Online lectures a main reason to quit studies last year

Mandatory online education at colleges and universities during the coronavirus pandemic this past year was one of the main reasons students dropped out or switched courses, career orientation company Qompas found in a survey of over a thousand first-year students, RTL Nieuws reports.

In 2020, 32.5 percent of first year students dropped out or switched courses - a slight increase from the around 32 percent who did likewise in the past years. 85 percent of students who did so told Qompas that online education because of the pandemic "certainly or somewhat" contributed to their decision.

Students who live at home with their families were less likely to stop studying due to the pandemic - 50 percent compared to 73 percent of those who lived in student housing or on their own. University students were most likely to say that online education contributed to their decision to quit at 66 percent. Vocational students were much less likely at 39 percent.

81 percent of those who quit or switched due to online education, said it was because online education was "not motivating". 68 percent missed social contact. Half said online education was boring and hard to follow.

A large majority also said that they were not satisfied with the support and guidance first-year students got during the pandemic.