Stable balance between the supply and demand of higher education in the transition to post-mass : Providing a decision support model for university administrators in Iran

Document Type : Original research

Authors

1 Researcher in governance of educational systems

2 PhD student in higher education management at Allameh Tabatabai University

Abstract

Massification of higher education appeared as a universal sociological movement based on the role of universities in improving the prospects of individual and social life. The quality, effectiveness and usefulness of this trend in Iran, despite the creation and expansion of the opportunity for people to achieve higher education, is controversial in the Iran. The most important aspect of this situation is the doubt in the increase of supply over the demand for higher education and the existence of the capacity to accept excess or obvious empty seats. In this study, while explaining the theoretical background of the formation of this phenomenon, a model was created to establish a stable balance between the supply and demand of higher education in the transition to post mass. This model, which was created by the Chams Grounded Theory and spiral analysis and synthesis of the views of 14 higher education experts, is composed of a logic, related and complementary components, and macro requirements. The logic of this model is critical rationality; This means that it is necessary for the university's critical and adaptive dialogue with society and its subsystems to be the basis for estimating the demand and supply of higher education. With this rationality, through five components, it includes future research of scientific fields, land-use planning, quantitative and qualitative demographic trends, attracting the participation of social stakeholders, and evaluating the scientific and equipment capacities of the university. From these components, in relation to each other, the necessary data is obtained to estimate the demand and supply of higher education. The effective establishment of this model in universities requires avoiding ideological interventions in higher education, decentralization in determining student acceptance capacity, transparency and social accountability of universities, and structural monitoring based on information systems.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 08 October 2023
  • Receive Date: 27 June 2023
  • Revise Date: 17 September 2023
  • Accept Date: 08 October 2023