College Education: Should Education be Free - Essay Example

College Education: Should Education be Free There has always been subsisted a dispute among the intellectuals and educationalists, that whether education should be free or not. Heated discussion on the topic is still going on and many suggestions also have been promoted. Though there are arguments and debates on the issue, one can never ignore the greatest importance of education which has now become one among the necessities of life. Education is the process of educating or teaching someone. It helps to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of a person. But in actual practice one can understand the reality that education is something more than that and helps for the overall development of a person. His mental, social, and economical state is subjected for improvement. Education has always been helpful for the student, developing his mind and enabling him to face and deal with the reality. When one comes first into the system of education, the very moment he begins to think of the amount of money he has to spend for it. Once there was a time when the completion of high school was felt to be not too important for most of the society. But later on, the society is changed and at present one can expect this trend to continue in the future. At present it is impossible for one to find a public college in United States without tuition for all students meeting admissions. College education is a prerequisite of the labor force participation and even then the college education remains so costly for the general public. Society has the responsibility to provide free and qualitative education to those who are in need of it. Education should be included in the fundamental rights or the birth right of a person. The same right should be capable of protecting all children and providing them “adequacy” and “equality.” Many countries of the world, including India have included education in their fundamental rights of the citizens. Indian constitution assures right to education. One of the articles of Indian constitution confirms the right to education when it says: No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them. 1 The Indian constitution never allows any partiality in the case of education and it will not allow any one or any thing to hamper the smooth functioning in the process of education. But the supreme court of U S has not yet recognized education as the fundamental or civil right. One knows clearly that education is truly a life long experience that will open the world of different benefits and opportunities, capable of enriching one’s social life and personal life. Education will also promote great personal enjoyment and a sense of purpose. The modern life is blessed with different types of learning experiences. But the existing educational system often draws a curtain before the dreams of the poor student, who has been denied education as he has the shortage of money. If he is given the proper education, he may also reach the forefront of the society and will be capable of aiming the greatest heights. There should be significant changes in the primary education system and then “Primary education should focus on first principles - literacy and numeracy.” 2 Unless the primary education system does change, there will not be any improvement in the higher studies. Education is somewhat different from the traditional style and different types of learning experiences are now available. All these variants of the education offer lots of possibilities and opportunities for the students who have the right to select the subject according to his wish. But the only thing that stands in his way is the money, and that is why, the question- ‘Should education be free?’ - assumes a greater prominence. Though there are some government schools and other educational institutions that provide free education to the students, they are really insufficient in satisfying the real needs of the students. Above all, those schools and other institutions fail in their attempts to create a good atmosphere for education. Education not only means gaining knowledge, but also it has some social purposes. Different societies keep different views regarding the social purpose of education. Almost all the religions of the world regard education as the one and the only means to learn the teachings of God which will lead them to the ultimate salvation. The Catholics have attributed a special role to education.. Religion blends man with God himself and, if one wants to have the proper awareness about His moral teachings and religion, he should be taught of the religious doctrines as well as the religious principles. The increasing cost of education has also affected the religious teachings. There are a lot of catholic institutions and other NGOs run various educational institutions based on the government fund. If the fund itself is stopped, naturally it will affect the bright future of a student. Here also the prominence of free education strikes to our mind. Education has various purposes. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rightly comments about the purpose of education when he says: “Education must enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life.” 3 Education brings out the underlying efficiency of a man which makes his way clearer to the goals of life. When one enjoys free education he will have the opportunity for using it for various purposes. In actual practice, everyone has understood the fact that it is the education that paves the way for the cultivation of a civilized society. It could bring out the moral and ethical values in the individuals and their education. Education is needed for a healthy society which will be able to imbibe the real principles and the philosophy of life. Education will lead to self sufficiency that once again re-affirms the need of a free educational system. One among the great qualities of education is that it brings progress in all walks of life and the educated person can make his own livelihood. If a child is educated, he can uplift the poorest state of his family after engaging in a job as his own. While one is working for an organization to make money, he is also working for the nation, which can be considered as the biggest organization. This self-sufficiency is capable of uplifting the state of the society and thus by leading the country to progress. So, for the growth of the family, and for the nation, we need our children to be educated. Education is one among the most influential factors that definitely leads a country to progress and prosperity. Another feature of education is that it helps for the social development of a person as he is the part of the existing society. Education facilitates the prosperity of an individual in the society, to interact with other social animals and also to attain and maintain a certain degree of social well being. Whenever a person studies in a school