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I'm still undecided on whether higher education should be free or not. There is an issue that needs to be dealt with (or solved) before we should considered mak
by Jormundir 13y ago
I'm still undecided on whether higher education should be free or not. There is an issue that needs to be dealt with (or solved) before we should considered making tuition free, though.
I see the sky high college tuitions as a side effect. The real problem we need to tackle first is how these institutions are structured and what they're spending their money on.
From what I learned of the university I attended, huge (HUGE) amounts of the budget go towards administration, and relatively smaller slices go to teachers and facilities.
Before we start subsidizing, or trimming degree programs and services, lets make sure we're re-aligning our higher education institutions around the original mission: education! Once we've gotten our schools back to providing the best possible education, and fostering good teaching faculty, then we can start talking about subsidizing the cost. Then we will know as a society, that we are truly paying to make our citizens more powerful in their pursuit of happiness.
As the state of our education system stands right now, I would not want to subsidize it.
- baddox 13y agoI think you've got things backwards. College tuition has risen so rapidly because of the vast amount of subsidization from the federal government.
- krakensden 13y agoIt has risen rapidly because the subsidies are college tuition loans instead of something less indirect and goofy.
- Jormundir 13y agoI think you've missed my point. -- I'm saying before even beginning a conversation about subsidies (for or against, doesn't matter), we need to resolve the systemic structural problems of universities. Perhaps also move forward the debate of what constitutes a good education, so we have clearer targets to work towards.
- eliteraspberrie 13y agoA middle ground may be to subsidize only some fields. STEM requires more investment than the arts (laboratories, equipment, etc.) so is a better candidate for subsidies.