This week, a project workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, discussed access, retention, student diversity, and more issues. The workshop was part of the project Access to Success: Fostering Trust and Exchange between Europe and Africa. ESU is a partner in the project, and in October ESU organised a focus group session in Stockholm on student perspectives on success and retention in higher education.

“Many unions complain about financial barriers that keep potential students away from higher education” says Inge Gielis from ESU’s Social Affairs Committee, who participated in the Addis Ababa workshop.

"The reasons given are high fees, costs for accommodation and transport, etc. Another problem reported is that student financing is insufficient to cover all costs, which manifests itsef further in studentsnot being encouraged in the same way to go to higher education. It is also reported that not all students can prepare equally for entrance exams because some have to work and have less time to prepare for them. Other students can afford private lessons to be better prepared”, says Gielis.

The project is funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus Mundus programme, and aims at raising awareness on higher education access and retention issues in Africa and Europe.

The project brings together representatives of universities (senior leadership, faculty involved in access and retention issues, faculty involved in international relations and students from African and European universities), but also representatives stakeholder organisations, governments and donor agencies.

You can read more about the project here.