Enrolment at a Private-Higher Educational Institution in Jamaica: Is there a need to defeminize higher education?

Abstract

The enrolment challenges experienced in the Western world has been a cause for concern for decades and this is not limited to higher educational institutions in Jamaica (Reid, 2016; RJR, 2016, 2017; Wilson-Harris, 2015). However, Northern Caribbean University’s (NCU) image has been used when speaking about this phenomenon in Jamaica (RJR, 2016). There is no denial that NCU has to address the enrolment dilemma that has befallen it since 2010. In 2016-17, new student enrolment increased by 132.1% (n=918). This represents a historic achievement in 25 years (1994-2017). Prior to the academic 2016-17, there were four consecutive years of dwindling new enrolment at NCU (2013-to-2016). The most striking reduction was the 49.8% in 2014-15. In order to contextualize the drastic change that occurred in the 2016-17 academic year over the last decade (2008-2017), it must be noted that enrolment declined for six of those years. The statistics indicate a change in the dwindling trend of enrolment at the institution for the first in almost 25 years (1994-2017). The new student population outstripped the returning student population, 1613 and 1611 respectively. In 2015, an article in the Jamaica Gleaner that was entitled ‘Students shun Christian colleges’ (Wilson-Harris, 2015) used the declining enrolment at NCU, Regent College of the Caribbean (former Jamaica Bible College), and United Theological College of the West Indies (UTCWI) to make an assertion that it is the Christian based philosophy that is accounting for the enrolment decline at these institutions. The author suggested that Christian based ethics is the reason for declining enrolment with little emphasis on the macroeconomic concerns of the nation. The geometric rise in new student enrolment for 2016-17 is a clear indication that the author misspoke. This paper provides evidence to show that the macroeconomic environment in Jamaica is accounting to some degree for the enrolment dilemma. In fact, there is a positive non-linear association between disposable income and new student enrolment. As such, the improvement in new student enrolment at NCU is undoubtedly attributable to financial resources (i.e., ability to pay or otherwise). Therefore, using ‘Christian ethics and philosophy' to explain the challenges that the institution is experience is more anecdotal than evidence-based. On examination of the statistics on enrolment at NCU, there is a challenge that requires urgent attention and one that signals a social challenge for the family. Gender disparity in enrollees is striking. Over the last 25 years, the sex ratio (i.e., number of males divided females * 100) has been exponential declining and this has reached an alarming rate of 28 males per 100 females. Although this does not indicate marginalization, it is clearly signaling future social challenges for the society. Given such findings, to what extent are product offerings at higher educational institution attractive to males? Further research is needed to determine the interest of males as it relates to education and training. The feminization of education is somewhat typical in Jamaica and while this is not comforting news for the organization, the matter requires immediate attention and solution.