Free Tuition for Post-Secondary Education
A quick internet search shows you a list
of all the countries that offer free tuition at their post-secondary, public
institutions. At first, free tuition sounds ideal, but dive deeper and it’s
possible that the cost of tuition is more necessary, and less challenging to
students, than it initially seems.
Our society doesn’t seem
to value education without a price attached—maybe we take it for granted
because we went to grade school at no cost. With financial interest at hand,
there may come a higher incentive to attend college or university. In a culture
that places such high value on money, one could argue that we need to pay tuition in order to motivate
students, helping them to feel that they are getting their ‘money’s worth.’
With the financial
sacrifice that tuition requires, it’s possible that classes draw in only the
truly committed. Bozeman argues that in a competitive job market, completing
your post-secondary education can be what sets you apart. Free tuition however,
can flood the system and devalue your completed credentials—making it more
difficult to succeed in acquiring a career (2016).
Free tuition could potentially
result in the closure of private institutions. Many attend private schools for
the prestige or specialized programs. The appeal of not paying at all however,
may entice students to abandon their incentives for private schooling, in turn
costing the jobs of many, narrowing the job opportunities for future professors
and resulting in the loss of many focused programs. With 81,659
students attending private schools this year—almost 13 per cent of all the
students in British Columbia—it’s certain that our economy would suffer (Kilian,
2016).
An argument made for
free-tuition is that education should be an opportunity for everyone, and those
who come from a low-income background may be disadvantaged. However, if a
student is determined to go to university or college, the federal and
provincial governments offer ways around the financial burden. For example, in
Ontario, they have a program called Ontario Student Assistance Program which
makes tuition free for students whose families make less than $50,000 a year (Ottaway,
2017). Where it used to be difficult to find out about available assistance,
the government has updated their online process, making this information easily
available with the use of an ‘eligibility calculator.’ As well, there is a
network of scholarships, awards, and bursaries available for everyone—Alberta alone
grants more than $97 million each year to their students (Ottaway, 2017).
There are certainly areas
for improvement. The public knowledge of what is available to lessen the
financial burden of tuition can certainly become more known and widespread. But
in order to keep students engaged and our economy in check, it seems we do in
fact need the financial interest of paying tuition.
References
Bozeman, M.A. (2016, March
7). Top 3 reasons why free college is a bad idea. Odyssey. Retrieved February 17, 2018, from
http://www.theodysseyonline.com/top-3-reasons-free-college-bad-idea
Killian, C. (2016, October
25). The causes and consequences of BC’s private school growth. The Tyee. Retrieved February 17, 2018,
from http://thetyee.ca/opinion/2016/10/25/BC-Private-School-Growth/
Ottaway.C. (2017,
September 11). Want free university? Changes to OSAP, Canada student grants
could help. Maclean’s. Retrieved
February 15, 2018, from
http://www.macleans.ca/education/university/want-free-university-changes-to-osap-canada-student-grants-could-help/
I totally agree with you! I don't think tuition should be free for all. Students need to have some money in it for the commitment aspects. I could see the government reimbursing these students half or all if they have a B average or higher. This would make school accessible to more people if they are truly in it for the long run and there to succeed rather then waste time and only attend for the good time..
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your piece, and I totally agree with you as well. I believe that paying for your education makes you work harder, since our cultures places a high value on money, as you have written. I come from Sweden where University is for free, and I can see a big difference of commitment between the students in Canada and at home. On the other hand, we have higher taxes in Sweden, so in the end we also pay for our education but we do it throughout our entire life. I still believe though that paying for your education is good, and it puts more quality into the educational system.
ReplyDelete/Amanda
I really enjoyed this article, Taylor! I appreciate your argument, and I agree that paying for school gets the students their "moneys worth" on education. I agree that losing tuition payments from students would bring forward a huge loss of income for the schools, and its professors. It is a very difficult argument to fight for or against, because yes, free tuition would be great, but without tuition costs, would post-secondary even exist?
ReplyDeleteI agree that education should be available to everyone, yet your article has had me thinking critically about the potential harms of free tuition. I like that Ontario has that specialized program for students with lower-income families, but like I argued in my article, it is difficult to judge a student's financial situation off of their "families". Not all students have a strong relationship with their parents, and not all parents support their students' commitments. So, having a program for those students who can show that their families make under a certain amount of money a year, leaves out the students who don't receive any money whatsoever from their families - yet their parents' incomes are high. It's a hard argument to make!
I agree with your concluding statement, "in order to keep students engaged and our economy in check, it seems we do in fact need the financial interest of paying tuition." But it could also go both ways.
Great work on this piece! I found it really thought-provoking and I like your approach to the topic. I agree with you that tuition should not be free and that there should be a level playing field for those hoping to further their education. The problems you point out in regards to free-tuition are valid and logical. The idea of losing interest in school if it were free is also a very real issue. I know that if tuition were free I would not take post-secondary as seriously.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more! I touched on this as well, but money is such a huge motivator. If it is just free with no conditions or stipulations, I don't think we'll see as many students excelling. Without some sort of sacrifice people don't see value. In my opinion, tuition should stay in place and can be refunded after the classes have been completed with a certain predetermined grade or average. At that time any student loans that have been taken out can be repaid with no major cost to the student.
ReplyDelete