors can also play a role in a young person’s decision to continue their education beyond secondary school, he continues.
The report to which he contributed also shows the existence of a correlation between the level of education of parents and their children’s decision to go to CEGEP. In fact, the researchers established that 90% of men and 80% of women whose parents did not obtain a high school diploma had “no college diploma” at the age of 21. In cases where the parents have a higher education diploma, this percentage drops to 55% for men and 40% for women, the document specifies.
Xavier St-Denis notes that the diplomas obtained by parents can represent a source of “motivation” for their children, who could be tempted to follow the same path.
In this context, the authors of the report thus underline the importance of the Quebec government tackling the multiple inequalities that persist in access to post-secondary education.
In this sense, a “systemic” approach is required “when we think about developing interventions to reduce inequalities” in the education network, in order to take into account the “cumulative” nature of the obstacles experienced by many Quebecers, from access to daycare near home to university, believes Xavier St-Denis. Because “what happens very early in the educational pathways can have repercussions much later” for many young people, he warns.