Should Higher Education be Made Free for All Students?
Posted on December 9th, 2009
The debate rages on about the high cost of education and who should be the real beneficiaries. Many proposals have been floated and various modules studied but still a consensus cannot be reached on who should really pay for the cost of higher education. Critics of the free education system will complain about “edu-flation” while supporters will speak about the social benefit of having an educated population. Student Loan Blog has put this as poll question too; our statistics came as per our expectation. 73% of our readers voted in favor of free education while 27% of the voters decided against it.
Free Education System
The free education system has both good and bad factors. However, its effectiveness is hinged on good governance and fair play amongst the parties involved. Studies have shown that in countries such as Cuba, where students are given the opportunity to pursue their career goal up to university level, there is a significant increase in public awareness, nationalism and pride. Analysts have always stated that an educated population is much easier to manage, as there is less crime and violence. The government is able to speak directly to their populous about the facts of the economy or any other issues facing the country without fear of the people being overwhelmed by the jargon. One example of this is the success that Cuba exhibits in disaster control. The country sits in the middle of the Caribbean’s hurricane belt but has one of the lowest natural disaster death rates in the western hemisphere.
Under the free education system all that is required of graduates is to contribute to the economy of the country. Some countries also use the free education module as an economic module especially if the country has limited natural resources. These countries offer their nationals free education then export labor to other countries. The country then benefits from the remittances sent back home by professionals working overseas.
Critics of this system complain about being bonded to the state for a couple of years before they can pursue their personal objectives. However, at the pace at which the cost of education is increasing, it a small price to pay for their professional development.
Self-funded Education
Others believe that education should be reserved for those who can afford it. It is not the state’s responsibility to determine who gets education. This free market system drives the entrepreneur spirit and reduces the dependency syndrome that often plagues countries that offer state funding for education.
Private funded education helps to control “edu-flation” where there exist a large number of educated individuals who are unable to get employment. Under these conditions, general salaries of employees get driven down as the economy becomes an employers market where they can pick, choose and refuse individuals for employment. In the end, this will drag down the overall economy and individuals’ lack of sustainable salaries will result in them cutting back on spending.
Public education also put unprecedented strain on the nation’s economy. At present, many public schools are struggling for funding as governments try to balance their limited resources and meet the needs of other sectors of their economy. Relieving the nation of this burden by having students pay for their higher education both increases the awareness of the importance of hard work and reduces abuse of the educational system. It also teaches responsibility where students learn how to manage their time and finances to navigate through the education process.
Both self-paid and free higher education has their strong and weak points. Both systems can be beneficial to society but is hinged on the social environment of the nation and their specific priorities.
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