Should Students Pay Full Tuition during the Pandemic - Essay Sample

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted different sectors of the economy and with the financial constraints caused by the downsizing of employees in different companies, the students are affected. This is because their parents might not be in a position to afford the full tuition fees or any at all. Everyone has the right to education regardless of their race or financial capability. During this time of the pandemic, students should not pay full tuition fees because jobs have been lost, online instruction cost less and the on-campus experience is no longer available since the students have to attend their classes virtually.

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Because of the pandemic, many people have been laid off in their places of work meaning they no longer have a source of income (Abodunrin). The struggle with the college costs is therefore now more intense than it was before the pandemic since parents and guardians are struggling to make the ends meet. Therefore if students are required to pay the full tuition fees it means the children of the parents who no longer have a source of income will be disadvantaged as their parents will be unable to cater for their education expenses. This means that education will be a privilege rather than a right and it will increase the education disparity between the rich and the poor.

Secondly, students should not pay full tuition during the pandemic because online learning does not provide the experience they get from on-campus learning (Pohle). While some students prefer online learning others prefer on campus as it allows them to socialize, become more organized as they have to follow a strict schedule, and be more disciplined. Additionally, with online learning, they have no access to games, library and laboratory, one on one conversation, and student clubs which are part of the college experience. With online learning, it means they must have a computer and a stable internet connection to obtain maximum benefit.

Thirdly, the tuition fees should be subsidized because online instruction cost less than on-campus learning. some students and parents feel that on-campus learning is far much better than online instruction and that the schools do not spend as much on online learning as they do on normal learning. They, therefore, feel they are paying much for less and that whatever they are learning through online instruction is not comparable to what they could learn when they attend the classes physically (Pohle). They feel that many resources are unavailable during online instruction and that many challenges hinder the effectiveness of online instruction. However, the opponents of subsiding tuition fees argue that a lot of money is spent in putting up the online resources and that online learning if adopted effectively is not inferior. Additionally, they argue that tuition fees do not cover extracurricular activities (Massa).

The pandemic has destabilized many people's lives both emotionally and financially. It has resulted in the loss of jobs which has made some parents face financial challenges in paying tuition fees. The debate, therefore, rises on whether the students should pay full tuition fees during the pandemic. Students and parents argue that their tuition fees should be subsidized because they are not able to pay the full amount due to financial challenges caused by the pandemic, online instruction costs the schools less, and that it does not accommodate on campus experiences such as socialization and extra-curricular activities.

Works Cited

Abodunrin, Oyinlola, Gbolahan Oloye, and Bola Adesola. "Coronavirus pandemic and its implication on global economy." International journal of arts, languages, and business studies 4 (2020).

Massa, Robert. "Why Colleges Shouldn't Cut Tuition For Online Instruction During Recent Months (Opinion) | Inside Higher Ed". Insidehighered.Com, 2020, https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/05/19/why-colleges-shouldnt-cut-tuition-online-instruction-during-recent-months-opinion.

Pohle, Allison. "The Coronavirus Pandemic Is Making College Students Question The Price Of Their Education". WSJ, 2020, https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-coronavirus-pandemic-is-making-college-students-question-the-price-of-their-education-11598619781.