The practice of promoting the fairness of higher education

Guangming Picture/Vision China

Guangming Picture/Vision China

Guangming Picture/Vision China

【Window of World Education】

Recently, the third World Higher Education Conference organized by UNESCO was held in Barcelona, ​​Spain. The conference published a roadmap (hereinafter referred to as the "Roadmap"), which entitled "Beyond Limits: New Ways to Reinvent Higher Education"). Principles and direction of change. Among them, fair opportunities have always been an important issue in the field of higher education, and it is also the key protection right of governments in the world.

With the popular process of higher education, the rate of enrollment of higher education has increased sharply, but there is still a huge gap between within, different regions and different groups in various countries. Social origin is still the main factor affecting higher education opportunities. "Roadmap" clearly states that it is an urgent need to reflect tolerance and diversification in higher education, which is the urgent need to realize social justice. It is necessary for governments to eliminate obstacles to obtaining high -quality higher education for all learners and prioritize the educational rights and interests of vulnerable groups. To this end, in the development of long -term education, countries around the world have successively implemented important measures to promote fair education opportunities, and have also formed different experience accumulation. These policies are rooted in the cultural system and education system of local natives, and are committed to solving problems such as unfair opportunities in the country's higher education system, discrimination against school, and insufficient resources.

1

Expand supply

Let more people receive higher education

In order to promote the fairness of higher education opportunities, the fundamental measures that are generally adopted by countries around the world are the opportunities to expand higher education and focus on increasing admission opportunities for high -quality higher education. Today, with the rapid development of socioeconomic and economic, the expansion policy directly pushes higher education from elite to popularization and even popularization. According to data from the World Bank in September 2021, more than 50%of higher education gross enrollment rates in 75 countries and economies around the world have exceeded 50%. Expand the supply of higher education opportunities, increase the number of enrollment of colleges and universities, and promote the vulnerable groups to obtain more education opportunities. Even in different higher education systems and enrollment models, they have a significant positive impact on promoting fairness of higher education opportunities.

Taking the UK as an example, in the mid -to -late 1950s, 72%of adults in British society belonged to the labor class. However, only 31%of the students admitted to local universities came from the labor class. This proportion was even more among Oxford University and Cambridge University. Only about 10%. The government has gradually realized that the entire society's demand for higher education is increasing day by day, but the elite enrollment policy makes it difficult for many students from social disadvantaged families to have the opportunity to receive higher education. Therefore, in the 1960s, the Robins Report issued by the British government pointed out that it should provide opportunities for those who are willing to receive higher education and qualified academic performance, and promote Britain to start the process of enrollment of higher education. As a result, British higher education has shifted from an elite to the public, and gradually bid farewell to the traditional aristocratic model, opened the door for the civilian class, and the number of full -time higher education students increased from 216,000 in 1962 to 560,000 in 1980. The proportion of women and laborers receiving higher education has increased significantly.

Of course, the increase in educational opportunities does not mean that the opportunities of all classes have increased proportionally. Some scholars have pointed out that from the experience of high education expansion in many countries such as Ireland and Israel, new education opportunities are often possessing by the advantage. At the same time, on the basis of ensuring the acquisition of the same educational opportunities, the advantages can also give priority to obtaining higher -quality educational resources. Although there are more opportunities for the disadvantaged, they have obtained more low -quality and low -level education opportunities. Therefore, with the expansion of higher education, the absolute opportunities for educating each group are growing, but the inequality of the number of educational opportunities still exists, and the quality of quality is even more prominent. This also means that while expanding the supply of higher education opportunities, it still needs to protect the vulnerable class through other policy means.

2

Policy tilt

Realize opportunities between different groups

In addition to expanding the supply, another targeted approach generally adopted by countries is to tilt and take care of the communities in the process of university enrollment and insufficient campus representatives. Among the higher education systems that are affected by the government, the tilt enrollment policy often appears in a clear quota, and requires higher education institutions to recruit disadvantaged students with a proportion. For example, India, Brazil and other state universities have issued relevant policies.

Taking India as an example, due to a specific historical and cultural background, the surnames and table tribes are often treated with inequality, including the inequality of educational opportunities. To alleviate this issue, since the 1950s, India has begun to implement tilt policies in the government's educational institutions to retain a certain proportion of admission places for the backward class and tribes. In 2007, India passed the "Central Education Institutions (Reservations for Entry) Law", which reserved 15%, 7.5%, and 27%of the recruitment places for the surnames, table tribes, and other backward class students. Among them, the retention quota for other backward classes is only applicable to universities affiliated to the central government, including the cluster of the Indian Institute of Technology, the cluster of the Central University of India, and the college cluster of the Indian School of Management. In 2019, the Indian government further allowed to retain the entrance seat for candidates for vulnerable groups in education institutions, and gives no more than 10%of the enrollment ratio to those who are not included in the scope of low surnames but are low -income. In Brazil, the federal government has formulated a compulsory tilt law, requiring all federal universities to retain 50%of their enrollment places for fresh graduates, low -income family students, and minority groups (African -American and Indians, etc.) from public middle schools. For example, the Brazilian Federal University retains 20%of the entry places for African -American students in Brazil, and this quota has reached 40%at Rio de Janeiro State University.

Some state universities in the United States also have some similar quota policies. For example, in the enrollment of the University of California, there is a "special talent qualification standard", which accounts for approximately 6%of the total number of admission students. Among them, 4%are facing economic backward areas and their families, and the remaining 2%are specially considered students who have failed to meet other admission standards due to special circumstances, similar to veterans and disabled students.

The quota policy retains a certain percentage of education opportunities for various types of students of vulnerable groups with a strong means, which helps improve the representative campus of various students. Essence However, such policies are often criticized from non -inclined objects, and have been pointed out that there are problems such as enrollment reverse discrimination, high quota ratio, reduced admission standards for beneficiaries, and poor academic performance of students.

