Prevention and Mitigation of Rural Higher Education Dropout in Colombia: A Dynamic Performance Management Approach.

Abstract

Dropout is a socio-educational phenomenon that has the scope to limit the benefits of higher education, as well as widen social disparities. For this reason, governments have implemented various public policies for its prevention and mitigation. However, in rural populations, such policies have proven to be inefficient. This paper aims to simulate public policy scenarios for the treatment of dropout in rural higher education from a Dynamic Performance Management perspective. This method supports policymakers in better understanding the core dynamics underlying the rise of this phenomenon, thus providing additional insights on how to tackle its further overflow. Due to the complexity of educational systems, the present study was developed in the Colombian context, however the model is operationalizable in any other country. As a result, the adoption of such a simulation-based approach suggests that the policies of expanding the coverage of educational loans and financial support, as well as adding a subsidy to the family income, allow for reducing the number of dropouts.