ACCESS AND BARRIERS TO EDUCATION: ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF ETHNIC MINORITIES LIVING IN GEORGIA

This study aims to promote the development of vocational education in our country energetically. The analysis is followed by introducing the course of development on vocational and technical education in Britain and summarizing the successful experience of vocation in our country with strengthening the funding and legislation for the state of vocational education as well as putting forward suggestions for reform and innovation of education to improve the system of certificates.

Research of The Combination of Production and Education In Higher Vocational Education In The Period of Economic Transition

In this paper, the relationship between relative and absolute participation in undergraduate higher education in Slovenia is investigated. That relationship results from the interrelationship between factors contributing to relative participation in higher education and the size of youth populations. The development patterns of the relative and absolute participation in undergraduate higher education in Slovenia are presented. In order to empirically test the authors' hypotheses, two separate multiple regression analyses were conducted. The first analyzes factors of the demographic base, and the second analyzes factors of the relative participation in undergraduate higher education. The results reveal the factors contributing to both the demographic base and relative participation in undergraduate higher education and identifies the significant factor linking them to each other. This factor works in one direction in the case of the demographic base and in the opposite direction in the case of the relative participation in undergraduate higher education, causing the relationship between changes in relative and absolute participation in higher education. At the end of the paper, findings confirming the hypotheses are presented with an explanation of the background of the empirical findings.

The study aimed to reveal the reality of strategic planning technical (Technological) education and to identify the strategies and practices within the Technical Education (ICT)) established within the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the State of Qatar, through the answer of the main question: «what is the reality of strategic planning for technical education in the State of Qatar.» the study has been identifythe awareness of ministry officials to the concept of strategic planning and technical importance of education and knowledge of the issues that arise in strategic planning and technical education through Identify its objectives for national development. The study identify the most important opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses in technical education, the most prominent gains and benefits from the strategic planning process and finally have been identified over the departments and schools commitment to strategic planning and mechanisms used in the follow-up and evaluation. To achieve the objectives of the study were used descriptive and analytical approach in the search, using the selected sample of officials from the Ministry of Education and higher education through in-depth interviews and a review of annual reports and strategic plans for the ministry to demonstrate the reality of strategic planning and technical education over the years of 2010-2017.The results of the study that the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Qatar is aware of the concept of strategic planning importance.They apply strategic planning for education in general and include technical education a key objective. There is another objective respect merging information technology in the education process as part of the ministry»s strategic plans. The study also showed that there are great opportunities and strengths for technical education that can be exploited to meet the points of threats and Weaknesses if they are used efficiently and effectively. The study explained the mechanisms in following up and evaluating the strategic plans which developed with local and international partners in cooperation with the ministry. Based on the analysis of the results, the study presented a proposed vision for the strategy of developing technical education. The study concluded with a set of recommendations in order to enhance the effectiveness of strategic planning of technical education, the most important to be include the key concepts such as innovation, creativity, quality, transparency in order to access excellence in technical education, in addition to that there is needs for the environment to create before the implementation of strategic plans to change the culture of the community specially students towards technical education to avoid the occurrence of resistance to change. Also there is need for integration and harmony between the other strategic plans within the ministry,also, the each departments need to know what is required for individuals and other departments. Finally, The importance of integration with strategic plans for technical education and labor market needs in the GCC. The most important feature of this study is that it is one of the first studies in the strategic planning of technical education in the State of Qatar. Keywords: Strategic Planning, Strategic Plan, Technical Education, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Ministry

This paper investigates the determinants of the relative participation in undergraduate higher education in Slovenia. The determinants of participation in higher education can be investigated at the micro or macro level. Using regression analysis we focus on the macro-level determinants of the increasing relative rate at which the relevant population of youth participates in undergraduate higher education in Slovenia from 1980-81 to 2006-7. Since 1980 the relative participation in higher education has increased more than twice the initial level. We investigate possible reasons for that dramatic increase in association with the overall economic conditions, the financial conditions of individuals, the expected benefits from undergraduate higher education, the proportion of the relevant population who fulfilled the enrollment requirements, the changing personal and social values related to higher education, and the supply side variables of higher education. In a regression analysis we include trend and autoregression effects. Finally, we make a simple simulation estimate of the expected development of the relative participation in undergraduate higher education in Slovenia in the near future.

