SHOULD EDUCATION BE FREE FOR EVERYONE
The USA has been under tremendous pressure by the students with debt. Student debt is supposed to be the most significant burden on any student who took a loan to accomplish their studies. The student debt has been rising due to increased tuition fees. On the contrary, the lower level of education is not that expensive, even though struggling families fail to educate their kids. The overall statement is that education marks the most critical milestone in our economy, whereas educating the children is more challenging at such high times. It is one of the recommendations to free education for everyone. The fact is that if a parent can afford their children’s school fee, they might lack behind in fulfilling the daily school requirements. It is almost impossible for parents to find an affordable education system. It is previously advised to make the education free in the state, but practically it is impossible. If education is provided for free, it will mean there will be fewer resources and the quality of education will be compromised. The teaching business will show less prosperity, as there will be fewer funds to run free education.
It seems impossible to deliver education to the students without charging them a penny. Making education free brings many colleges and universities at risk. There is a good chance that these colleges and universities will be surviving without any aid. Education is critical to achieving life goals. Making education free is supposed to make a drain in the economy, but there are ways by which this economic drainage can be held, and education can be provided free to the students.
There is a concept of shadow education among some families who are not willing to avail the free education system. The concept was well defined by Mary Bark and Oru Kwa in their article “Behind the façade of fee-free education: shadow education and its implications for social justice” 2013. Free education is not being able to implement because of the thoughts of the parents and families, who believe in social values. Most governments espouse the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights principles that education should be free at the elementary and fundamental stages. Even though the government is following the guidelines, some families around the globe feel it is necessary to invest in the shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring. This is the social injustice values that have prevailed society and which is why the idea of free education is not being supported.
Another perverse effect of free education is that it will create social inequality in society. According to comparative Education Review, Vol 21 1977, the provision of free education is going to aggravate social disparities rather than alleviating them. The reason is that free education will attract more students and enrols per class or batch. In the case of universities which have a limited number of places. The absence of tuition fees will increase the gap between demand and supply of the university places. This will contribute to more unemployed secondary school graduates and social unrest.
Another drawback of the education system is that the tuition fee is so high that students are forced to take loans to achieve higher education. According to Sarah Turner and Christopher Avery, total student loan debt rose over 800 billion dollars in June 2010, in the last decade, the debt has risen over a trillion dollars. This is because higher education is costly. The article was regarding the discussion of whether the students are borrowing too much loan. According to the article, education at a higher level is promising and useful, so if the students have to borrow money, it pays off. I would say the tuition fee can be lowered a bit so that there is no debt on the student. The loan lending companies give the student enough time to return the loan until they start their career. But it is also an issue that this much loan can create a gap in the economy.
According to article 29, no citizen should be denied admission in the educational institute of the state based on religion, race, language or cast. According to this rule, there should be equal education for all the residents of the state. All the residents should enjoy equality of education. But this system has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of this system is that it is antipoverty. This system makes sure that no resident feels left out, or less than the other when they need admission in an educational institute. It provides an equal opportunity to the citizens of different colour, race, and religion. Equality in education is an exemplary aspect of the country, as they will contribute to the well-being and prosperity of their country. This is sure to evacuate poverty and alleviate social norms in society. It helps the poor to get rich and to get what their forefathers could not have. Equality in education lets people get the education who are not strong economically. The disadvantage of equal opportunity education is that there is a difference between children depending on their abilities. Let’s not talk about specially-abled children, but there is diversity in their ability to learn. This becomes a challenge for the teacher to take along the students which are brighter and which are not sharp. This makes a good possibility for both kinds of students to be neglected.
Economically, it can be said that equal opportunity is setting the economy back because it lacks the charges. The complete absence of tuition fee makes it difficult for the educational institutes to run. It is often an issue for debate whether the quality of education be compromised in such institutes or not. It can be said that providing higher education for free can cause the economy a drawback. But there is a way to make free education possible both practically as well as economically.
If the education institutes have enough funds that they can satisfy their financial needs and provide free education to the students who are not able to afford it.
The issue of student number remains an issue again. If there are no restrictions on the number of students per year or per class, there is an opportunity that the classes are going to be flooded with the students.
I think providing free education is not a big deal in the world of modern sciences. I think there can be recommendations and restrictions applied to the number of students for admission in the college or university. Another thing is merit; if merit is involved in the admission programs, there is no chance the colleges and universities will be over flooded. If the funds are consistent and are well spent, it will make sure that education is being provided for free without compromising the quality of education. As far as the student debts are concerned, I feel like the tuition fees should be cut off a little bit. There can be student tuition fee discounts for those who are not able to take care of a significant education budget. Families need to open their eyes and should avail the opportunities they have regarding their eligibility and financial aid.
REFERENCES
Mark Bray & Ora Kwo (2013) Behind the façade of fee-free education: shadow
education and its implications for social justice, Oxford Review of Education, 39:4, 480-497,
DOI: 10.1080/03054985.2013.821852
Kagan, J. (2020, August 29). Student Debt. Retrieved October 13, 2020, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/student-debt.asp
Psacharopoulos, G. (1977). The perverse effects of public subsidization of education or how equitable is free education?. Comparative Education Review, 21(1), 69-90.
Avery, Christopher, and Sarah Turner. 2012. “Student Loans: Do College Students Borrow Too Much–Or Not Enough?” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 26 (1): 165-92.
Dannenberg, michael. Konrad Muggelstone. Arguments The Promise of
“Free” College, November 14 2014.