Access to Higher Education - Essay Example

? Access to Higher Education By of of the School The and where it is located Introduction Higher education can be described as education where acquired knowledge is focused on specialization into a particular field of interest. In general, higher learning encompasseducation provided by colleges, and universities (Chen & John 2011, p. 635). Basic education is universally provided by almost all the countries in the world with the only difference being that some nations have set the levels at secondary schools while others, especially in the developing countries offering this education only to the primary schools (Rubin 2012, p. 33).Accessing the institutions of higher learning has however been a challenge even to the developed countries and this article tries to show why this is so and why in some countries it has been successfully implemented. Discussion This paragraph explores cost as a factor for access to higher education. One challenge that makes higher learning hard to achieve for everyone is the cost implication that comes with it. The cost of acquiring a degree is very high that not everyone in the society can be able to match. This poses a challenge to those in those in the lower class in the society (Harmon 2010, p. 75). Very often, you will find needy students that are very bright but cannot afford to further their studies. The only hope for these students is either to find a sponsor or the government loans and grants provided by governments especially in the developing world. To overcome such a challenge, countries like the Scandinavian countries have made tertiary education to be free for all its citizens regardless of their performance in the secondary school (Harmon 2010, p. 79). What this does is that it ensures no one is denied a chance to further his or her studies.Therefore, cost is really an issue. Next let us explore the loan factor in details.How is loan a factor? Loan as a helping factor to access to education involves the government offering to finance the education of its university population and recover the money once the student has graduated and found employment. The prohibitive factor in this case, however, is that not all students who complete their degrees do find jobs immediately or even at all and thus it is common to find a lot of defaulters and thus the government might not be able to offer enough funds to future deserving cases (White 2008, p. 19). What other governments do to avoid this is that they subsidize the cost of education for all students in public institutions of higher learning to a level where it is affordable to almost everyone. In Kenya for example, the cost of degree courses in public universities there is averagely $300 a year. Such subsidies are however putting a strain in the overall running of the universities and most of them have been forced to look for funds from other sources to run the universities (Thomson 2009, p. 22). This brings in another element in the access to higher learning; inequality. How about exclusivity as a factor? Exclusivity definitely denies everyone access to the best tertiary institutions of choice but the good thing is for those who make it to these institution is the demand they will get in the job market. Here is a look at both sides of this discussion. There are some high end universities that are so sought after that they have to put extra requirement to be accessed. The so-called Ivy League Schools like Oxford and Yale are so expensive to the ordinary person that only the well-off do go there. While these universities actually deserve to be there, it is the inequality that exists that is the problem. You will find that there are different registration numbers for different student with one being for the self-sponsored and another for the government sponsored (Rubin 2012, p.35). This brings about favoritism as the self-sponsored tend to be more favored than the other students because of the amount of money that they bring in to the University. Graduates from these Institutions will nonetheless enjoy the fruits of their struggle as they are likely to get preferential treatment from the job market as they are more preferred by the employers over those from other institution. With the job market becoming increasingly competitive, universities have positioned themselves to reap from adults out to gain degrees to be able to earn that dream job. While at this, the quality of learning has been compromised to the extent that most hiring companies are now complaining of getting workers that are “half-baked” so to speak. The tertiary institutions of learning are admitting students for the sake of money and you will find that a class of a certain course especially the business courses having a student ratio of about 400 students per lecturer which is way beyond the standard ratio (Rowan-Kenyon 2007, p. 210). What this means is that people will be going through classes without the close attention of their lecturers and some might even abscond classes and only show up during examination time. The huge number also means that it is hard to control copying and so a student graduates with good grades but cannot express him or herself well in the job market. This is really frustrating to the employers out there. But then again, at least everyone will have access to education and the only differentiator is what one does with his time at the university. So the access based on masses is both a good factor and bad to the seekers of education, the choice lies with the student; whether one wants to compromise on quality because of the reduced cost. Another element is the social-economic factor brought about by Universities. Injustice occurs for instance in Australia, where the indigenous people and the disable do not get a chance to join universities and colleges. They have not done so intentionally but rather, the Australian government has not offered that environment that encourages this segment of the population to aspire for higher learning (Rubin 2012, p. 38). On the other side of the debate is that by virtue of Universities admitting students from several cultures, it becomes a melting pot for culture and an easy avenue to understand the various ways of lives at one shop (Rubin 2012, p. 38). Governments should therefore work towards providing education for all so as to maintain the universality of education. In conclusion, it is evident that access to higher education has its positives and negatives as well but whereas, a lot needs to be done to ensure that the challenges faced by people who want to pursue education at higher institutions of learning are eradicated, I will not judge here because the fruits that are reaped from it. I will therefore leave it upon the masses to make a pick on how access to education has had an impact at a personal level. Of utmost importance is the idea of making education affordable while maintain the quality of education and at the same time providing job opportunities to graduates. This is definitely an easy task for any progressive government that seriously values the education of its population. References Chen, R., & St. John, E. P. 2011. ?State Financial Policies and College Student Persistence: A National Study. Journal of Higher Education, 82(5), 629-660. Harmon, C., Carne, G., Lizardy-Hajbi, K., & Wilkerson, E. 2010, April 1. Access to Higher education for undocumented students: "Outlaws" of social justice, equity, and equality. Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education, 5(1), 67-82. Rowan-Kenyon, H. T. 2007.Predictors of Delayed College Enrollment and the Impact of Socioeconomic Status. Journal Of Higher Education, 78(2), 188-214. Rubin, M. 2012. Social class differences in social integration among students in higher education: A meta-analysis and recommendations for future research. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 5, 22-38. Thomson, G. 2009. Thirst for higher education and roles that Universities play: a case study on need versus demand for education. Pearson Publishers, 1, 22-23. White, D. 2008. The complexities of higher education provision in Developing Nations. Journal of higher Education, 3, 15-25. Read More