CIES Bibliography 2010

Chapter 8 - Widening Participation in Higher Education: Preparatory Education Program for Students From Ethnic Minority Backgrounds

Participation in higher education is a significant indicator of development of a society. It is continuously reported that the level of participation of the Muslim community in higher education, especially among male students, is lower than that in other communities in Sri Lanka. A comparison of the involvement of the Muslim community in Sri Lankan university education based on gender shows that male students’ university entrance rate is lower than that of female students. The main purpose of this study was to explore the level of Muslim male students’ participation in higher education. To achieve this purpose, the following objectives were formulated: to identify the status of Muslim male students’ participation in higher education, to examine the perception of Muslim male students on pursuing higher education and to find out the reasons for their low level of participation. The study was conducted as a survey and data were analyzed quantitatively. The sample for the study was selected from the Advanced Level classes of four schools in Matale Education Zone. A total of 56 out 552 students, 28 out of 49 teachers and 29 parents from these four schools were selected as the sample. It was found that willingness to participate in higher education among male students was at a minimal level. About 63% of male students in Advance Level classes wanted to complete their studies and seek job opportunities after their Advanced Level Examination instead of engaging in tertiary education. It was also found that there was a lack of awareness about the opportunities for tertiary education among these students. Therefore, it is suggested that conducting awareness programs on the importance of and avenues available to participate in tertiary education to the students would help to increase Muslim male student participation in higher education.

The traditional German model of skill formation was based on the rather strict segmentation between vocational training and higher education. However, during recent years this differentiation has slowly dissolved, partly by politically motivated developments to increase the permeability between both sectors and partly as a result of latent changes in the participation in higher education leading to a higher degree of ‘academization’. After a short description and analysis of recent trends in higher education and vocational training, especially the expansion of higher education, the article focuses on two processes to achieve more permeability and cooperation between both parts of the German qualification system: (1) the introduction and extending of dual study programmes and (2) the opening of access to higher education for vocational qualified people without the usual school credentials (e.g. the Abitur). The article concludes with two scenarios regarding trends in the participation in higher education.

The primary focus of this article is to examine the role played by economic, social and demographic characteristics in determining the likelihood of participation in higher education for both rural and urban youth in India. Using data from the National Sample Survey (NSS), we examine how household’s demand for higher education is governed by its social composition, gender-related aspects, economic background and cost of acquisition of education. We also estimate significance of these factors in explaining choice of different stream of studies, for example, Arts, Commerce, Science and Technical Education. Youth belonging to schedule caste (SC) and schedule tribe (ST) background have significantly lower odds of going to a higher educational institution compared to other social groups in rural area. The gender impact in terms of higher education participation is more pronounced for the highest income/expenditure quartile for both urban and rural region. Even after controlling for gender, economic and social identity, educational profile of household head exerts a significant impact on the higher educational attendance. Rising cost of higher education exerts a significant detrimental impact on the odds of participation in higher education. Analysis of choice of individual discipline of higher education reveals that female youth have significantly higher odds of attending a higher education institution for Arts/Humanities course in urban India as compared to her male counterpart. However, for every other stream, that is, Science, Commerce, Medicine, Engineering and other professional courses, there is a strong gender bias against female even after controlling for social and economic background of the household.

There has been a substantial convergence in the educational systems of many countries.' Starting with different educational backgrounds, political systems, and economies, both advanced and developing countries have developed similar educational ideologies, institutions, and curricula. One link among some common developments is vocationalism-the orientation of education around preparation for labor markets. In both advanced countries and LDCs, there has been a tendency to consider specific skill training, especially secondary-level vocational education, to be the principal manifestation of vocationalism. This conception is too narrow: every level of schooling, including the university, has become suffused with vocational goals, differentiated along vocational lines, and judged by vocational criteria. To understand the power of vocationalism, it is important to examine the full range of its consequences. In the first part of this article I will discuss different manifestations of vocationalism-understood as specific skill training-in both advanced countries and LDCs. The second section examines some larger consequences of vocationalism, especially its role in educational inflation and in defining the social roles of education. A finding common to many countries is that, despite claims of economic "relevance," vocationalized approaches prove to have little economic justification, fail to resolve the problems that they are designed to address, and generate new problems for education systems. The final section hypothesizes why, given these discouraging findings, vocational solutions to educational and economic problems continue to surface.

