Quality Assurance and Scholarships in Peruvian Higher Education: Student Retention and Dropout during the COVID-19 Pandemic

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54674/ess.v36i2.905
Keywords: Higher education; quality assurance; scholarships; Covid-19; Peru

Abstract

This paper examines recent changes in the Peruvian higher education system as part of its quality assurance process and their influence on the responsiveness of the system to the pandemic. It also focuses on the experiences of scholarship students from vulnerable populations and the factors that contributed or did not contribute to their staying in university in the context of the Covid 19 health crisis. The study was conducted in six public and private universities from three regions in Peru, through a remote qualitative methodology. Results show that universities were in better conditions to face the pandemic thanks to the quality assurance process which allowed them to strengthen themselves in different aspects, as well as the instances in charge of their regulation and supervision. Scholarships also proved to be a fundamental support for the continuity of fellows in the educational system by ensuring access to resources and connectivity.

Author Biographies

Patricia Ames, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), Lima, Peru

She holds a PhD in Anthropology of Education from the University of London. She is a senior lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences, Anthropology section, at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and President of the Center for Sociological, Economic, Political and Anthropological Research – CISEPA PUCP. She co-coordinates the Clacso Education and Interculturality Working Group. Her research addresses the educational and training problems of children and young people in contexts of inequality and diversity, with special attention to interculturality and gender equity.

Robin Cavagnoud, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), Lima, Peru

He holds a PhD in Latin American Society Studies (sociology and demography) from the Institute of Advanced Latin American Studies (IHEAL, Paris III University). He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), as well as director of the PhD in Sociology and coordinator of the Ages of Life and Education (EVE) group at the same university. His research focuses on demographic-family transformations in Latin America, articulating the quantitative and qualitative methodologies of population studies.

Omar Correa, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), Lima, Peru

Anthropologist. Graduated in Anthropology from PUCP and a student of the Master's Degree in Social Anthropology at CIESAS-Mexico. Member of the REGS Network- CLACSO and the Group Ages of Life and Education EVE-PUCP. He has been a pre-teacher in the Academic Department of Social Sciences at PUCP and a research assistant in various Peruvian and Latin American research centers. His research focuses on ethnographing the daily life of contemporary Andean and Amazonian cities, with an emphasis on youth and their reconfigurations through educational, migratory, and health-illness-care processes.

Roxana Gastelú, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), Lima, Peru

Graduate in Anthropology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). Member of the Research Group Ages of Life and Education (EVE) - PUCP. She has participated in research related to the field of education, interculturality, gender and youth, as well as in monitoring and evaluation processes of educational programs and interventions in the public sector. Currently, she works as a specialist in monitoring and follow-up of pedagogical practices at the Ministry of Education.

Claudia Soberon, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), Lima, Peru

Graduate in Anthropology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). Member of the Research Group Ages of Life and Education (EVE) - PUCP. She has participated in various research projects in urban and rural contexts, linked to educational experiences, gender and sexuality, as well as in the monitoring and evaluation of educational and cultural programs and projects. She currently works as an information and knowledge management specialist in the Book and Reading Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of Peru.

Portada principal
Published
2024-12-27
How to Cite
Ames, P., Cavagnoud, R., Correa, O., Gastelú, R., & Soberon, C. (2024). Quality Assurance and Scholarships in Peruvian Higher Education: Student Retention and Dropout during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Higher Education and Society Journal (ESS), 36(2), 423-453. https://doi.org/10.54674/ess.v36i2.905
Issue
Vol 36 No 2 (2024): Academic freedom. Risks and threats
Section
General section articles

Copyright (c) 2024 Patricia Ames, Robin Cavagnoud, Omar Correa, Roxana Gastelú, Claudia Soberon

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