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Just a few years back, America was the most educated nation in the world and led the world in the field of higher education. Our nation enjoyed the highest graduation rate in the world as compared to today’s dismal position of No.12 it holds among 36 developed nations.

President Obama diligently strives to change this situation by enhancing the pool of nation’s dynamic, educated young from forty to sixty percent by the next decade. In order to achieve this, it is essential to add at least eight million four and two year degrees. According to President Obama, this is necessary to ensure we keep pace with the global demand for a trained workforce.

There is however a strong skepticism among many considering the fact that states are experiencing a severe funding cut in the field of higher education. There is no use in just setting the goal if something is not done to get us there says University of Missouri, St. Louis’ associate education professor, Kathleen Sullivan Brown.

Need based scholarships have been scrapped in Missouri and Gov. Jay Nixon has already warned university and college administrators to expect harsher times. Colleges and universities struggling to meet their expenses in Illinois have had to borrow money to meet payroll and cut on budgets. Keeping in mind this situation, education officials say that a lot of things need to be looked into in order to get things going right.

Lumina Foundation of Education’s Policy and Strategy Vice President Dewayne Matthews says that in Missouri, between the age group of 25 and 65, one out of four residents do not have a degree but have college experience. In our nation, within six years, only around fifty five percent of students manage to graduate according to National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. This essentially means that a lot of students are giving up for various reasons.

While some are not able to afford it, others are unprepared for college life and some others simply lose interest as they are unable to academically keep up. According to Matthews, it is possible to dramatically get the numbers up by helping students complete their college education first time through.  

Maryville University dean of school of education Sam Hausfather says that as compared to a few years back, when we were right on tip there it is not that we fell but that other countries overtook us. Our approach to higher education must be completely overhauled if we want to catch up soon. For this higher education must be made responsive to the needs of students and must be made financially efficient.

General expert opinion says that it is importing focusing on actual learning and creativity rather than on tests. They also feel that degree programs must not be so rigid. Experts also feel that rather than spending more time in front of students, teachers must spend more time analyzing their needs and performances. Other suggestions include opening up space for anyone willing to teach and giving weekends and week nights completely off.