or college he automatically cultivates in him the mentality of a group work. Inter-personal intelligence of a student is amplified with education and the fundamental purpose of it like reading and writing also grows. Reading assists him throughout his life, providing him the experiences of life and training him to lead a meaningful life. One can achieve all these features, only if he is given a free and fruitful education. The United States can be aptly called as the nation of educational haves and have-notes. When the revenue of the local people remains sluggish, the tuition fee rises fast. Those organizations that offered help retreat from the field. As a result the poor students borrow money that finally takes them into utter defeat. Many of the students are forced to put an end to their studies only because of lack of a sound financial background. They suppress their unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and they are forced to work in some kind of industries or for other institutions to feed the entire family. The tragic state of their life forces them to spend the remaining part of their life in darkness. Education makes one think intensively and critically. He will automatically acquire the ability to judge the things. If one is blessed with education and the efficiency, he may be a great threat to the society. Generally it is found out that most of the criminals are blessed with reason and may not have the morality. Education helps one to develop his thinking power. It makes him capable for quick, resolute and effective thinking. It is helpful in achieving one’s desired goals in life. But the present educational system does not provide any opportunities. The recent data show that education has become an oasis to the poor. The amount spent by the parents to educate their children in countries like U S and Britain are really thought provoking. It is more than that of a middle class family’s annual income. The different universities of the world increase their fee structure yearly, just to compete with the other universities. One report shows that the “Leading American universities charge undergraduates an average of more than £17,000 a year.” 4 The given data throws light on the present state of the educational system of U S. The dreams and aspirations of an individual about education are hampered and he loses his hopes in the prospects of life. There are some who think that the education they received can be used for exploitation so that they can suppress the people. But majority is of the opinion that education should be used only for a noble cause. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. observes that “Education has a two-fold function to perform the life of man and in society: the one is utility and the other is culture.” 5 The knowledge one acquires should be utilized for the well being of the society. Education should never be partial or luxurious. It should be focused only on the activities that impart knowledge or skills, enrolment or for the accomplishment of literacy and it must suit the changing situations. The great personalities of the world like Gandhi had commented about the education process. He had insisted that whenever a child is educated he should also be taught a job and the education given to him should be entirely free. He also had viewed that educated children are the wealth of the nation and others have the duty to make their dreams true. Gandhi always thought that a student should have the right to select the subject of his studies according to his wishes. The process of education must not be focused and it must extend beyond the boundaries of manipulating knowledge, communication, information and data. To conclude, when one analyses the reasons for free educational system, one can easily understand the reality that education is the fundamental or the birth right of a person which should be allowed at any cost. As education is the process of developing knowledge, skill and character of a person; it should be made free to all for the smooth functioning of a nation. The universities and colleges should be ready to accommodate the students without charging fees. The governments should enact laws, assuring free education to the students. Education should be free in the sense that it can be considered as the fundamental right of a person and it must be preserved. Education is capable of developing a person’s life long experience, and it also enriches one’s personal and social life. As it is involved with the improvement of the social life, it can be used for national integration. The growth of the nation depends upon the growth of the educated persons of that country. So, it can be seen that the role of the country is so great in molding an educated generation and vice-versa. The educational field is growing up day by day and has spread as different branches. At present the student has the right to select whichever stream he likes, but the present scenario of education takes him away from accomplishing his desire. The governmental organizations do not give their full attention for the betterment of the educational institutions. This leads to the poorest state of government schools and colleges, which are now on the verge of destruction. The social purpose of education also necessitates free education. Even to the various religions of the world, education is their life giving factor. They can bring their moral teachings of religion only by using the different means of education. The cultivation of the civilized society is made possible through education. It provides the moral and ethical values for a healthy society and leads to a country’s progress. Education earns the livelihood for a person and helps for the social development. It also promotes the thinking power in human beings and helps for achieving the desired goals of one’s life. Education possesses the above mentioned qualities which confirm the necessity of making education free for all without partiality, luxury or should not be limited by any kind of financial considerations. References The cultural and educational rights. iLoveIndia. Retrieved January 18, 2009, from http://www.iloveindia.com/constitution-of-india/right-to-education.html Woodburn, Anthony. (2007, July 29). The long-term benefits of free education. Gleaner Company Ltd. Retrieved January 18, 2009, from http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070729/focus/focus3.html King, Martin Luther. (1947). The purpose of education. Lovearth Network. Retrieved January 18, 2009, from http://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/thepurposeofeducation.htm Swaine, Jon. (2008, December 28). Universities should be free to charge US-style £20.000 tuition fees, report says. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved January 18, 2009, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/3998514/Universities-should-be-free-to-charge-US-style-20000-tuition-fees-report-says.html Read More