COLLEGE EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE FREE

Colleges that charge no tuition fees for education seem like an ideal solution for student. While they do not exist in most parts of the world some European countries still offer free tertiary education. However, in my opinion this model has major disadvantages for students, universities and the public. I would therefore believe that college education should not be made free for students because of several reasons. Firstly, my main point in arguing against free education is that the general public is made to pay for the costs of higher education. A degree profits an individual during their entire working life through a higher salary. Having people pay for students who choose not to not attend university seems unfair. Students may take for granted the education that they are getting if its free. According to Garcia (2012), people sometimes would not value something that they did not pay for. Hence, tax money should be spent in a way that profits the public, not just individuals.

Next, free colleges and universities may experience poor funding and this may be related to the quality and range of the programs offered. With poor funding universities struggle to attract qualified professors, equip laboratories, computer labs and others. According to Ferreri (2012), the funds that universities and colleges received are very much dependent on the institutions performance. If education is being made accessible to students who are not keen in their studies, the institutions credibility may be at stake. Also, in a tuition-free education system there may be little competition between universities as they do not aim to attract more or better students.

Lastly, it can be argued that students profit most from not having to pay tuition. This view can be shortsighted as colleges which offer free courses have little motivation to improve the quality of education that they offer. Also, students have little influence when complaining about poor quality or outdated education and equipment. Colleges have no motivation to listen to their complaints as students leaving do not affect their financial situation. Additionally, it is human nature to value free resources and not treat them with great care. In a free education system, the students have little pressure and sometimes little support from the college to finish their education in a timely manner. This is supported by Gunn (2012), Young people grow and mature through toil and struggle. They develop self-confidence by facing a difficult and expensive challenge and finding a way to conquer it. If students do not feel the hardship of earning a degree, consequently, some students spend years in college.

In conclusion, for all these reasons I believe paying tuition for higher education is a better and more just solution than the public paying for universities. On top of being a fair system, it is most likely to improve the quality of education offerings in the long run.

REFERENCES

Ferreri, Eric (2012). Reshaping a state: Less funds for college educations. NewsObserver.com. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/05/15/1198562/a-college-education-may-getfurther.html
Garcia, Alex (2012). Free college wont solve our education crisis. Fox News Latino. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/04/15/free-collegewont-solve-our-education-crisis/ Gunn, Steve (2012). Free college tuition is not the answer, lower college tuition is. The Muskegon Chronicle. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from

http://www.mlive.com/opinion/muskegon/index.ssf/2012/03/steve_gunn_6.html

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