Pay it up. Logan Nielsen. February 19, 2017
It’s one of the proudest moments of your life. Dressed in
a cap and gown. Full of self-satisfaction after completing years of schooling.
Surrounded by your class mates and friends, knowing that together you conquered
the grind of post-secondary. Your life now truly begins, and so do your student
loan payments.
This is the reality for most students after completing
college/university. A burden of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. But
what if this wasn’t the case? What if graduating students had no financial
burden to bare? This could be possible with free tuition. Free tuition is good because
it’s possible for governments and allows more people in society to learn.
Some would argue that individuals should be responsible
for their educational payments. They think those willing to better themselves,
and improve their situation will pay for it. But as Wiener (2015) says, “The
purpose of education is not just to enable people to increase their lifetime
incomes; it’s to help them understand the world, to stimulate the imagination
and inspire creativity in all fields,” (p.224). With free tuition, more people can
become educated, thus enrichening society.
This idea is not a pipe-dream. It’s already in use in
several countries including Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and France, (Wiener, 2015,
p.224). Would this system work in North America though? The United States has proposed
ideas about free tuition but nothing can ever be agreed upon. Except in Tennessee.
Where, “the legislature voted to make tuition and fees free for two years, for
all state high-school graduates who want to go to a community college or
technical school,” (Wiener, 2015, p.225). The plan is widely popular as it attracted
almost 90 percent of graduating seniors, (Wiener, 2015, p.225).
Free tuition is an achievable goal. It’s already in
practice in strong economic countries and signs point to more leaning to this
idea. It will allow graduates the chance to keep their heads above water and contribute
to society in a more meaningful way.
WIENER, J. (2015). Aiming Higher: Make College Tuition Free.
Nation, 300(14), 224-226