3

Overview

Let the best among the vulnerable group stand out

In some countries, such as the United States, a comprehensive evaluation enrollment system dominated by higher education institutions is adopted. Such enrollment methods can fully consider the background of disadvantaged students in the admission evaluation, and also become the main way to promote the fairness of higher education opportunities. In the 1960s, the US minority civil rights movement and women's movement rose. The Kennedy government signed the implementation of the "Activities Act" (also known as "Affirmative Action") in 1961. Properly take care of ethnic minorities and women to eliminate their discrimination. Although in the past 60 years, the "Ordinary Act" has been revised or even abolished several times in the United States, but its thoughts have gradually been absorbed by universities. American ethnic minorities, women, rural students, low -income groups and other campus representatives of insufficient groups.

Comprehensive evaluation means that after comprehensively evaluating the applicant's complete application file, we must decide whether to admit it; emphasize the perspective of "all -person" inspection, and place the applicant on the learning opportunities provided by their own families, communities, and high schools. to evaluate. When a disadvantaged group student showed the learning achievements based on limited learning conditions, and in the learning process, he showed his excellent quality, hard work, and other aspects. It is also more likely to be appreciated by admissions and get opportunities for admission.

Coincidentally, Japanese universities also adopted a comprehensive evaluation method that is different from the general entrance examination in the enrollment of overseas children. Because such groups have stayed overseas for a long time and do not have life experience and learning environment in Japan, their comprehensive examinations are exempted or reduced to test and examination of academic performance, and they pay more attention to application materials and interviews. , Thus prudently judge students' ability and qualifications.

Of course, fully considering the comprehensive evaluation of the disadvantaged background, it has also been questioned. For example, there may be subjective tendencies at the level of values. Students do not know the real reason for being admitted (whether it is completely based on their own strength or compensated by the rights of equal rights). It is difficult to count how many vulnerable students have benefited from policies and so on. Therefore, such measures are also regarded as a "soft" policy that promotes fairness of higher education.

4

Economic funding

Educational opportunities for low -income groups

Many countries believe that the first mountain that hinders the fairness of education opportunities is still economic factors. Therefore, providing economic funding for low -income groups can significantly increase their willingness to receive higher education, and to ensure that they will not be forced to lose school and abandon college dreams due to financial problems. At the same time, through economic funding, higher education institutions can also indirectly encourage students to recruit low -income group students to achieve fair opportunities for different income -level groups.

The US federal government and the state government have each introduced the economic funding or student loan policy for low -income family students, such as Perls to help school funds and federal supplementary education opportunities, which prompt low -income students to have more opportunities to accept higher costs. educate. In addition, colleges and universities have obtained government funding indirectly through student tuition, and they are also inspiring schools to recruit more low -income students. Taking the Federal Perch Fund as an example, 68%of the school year in 2017 to 2018 flowed to public universities in the United States, 17%flowed to private profit universities, and 15%flowed to private non -profit universities. In Brazil, although Federal University and State University are free of tuition, more than 75%of undergraduates study in private institutions. Therefore, the Brazilian government has implemented "universities open projects for everyone" to provide scholarships for low -income students, and encourage private higher education institutions to recruit low -income students through tax -free policies.

Of course, the "Roadmap" also calls on more countries to adopt a "targeted tuition" policy, that is, 40%to 60%of the students can enjoy free higher education, while students from the richest families need to pay tuition fees. This method has been in finance for a long time, and it also indirectly realizes the richest group in the society to provide educational subsidies to the poorest group.

5

High school

Guide high -quality balanced development of secondary education

Promoting education opportunities fairly, focusing on the point should not only stay in higher education itself, but issues that should be paid attention to from the beginning of early childhood education to various education stages. In the "21st Century Higher Education: Outlook and Action" released by the World Higher Education Conference, the opportunity for higher education should be fair and should strengthen the connection with other levels of education, especially secondary education when necessary. Therefore, through the guidance and impact of secondary education through colleges and universities, it is also accepted by some countries and regions.

For example, the French government delineates the "Education Priority Zone". The number of poor students, foreign students, and students in these areas is significantly higher than that of other school districts. French elite colleges and universities set up preparatory classes for the "Education Priority Zone", implement special types of examination enrollment, and implement middle school students counseling projects. Taking the Paris School of Political Science as an example, the school implemented the "Priority Education Agreement" to cooperate with the "Education Priority Zone" in high school to entrust some of the power of the entrance examination and selected to cooperate with high school to open a special admission channel for students to narrow the students and reduce it to reduce The education gap between the priority zone and other high -quality school districts.

Similarly, the United States has adopted a percentage plan in 1998 and has also played a positive role. The plan ensures that the top 10%of students in all high school classes in the state can enter the state's public higher education institutions, which effectively guarantees the education opportunities for students who are in weak school districts, unfavorable situations and ethnic minorities. At the same time, the policy also enabled those students who were originally unpopular high schools to recruit higher quality students, reducing the quality layers between high schools.

At present, many countries have implemented various forms of educational actions for different vulnerable groups, forming global experience in promoting fair education opportunities. However, higher education has to develop into a general acceptable education, and there is still a long way to go. As advocated by the "Roadmap", fairness and non -discrimination are used as a priority of higher education. Facing the future, in the process of popularizing higher education, fairness and non -discrimination should be included in laws, regulations, policies, and institutional cultures, not just as a "additional" management method, so as to truly realize the door to higher education Everyone who wants to be educated is open.

(Author: Cui Sheng, Wu Qiuxiang, associate professor and lecturer of the School of Education, Renmin University of China)

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