should higher education be free?
87096
I think education should be free for every residence of every country no matter were they come from and what there parents do.A society that does not provide for free education for its residence is causing problem for itself in future.FREE EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO OUR FUTURE
729793
You are among a heck of a lot of people.  Education is not cheap and if you study hard and learn it will pay off for you.  \n\nNot for the same reason but I was over one million in debt for a year.  Took a gamble and nearly lost it the first year and then things turned and bingo I could make the payments and even more.  \n\nAs they say if it is free then it has no value.
609395
Yes indeed.  There have been recent studies which reveal that as much as 40% of high school students report that they were given no information at all about college.  It isn't enough to assume that the "good" kids will find the information on their own.  This is the mentality that threatens to make higher education a commodity reserved for the wealthy (if it isn't already). It isn't as if, nationally, all schools would step aside and agreeing to provide less information to their students -- its the underprivileged high school students who are left in the dark while students from wealthy families receive the information about SAT Prep, College Prep, help from financial advisors to "maximize" their financial aid eligibility, etc.\n\nBased on my experience working in Higher Education (Financial Aid), I  have no doubts that students need to receive more financial aid information.  Both students and their parents need to have more realistic expectations about the costs of education today (most know that it's expensive but they think that they'll "find a way" to pay).  Comments like the one from the above poster perpetuate the myth that "expensive schools give more financial aid." There are more expensive schools that DON'T give out good aid packages than those that DO!  It's true that they're all looking for the best students, but that doesn't mean that they can afford to "woo" the students that they want (schools that are "top" in their field like Harvard, Juilliard, and MIT might be able to, but these are the exception and not the rule).\n\nAs for my personal experiences with the process: I didn't receive ANY information either, and it made what should have been an exciting process feel like a chore. It was many years ago, but I remember being called into the guidance office with a group of about 10 other students.  They plunked us down in front of a large table piled with college "How To" guidebooks (of the "For Dummies" ilk), gave us each a piece of paper, and told us that by the end of the period, we had to list of 10 colleges we might want to apply to...  Anyone who had siblings in college knew how to narrow down the THOUSANDS of schools out there but, being the oldest in my family, I didn't even know the difference between UC Berkeley and Berklee College (or Stanford and Samford).  I didn't know which schools were "reach" schools and which would be my "safety" schools -- these aren't the sorts of things you can tell by the school's name!  When this "session" was over, I couldn't help but cry.  Eventually, the guidance counselor found me a book where I could search for schools by major.  But, sheesh, what a way to have your students "test the waters" by throwing them in the deep end!\n\nAs for what kind of information I could've used: information about the various schools' reputations.  Assuming a school has the resources, why not offer one-on-one counseling where the student is asked about their academic interests and then pointed in the right direction? Most students have a sense of whether they want a big or small school, co-ed or not, city or rural, etc. -- it would seem to be less overwhelming to start with what you know rather than drawing attention to all the "missing pieces" in a student's college search.
511672
While you may qualify for a full scholarship somewhere, I highly doubt you will ever find a University without tuition, thereby free.
185340
as far as i have heard, eductation til school level is free is the uk. but at college level i think we need to pay. you may b able to obtain a scholarchip from certain universities. u shud contact the schools individualy and go through theor application process
1003135
other than the legal (which i don't think is that bad) yes they are flawed. In Europe medical and education are Free. If it works over there why not do it here. the answer to that is that  America is a capitalist country. professors and doctors that make six figures a year wont be making that much  if it were free. there are always extremes, to much of something is always bad. America has taken capitalism to the extreme. it has gotten so bad that even though we see that it works and this would benefit everyone, we would never do it because people want to make there money.
814438
Mandatory attendance at the University level is ineffective educational theory. One is responsibility for meeting, or not meeting, his or her own scholastic goals and agendas. The pursuit of excellence and clarity of thought cannot be legislated.
901200
A great idea for any school but it costs a great deal. Bill Gates would certainly help through his charity.
1045105
I think they should all pay for their education instead of free laoding off the backs of the people who work for a living. can't afford it? aww shame get a bloody job then work for a living, dig ditches... clean out toilets... do you more good, character building it is...
891725
More money spent on pre-school learning. This is the time when children's brains develop the most.\n\nMore government funded apprentesships for less academic students. \n\nTuition fees for home-learning degrees should be lower. There's no reason for them to be the same price as learning at a campus. Learning from home is a much more efficient use of time and money.
662727
yes i agree with you I think the laws should be strict.  but like you said you are a broke, poor college student (I am too) yet we do not qualify for this assistance. The question is why?  I tend to believe some people might get it because of their skin color.....sorry but that what i think.  If they were denied this assistance, they could go an report the government for discrimination.  I go to school and fund my education independently - through loans, scholarships, etc.  I do not qualify for grants, state or federal.  why?  I am broke, poor!  then there are these people that go to school that have kids and get everything payed for.  (I am 23)  I have often thought that maybe my responsibility has not payed off, if i spread my legs and had babies, then i could live in a free apartment, get foodstamps, and get my college education payed for, and wear nicer clothes than everyone else, even people who actually do work. it's sick.  i think a lot of people take advantage of it all
644385
I am totally against it..\nU see tchers at skool dont teach properly and then they advice us to go for tuitions (to the same tchers) once someone scores less in his theory..\nSo what do u think\nAint tht a disgustiong way of makin more mony
816242
We pay school fees at my public school, but they're voluntary fees and you only have to pay them if you can afford them. Most people always pay them because public schools are poor enough without loosing out on extra money. I personally believe that the government should pay more into public schools, and less into private. Our public education system is great, but it could be so much greater if the schools had more resources.\n\nAlso public education has to be free, for the simple fact that it is required by law for everyone to attend school until they are 15. If it was not free then not everyone would be able to attend.\n\nI'm not sure if this answers your question, but I tried! Hope it helps.
847433
It's dead wrong.  It's punishing law abiding citizens.  A college education is an oppertunity, not a guarenteed right to anyone.  There's tons of good students who can't afford to go, who's parents can't afford it either and are caught in the middle with grants and loans.  Many who still have to work their way through just like I did.  Many who just have to accept they can't go now or maybe never.  To allow carte blanc to ONE group of people is wrong.  I couldn't afford out of state tuition and so I had to go and live in that state and fullfill their residency requirements before I could go.  No one is "forbidding" them the oppertunity to go.  There is no rule that says you HAVE to go to college the fall immediatly following HS graduation or you'll never get an education.  It might be the prefered route but it's not mandatory.  A secondary education was only "easy" for the people with alot of money.  The rest of us had to find a way if we wanted it bad enough.  Why should they be any different?
495251
i dont know about it well but government universities will provide the cheapest\nin sri lanka all most all provides free education
692588
ya it need 2 b free.nw days passing a university(graduation) is compulsory.no preference is given 2 the 1 who is just school pass out though doing graduation is even not that valuable as it was before.there is no proud in calling 1 a graduate.previously schools were the important one bt nw days college is the needed one so the needed things r supposed to be free.
745415
i agree. higher educational standards = higher technology = fewer resources = higher cost of living = more job scope in work = more taxes = need to perform well under higher stress levels \n\nmany more if have time to think--hope these help :)