Education Commons^™

Raising Retention Rates Towards Achieving Vocational And Career Aspirations In Pacific Communities, Jioji Ravulo

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There is a need for culturally relevant and appropriate retention pro- grams within a climate of ever-increasing neo-liberalism that is seeking to change the very nature and underlying rationale of higher education. This article is posited alongside the reflections of past and current university students, who highlight various socio-economic and socio- cultural pressures which affect their ability to maintain engagement within tertiary institutions in which they strive to study. Pressures include the neo-liberal ideology of unfettered individualism within a higher education setting, which seeks to make the university a competitive producer of 'consumers' rather than life-long learners who serve and …