When university fees in Britain were
tripled from the value of £3000 to £9000 in 2010, I was, like so many other
students, shocked. University education is a right for all in Britain and
abroad, so hiking the fee bracket up to £9000 made it less accessible to those
less well off and consequently threatened to make university education
exclusive to those who could afford it, for the loans and grants offered were
not high enough to see someone through a university degree.
However, university education should not be
free. Schooling in Britain is free, however the standard and availability of
good schools is dropping. Rather than pouring money into making university
education free for all, the money should be redirected into improving the
current schools and tackling the huge problem of school place deficit.
An article by the BBC in January 2015
suggested that by 2023, there will be a deficit of 880,000 school places in
England alone. The continued pressure on schools, it continues, to provide these
school places could ‘push them to breaking point’. Statistics by the Labour
party also suggest that 1 in 5 schools are already above capacity.
The schools are suffering, and at a time
when benefits are being cut and welfare is being reduced, the schools need
governmental support. Instead, it is being suggested that all university fees
should get paid by the state, regardless of the financial position of the person
attending that higher education institution.
In schooling terms, it is the most
vulnerable who are suffering, for the more well-off children can get into
private schools, more of which are always being established across the country.
However, the argument put forward for free university education is one which
would extend to all students, regardless of their financial upbringing. Instead
of all students getting free education to university, there should be a reduced
rate of university fee for all of £6,000 per annum, but with a heightened availability
and number of scholarships and bursaries made available. The rest of the money
would then be spent on the improvement and expansion of state schooling, from
which 16 per cent of 15 year olds are left “functionally illiterate”, according
to an article in The Telegraph.
It is not fair for all students to have
access to free university education. Especially when school does not adequately
offer all students the opportunities they deserve, at an early age when it most
matters. The intellectual potential of a student is most hindered at an early
age, which severely limits the range of opportunities they will have in the
future.
Moreover some families can afford to pay
the university fees up front. To put all fees on the government’s shoulders,
when some families can legitimately pay upfront is ludicrous, especially as the
availability of private schools means the more well-off are immune to the lower
standards of some primary and secondary schools.
There is also an overwhelming understress
on the importance of having councilors for specific schools. Mental health is
not treated as it should be at school, meaning that there is not the support
available for students when it is required. A survey conducted by The Key, which
asks headteachers about their views on state education, earlier this month
revealed that 70 per cent of the primary school headteachers interviewed
thought mental health treatment in schools was poor. Mental health consultation
in schools is an area severely neglected and in need of funding.
Government money can be better spent than
paying for all university fees across the UK. For the standards of teaching and
welfare in various primary and secondary schools are not where they should be.
The number of school children is forever increasing, meaning the resources
currently available to schools will become more and more stretched over time.
References:
By: Josh Stein
University Tuition Fees Should Not be Paid by the State.
Reviewed by Admin
on
18:57
Rating:
Reviewed by Admin
on
18:57
Rating:
No comments:
Share your views here! But read our Comment Policy first, found on the about page.