The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
I actually thought about the possibility of having a free higher education some weeks back after I paid some fees at my faculty and wondered why there are so many fees and dues to pay all the time. Many of us don't come from rich homes and even though we attend public universities which are cheaper than private ones, it's still a hassle to come up with the school fees and other fees.
But whatever higher education becomes free? I think it will be a wonderful endeavor! Most public primary and secondary schools are already free in my country and even though they come with certain problems, they have been a great help to most families. My sisters passed through a public school and benefited from the free education and it was a great burden lifted off my parent's shoulders coz they didn't have to deal with school fees.
Free higher education is already happening in some countries. A couple of months ago, someone on readcash was telling me how he enjoyed free education up to his days in college and he didn't pay a dime, even books were provided for free. I have forgotten the country he is from but while trying to Google a list of countries that offer free high education to see if anyone rings a bell, I found out that a lot of other countries do that.
Countries like Germany, Italy, Sweden, and some others offer free education although some of them come with some specific conditions. Will something like that ever happen in my country? I believe so, but it might probably take a couple of decades before it happens that's if the country doesn't completely break down one of these days.
But if free higher education was to happen, will it have any effects? Of course it will, the effects can be negative or positive but I believe even the negative effects can be properly managed. One of the negative effects that might come up is that it can lead to a large influx of people into higher institutions and that can lead to overcrowding but that can easily be controlled by something that most universities in the country are already doing.
Higher institutions can put a limit on the number of people they admit each session and that can control the population of students in each institution. Another problem is on the part of the government. Usually, higher institutions use the funds gotten from school fees and other levies to run things within the institution, and making education free will mean that the government will have to provide the funds that go on into each institution.
This will inevitably mean that the government will have to get the funds from tax and this will in turn lead to an increase individual tax. But, even with the increased tax, will we have a good government that will properly fund those institutions? Well, time will tell. The whole success of free higher education will depend on how good the government is and also how the people respond to higher taxation.
But how will all these affect the standard of teaching? This actually depends on how well the teachers/tutors are treated. If they are paid and treated well by the government, then the standard of teaching will improve but if it's the other way around, then it will be lowered. Most teachers get their motivation from the salaries they are paid and if that isn't coming as when due, then they will likely not perform their jobs well.
Overall, I think free higher education will be a very good initiative. Many people end up dropping out of school because of financial issues but if that was no longer a factor, I believe it will give a lot of people the opportunity to go to higher institutions and complete their studies. But here's something we are not considering; will this lead to more availability of jobs waiting for the graduates from these institutions? I leave that topic for another day.
Thanks for reading
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