Essay Sample on Role of Free Higher Education

Introduction

Higher education importance and the role has always been a critical question in identifying the investment required to finance higher education sufficiently. In research of countries that had free for all higher education found out that students and parents spend more than the government in exam preparation and while studying, bringing into focus the relevance of free higher education(Johnstone & Pamela, 345). Most issues not addressed by higher education, for example, historical injustices, gender equality, and customary beliefs are just some of the issues that free tertiary education, if introduced, should be able to handle. Maybe higher education should be free, but the real question should be who benefits the most or if the benefits exceed the shortfalls of a free higher education system. The cost of higher education and if it should shift from parents and students to the government remains a relevant question. The importance of cost-sharing and its best application also remains relevant (Hylen & Tom, 21).

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Higher Education Would Have an Expanded Reach

Higher education should be free to enable availability to more people who wish to further their education. For any economy to thrive, the skilled labor force is required to ensure higher production, and the ability to improve competence to the highest level requires the highest education (Johnstone & Pamela, 356). When the labor pool is competitively and adequately skilled, only then can the economy function properly. Providing free education enables higher chances of a skilled labor force. Higher completion rates in tertiary occur to a student in private and not for profit school while lower completion occurs in public colleges, most of them being those that offer less than offer two-year courses. Making higher education free would improve the rate of college completion drastically (Pettinger, 3). Higher education being free would affect the general quality of education, which in turn becomes counter-productive towards improving competent graduates. Government managed institution faces the same problem, bureaucracy, and gross mismanagement of public funds may lead to the quality of higher education to decline.

Financial Constraint Would Ease

The current education system leaves many college students with a high amount of debts (Pettinger, 2). College debts are discouraging to most in pursuing higher education; this, in turn, exerts financial pressure on students, whereby they apply for courses that pay higher instead of those that they prefer. Some go colleges they don't want to just because they are cheaper. Debt in higher education leaves the student in a situation they may not want to take more risk like starting a business finding a more lucrative job trying to repay the higher education loan. (Hylen &Tom, 21) The debt cycle, which hampers the productivity of the highly skilled labor force, would be eliminated, ensuring that quality and standard of living improves drastically.

On the other hand, free would create a strain in public resources that would otherwise be channeled elsewhere. The sustainability of higher education may prove a challenge for the taxpayer. It is, therefore, prudent to consider the financial position in an economy. The immediate effect of higher education on the general state of education may be slow or unrewarding to that student who is caught up in transition periods of the system (Pettinger, 4). Higher education may help bridge the inequities between the rich and the poor. In cases where higher education is reserved for the rich deservedly or undeservedly may no longer be applicable and higher education on merit would more appropriate hence reducing the inequities rampant.

Free Higher Education Would Equip People for Changing the Economy

With how fast the economy keeps changing, industries dying down and new ones emerging could prove a challenge maintaining a skilled labor pool in the economy. Free higher education would help in retraining and redeveloping the said labor force skill, which in turn helps in keeping an economy dynamic(Pettinger,3). Controlled free education would reduce the abuse of the system whereby grades and timelines are maintained at an appropriate standard (Johnstone & Pamela, 360). In the case of the economic downturn, a skilled economy would export its expertise readily so that foreign investment would be a real option. Free higher education reduces the quality of education in the same way student loans reduced the value of higher education.

The most significant shortfall of free higher education would be giving help who actually can afford a college education. Subsidizing cost for those who can afford it would be counter-effective to the primary reason for providing it. Free higher education has to be paid for hence the need to increase taxes to cater to new expenditure. Free higher education offers no control over what people study (Hylen &Tom, 22). People flooding the market with the same skill may not be the best indication as the more essential courses are regulated by how much tuition fee is paid. Higher education cost is not limited to tuition cost, and it still may cost considerably much to go through college. Costs such as food and housing may not adequately be covered by free higher education.

Conclusion

The aims of this study in understanding the role of free higher education and if the government should shoulder most of the cost in trying to establish a skilled labor force. Despite seemingly glaring loopholes in trying to provide free college education, the benefits of providing free education, in the long run, seems to have benefits that greatly outweigh the disadvantages. However, the most significant differences in transitioning into a free college system matter and are crucial to how effective free higher education is going to be. The ability to make a college education affordable may not depend on waiving tuition expenses only since the highest expenditure is not necessary tuition but may include the cost of housing, food, and clothing. Alternatives, however, in the quest to finance higher education may be the most prudent way to ensure that integrity and quality of higher education are maintained, for example, internships, work -school programs would ensure affordable higher education overall with the advantage of having competent graduates. The best answer for the higher education system lies in research and development of qualities of the current system, which may or may not include free higher education. Finally, free higher education, just like free health coverage, should be adequately planned and implemented to maintain quality and value.

Works Cited

Hylen, Jan, and Tom Schuller. "Giving knowledge for free." OECD Observer 263 (2017): 21-22.

Johnstone, D. Bruce, and Pamela N. Marcucci. Financing higher education worldwide: Who pays? Who should pay?. JHU Press, 2010.

Pettinger, Tejvan. "Should University Education Be Free?" Economics Help, 2017, www.economicshelp.org/blog/949/economics/should-university-education-be-free/.