Opinion Piece - Free Tuition
No Barriers
Nutchey
February 13, 2020
Free tuition is imperative to the well-being of our democracy. It
eliminates barriers to education, reducing inequality and leading to better informed
citizens.
Tuition is a systemic barrier to education which makes it difficult for
lower income students to break into the job market and afford the programs they
would like to study. Removing tuition fees means that everybody has equal
access to education, regardless of their background and income. It fights the history
of classism and elitism associated with universities and ensures that every
person has the right to an education.
With free tuition, students will be able to focus on their studies and
careers without the burden of tuition and student debt. Students will not have
to work as much while in school and they will have time for extracurricular
activities that lead to a balanced lifestyle. After they graduate, they won’t
be burdened by student debt, and will have the opportunity to advance their careers
and education. This puts lower income students on a more even playing field,
increasing their social mobility and career opportunities.
With increased accessibility, citizens can take courses that interest
them and develop strong critical thinking and analytical skills, which are
fundamental to a democracy. According to Kahlenberg
and Janey, schools should not
only give future workers skills for the private marketplace, but also prepare
students to be citizens in a democracy. People will learn their rights and
be more informed about current issues and events. Free tuition also eliminates
the elitism surrounding certain programs and schools and allows for an
education system built on merit rather than classism.
According to Kilian, over the past two decades in BC there has been a
shift towards the marketization of universities and colleges. Provincial
policies for universities have modeled them after businesses, shifting
away from preparing citizens and toward serving the needs of the marketplace.
Cost cutting measures have led to increasing class sizes, tuition fees, and international student fees. This
also means that programs have to fight for funding and to attract enough
customers. Tuition fees have increased 63 per cent since the B.C. Liberals came
into power in 2001, according to CBC. This commodification and gatekeeping of
knowledge is fundamentally incompatible with democracy.
According to a Moe Sihota, a former cabinet minister for the BC NDP, Canada has a labour shortage and BC has a skills shortage. Offering free tuition would help fill this labour shortage. BC has among the worst participation rates in post- secondary education due to income inequality and the housing crisis. On top of that, the average student graduates with $35,000 of debt. Free education will alleviate the growing income inequality in BC.
Free tuition is necessary to maintaining informed and engaged citizens,
which are the cornerstone of Canadian democracy. Rising tuition costs and a
housing crisis are knee-capping young adults and leading to increasing
inequality in BC. Removing tuition is necessary to maintaining a merit-based
education system and fighting growing inequality and classism in BC.
Word count: 497
References
I could not agree with you more here. Even though free tuition seems like an absurd thing to some people, it really does make sense. Why not even the playing field for people who may not have the highest income. It would definitely challenge classism and elitism which would be a meaningful step in the right direction. By giving young adults a better chance for a successful future not only sets up the community to thrive, it allows students to fully concentrate on their education and their well-being.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lauren!
DeleteTotally agree with you on the democratic aspect of education. Education is the best weapon against ignorance and desinformation .
ReplyDelete