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

Area of Science:

• Socio-educational policy analysis
• Higher education research
• Public administration

Background:

• Higher education dropout exacerbates social disparities and limits educational benefits.
• Existing public policies are often ineffective in rural higher education settings.
• Rural student retention in higher education remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To simulate public policy scenarios for mitigating school dropout in rural Colombian higher education.
• To apply a Dynamic Performance Management approach to analyze policy effectiveness.
• To identify data-driven strategies for improving student retention in rural areas.

Main Methods:

• Designed a parameterized simulation model using data from Colombian state entities.
• Conducted five distinct policy simulations.
• Analyzed results using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon Sign Rank tests.

Main Results:

• Simulations indicate that expanding educational credits and financial support reduces dropout rates.
• Implementing a family income subsidy further contributes to decreased dropout numbers.
• The study demonstrates the potential impact of specific policy interventions on student retention.

Conclusions:

• A dynamic, data-driven approach is effective for preventing and mitigating higher education dropout in rural areas.
• Identifying key dropout factors is crucial for effective policy design.
• Government policies can significantly enhance school retention in rural higher education.