The transition from junior high school to the College of Sciences and Humanities (CCH) [high school] of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is "usually complicated" for many adolescents.
MV Note: On April 19, a small group of students from one of the five campuses of this high school system seized the administration building of the UNAM in protest over a proposed curriculum reform. The students vacated the building on May 1 and today (May 9) are scheduled to hold a public dialogue with the UNAM president regarding the curriculum reform.School data report that among those entering this sub-baccalaureate, 80 percent of students have not failed [a junior high subject] and are regarded as good students. However, in the first semester of upper secondary education, 50 percent fail from one to six subjects.
During 2009-2011 (last study), the accumulation of failed classes meant that about 43 percent of students would not finish high school in three years, according to the Institutional Diagnosis for CCH Curriculum Review undertaken by university authorities.
Another important contribution of this analysis indicates that of the more than 10,000 young people who graduated in 2011, the latest year for which data were collected, 24 percent (3,402) chose three high-demand careers: medicine, psychology and law. The document proposes that vocational guidance be provided from the first semesters.
The most difficult period for CCH students is the second year (third and fourth semesters), where the failure increases to 75 percent of students.
The fourth semester clearly fosters potential dropouts. Some explanations for this phenomenon are related to non-school factors: students who enter the workforce, pregnancy and economic problems in the family, among others.
"However, the institution continues to have an impact even on these extra-school factors. The CCH culture has its own weight in some practices that allow students to leave regular courses," the analysis emphasizes. Therefore, it suggests identifying elements of school life that are causing students to drop out.The analysis finds that in the last school year the 'pass' rate in subjects begins to rise, in part from "social and familial pressure" for young people to complete their education at the appropriate time.
Students who have failed only one to six subjects are likely to graduate. They make use of several options to get the credits they need: special examinations, appeals, counseling programs and Saturday courses.
"Although the academic load of students in their final year is heavier, pressure to graduate pushes them to improve their performance in mainstream classes and a significant segment are then ready to graduate on time."... UNAM's report asserts that regarding graduation rates, in the last three years before the 1997 curriculum, the trend was up, but it fell off beginning with the cohort that entered as the 1997 curriculum was introduced. The 1999-2000 work stoppage negatively affected graduation rates. Subsequent to this, the increase has been gradual until it reached an average of 54 percent of students at the end of the three-year period that graduated.
As part of the findings, the analysis emphasizes that the average graduation rate of 57 percent
"is not desirable considering the demand of Mexican society in terms of efficiency and quality that one would expect of high school graduates. Efforts must be redoubled to ensure that all sectors involved in the education of young people actually fulfill the purpose."Spanish original