South African Government Offers Cash Rewards to Universities That Boost Graduation Rates

In South Africa about 40 percent of students drop out during their first year at a university. And the dropout rate for blacks is far higher than the rate for whites.

Now the government is offering cash incentives to universities that are able to improve their graduation rates. In order to be eligible for the government’s teaching development grants, universities will be required to publish the pass rate for individual courses so that students will know their prospects for success. In their grant applications, universities will be required to show how they plan to improve the pass rates for courses where students are having the most trouble obtaining a passing grade.

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