“Inequality in tertiary education is, to a large extent, an extension of inequality at lower levels of education” said Dr Jamil Salmi, former Tertiary Education Coordinator at the World Bank, at a seminar jointly organised by the University of Luxembourg, the EIB Institute and other partners.

In the US, by the age of four, there is already an 18-month academic gap between impoverished children and their wealthier peers. The chances that impoverished children will go to university are scarce. In spite of rapid enrollment growth worldwide, tertiary education remains largely elitist, with marked disparities in access and success persisting in high, middle and low income countries. “This reflects structural barriers stemming from income, ethnicity, gender, language, culture, religion, disability or caste”, said Dr Salmi.

There are two main additional barriers at the tertiary level, Dr Salmi pointed out: financial barriers (university studies are often expensive) and non-financial barriers, including inadequate information, motivation, academic preparation and social capital. Measures can be taken to improve the situation: well-targeted and well-managed financial aid (scholarships and student loans) can be instrumental in reducing financial barriers to tertiary education; less stringent admission criteria for minority students (US, Brazil, India, France..) which work best with academic monitoring and support can help alleviate non-financial barriers.

For Dr Salmi it is crucial to provide equal opportunities for access to and success in tertiary education. “Circumstances beyond an individual’s control should not influence a person’s chances”, he concluded.

 Click here for the presentation.