Purpose: the aim of this paper is to identify the problems of low effectiveness of public participation in higher education on the basis of the analysis of theoretical-methodological and empirical literature.Methods: this study is based on the institutional paradigm, through the application of the tools of which the main actors with the potential for participation in higher education, roles, opportunities for influence and interests of participants in relation to the system of higher education are identified. The problems of efficiency of interaction between universities and society were identified and characterized in terms of institutional economics.Results: the directions of organization of social involvement in higher education were defined, the taxonomy of directions of interaction between university and society on the example of Ural State University of Economics was given. Based on the correlation of interests and opportunities for influence, their projection on the potential of interaction between the main stakeholder groups of the higher education system was carried out.The problems of low efficiency of interaction between society and higher education were revealed. The most important problems include the lack of a system of informal institutions that mediate the participation practices of the population, employers, and civil society institutions in the implementation of higher education programs. There is no consistent formalization of the processes of interaction between society and higher education through state regulation of this sphere. The most widespread problem is the lack of an established mechanism (model) of public involvement in the educational process that has the necessary methodological and instrumental support in the state policy in the sphere of education. The right of the public to participate in education management is not obvious and understandable for individuals.Сonclusions and Relevance: the potential of studying the sphere of public participation in higher education requires the creation of an independent research program in order to develop areas for improvement and development of institutions mediating the interaction between universities and society.

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand how cultural capital affected low-income undergraduate students' decisions to participate in higher education at highly ranked research institutions in the State of Texas. To fulfill this purpose, four research questions were formulated as the foundation for this investigation: a/ What are low-income undergraduate students' aspirations? b/ How does inherited cultural capital affect low-income undergraduate students' decisions to participate in higher education at highly ranked research institutions? c/ How does acquired cultural capital affect low-income undergraduate students' decisions to participate in higher education at highly ranked research institutions? d/ How do low-income undergraduate students determine affordability of highly ranked research institutions? Data included 12 semi-structured, in-depth interviews, observations, field notes, and documents. Data was analyzed using general inductive analysis, constant comparison, and included multiple coding strategies. Participants represented a range and variations in demographics including age, gender, race/ethnicity, type of high school attended, type of highly ranked research institution enrolled, and quantity in keeping with the proportion of race/ethnicity identified in Texas' Closing the Gap Plan. Findings show low-income undergraduate students' aspirations in terms of desiring a high-status career, jumping from low-income class to high/upper-income class living, and being altruistic. Inherited cultural capital affects low-income undergraduate students' decisions to participate in higher education at highly ranked research institutions in terms of escape generational poverty, and family values higher education. Acquired cultural capital affects low-income undergraduate students' decisions to participate in higher education at highly ranked research institutions in terms of trusted community relationships encourage vision of success, academics activities create competitive advantage, and self-directed exploration activities enhance knowledge for decision-making. Low-income students determine affordability in terms of career objective justifies costs of attendance, and scholarship offerings ease financial burden and make students feel valued. From these findings, three salient conclusions were drawn. First, low-socioeconomics is not an insurmountable barrier to low-income students' participation in higher education at highly ranked research institutions if they inherit the cultural value of higher education. Second, range of acquired cultural capital supported students' decision to participate in high education at highly ranked research institutions. Third, low-income students used an investment strategy to determine the affordability of their aspirations.

The link between class origin and educational attainment have been extensively studied in numerous countries. Additionally, a growing body of research shows that place is essential for understanding educational inequalities. Rural youth have been identified as a group commonly underrepresented in higher education in several countries. However, evidence on how class origin and youths’ place of residence are intertwined in higher education participation is scarce. Based on population-wide administrative data of the Norwegian 1996-1998 birth cohorts, this chapter analyses the relationship between youths’ class origin and higher education participation along an urban-rural axis. The results confirm previous research showing that social class, gender, and place are all contributing factors affecting youths’ higher education participation. Further, the main results can be summarized as follows: (i) the relationship between class origin and higher education participation is somewhat stable along the urban-rural axis, (ii) gender inequality in higher education participation is more prominent in rural versus urban areas, disfavoring rural boys, and (iii) boys growing up in rural areas have a considerably lower probability of participating in higher education compared to their urban counterparts, even when comparing youth with the same class background. The findings suggest that place should be considered a significant factor that could affect youths’ educational careers – alongside and in combination with other well-known factors, such as class and gender.

Rwanda is widely seen as one of the most progressive countries in the world with regard to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. In education, for example, girls’ access to primary and secondary education is among the highest in Africa. However, female students’ participation remains limited in public universities and they constitute only around a third of the student population at the University of Rwanda. This article explores the factors that influence female students’ participation in public higher education in the country. It draws from a study commissioned by the University of Rwanda on the causes of low female enrolment at the institution that was conducted between 2016 and 2017. The study employed a mixed methods approach, and data was gathered by means of questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. The results revealed interlinked structural (such as university policies) and socio-cultural factors that contribute to the exclusion of female students from Rwanda’s top university. Given the complexities involved, this calls for a multi-pronged approach to address the issue of female representation at the University.
 Key words: Gender disparities, female students, higher education, Rwanda