Are they really interested?

Educational wastage, in respect of students failing successfully to complete their course in the time assigned (either by dropping‐out, failing, or resitting) is a matter of concern to any institution. Those who see educational wastage in financial terms can currently point to specific courses in specific institutions where wastage, as defined above, runs at over 40 per cent. Even those who focus more on the developmental needs of students than on the money involved are disturbed by the psychological wear and tear of failing to cope adequately with a course. In looking for causes the students tend frequently to blame the institution, and vice versa. Perhaps the most frequently expressed cause, agreed on by both parties, is lack of interest. ‘He or she just doesn't seem interested in the work’, or ‘I found when I got there that I wasn't interested in the subjects’. This leads one to ask whether students sufficiently check out their interests before applying, and whether course tutors tend to make the assumption — not always warranted — that because students apply for a certain course they must be interested in it.