Extended Education - Research Paper Example

Extended Education Introduction There have been concerns about the quality of education US has been producing. US is one of the economic giants in the world and requires skilled labor in order to maintain this status. However, the country engages in importing skilled labor every year in order to satisfy their economic needs. However, President Obama has a different view and proposes an extended learning in order to solve this challenge. He suggests that all students upon completion of 12th grade be engaged in a compulsory community college in order to enhance their skills further (The Whitehouse). The US president backs this suggestion with an argument that the system is not just aiming to curb unemployment but give the US population a good stepping-stone into the future. For this reason, this kind of education aims at providing the learners with skills and opportunities that they would not have achieved by 12th grade as well as providing them with measurable differentiated skills. Jill Biden and her wife Joe Bidden have been mandated with the task of raising awareness about community colleges as the program is set to start early in 2015 (By Marc Parry). However, there are those that have different opinions concerning the president move and are sighting possible cases of the systems failure even before it begins. Challenges of Extended Education US is currently facing financial crisis and setting up a further a compulsory 2 years learning system requires a lot of financial assistance that may add to the list of the already suffering financial status of the country. Indeed according to CIA fact book and National Bureau of Economic Research the current US deficit stood at $487.2 billion by 2012. Compared to the rest of the countries in the world, the US deficit is the highest in the world (Indexmundi). This figure indicates that the country is importing more goods and services than its exporting. The country is also in high debts from foreign countries and has a higher consumer debt. If this situation continues, the value of its currency depreciates and investors will not be willing to invest into a country that is facing such huge financial crisis. Another reason as to why I am opposed to the extended education is that there is no uniform and standard measure of assessment in this kind of education. In addition to this, there will be need to train more teachers, experts, and technicians who will be required to offer their services to the community colleges (Jeff Zeleny). With the differences in different States around US there is likely to be a gap in this institutions based on the kind of resources and technology the State has. The difference resources in terms of technology are also likely to create a disparity in terms of professionalism. The increasing numbers of online degrees and masters courses pose a greater challenge to the extended education. This is because most of the online institutions are easily accessible, efficient, and cheaper in comparison to community colleges that will require an individual’s attendance. For this reason, I suggest that learners engage in higher institutions like universities and involve in further education and training rather than wasting 2 precious years in community college. This is likely to affect negatively on the labor market, as qualified labor will have to stay for two years before employment. The policy makers have failed to address how to close the gap that will be left when these institutions begin doing the system. Rising tuition costs especially for higher education is creating a challenge to the implementation of the extended education. Most of the community colleges are experiencing institutional funding shortfalls while the declining state of the quality of higher education is also adding to the challenges of rolling extended education. Extended education is not likely to contribute to increasingly competitive economy that requires proper education and skills of its workers. For this reason, there is need for students or the labor force to have an associate degree in order to project its economic growth. Despite Obama’s projection of having additional 5 million graduates by 2020, this population is unlikely to be skilled if community colleges have to be rolled (Nelson). According to the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act requires $2 billion for the next four years, which is likely to influence the economy of the country. I would suggest that the country invest this amount in technical colleges and Universities by working with business associates. This kind of partnership is likely to bridge the gap of unemployment as workers will earn new credentials and promotions after building their education programs that build essential skills. Although online courses have been discouraged, they have played vital role in acquisition of skills and knowledge. For this reason, instead of boosting community colleges, most of these institutions should be upgraded to universities or institutions of higher education. This will help in boosting remedial and adult education programs and accelerate students’ progress through an integration of developmental and vocational classes. Online institution offering degrees and masters courses have helped in production of skilled labor due to its efficiency, reliability, and cost. It is now easy for students to engage in learning as they work hence this helps in practical application of obtained knowledge. Conclusion Although extended education is viewed as one of the ways of reducing America’s labor shortages, it is also one way of contributing to the country’s education woes. Extended education will not only create a wider employment gap but also contribute to the country’s financial and economic crisis. This is because there will be need for investing billions of dollars in the system as well as educating and training more education professionals to serve in the community colleges. This will not be easy for the parents who will have to part with higher costs as payments for the 2 year extended education. Adjustments will have to be done to incorporate this curriculum into the US education system and this is likely to take longer even though President Obama require the system to roll by 2015. Works Cited By Marc Parry, Kelly Field, and Beckie Supiano. The Gates Effect. 14 July 2013. 2013 . Indexmundi. United States Current Account Balance. 2013. 2013 . Jeff Zeleny. Obama Calls for Overhaul of Education System. 10 March 2009. 2013 . Nelson, Libby. To Reach Obama's 2020 Goal, Colleges Need to Support Adult Students, Panelists Say. 19 January 2010. 2013 . The Whitehouse. Building American Skills Through Community Colleges. 6 April 2013. 2013 . Read More