Tertiary Education Should Be Free

For those who don't know, tertiary education essentially refers to college [1]. Pro begins by saying that everyone has the right to basic education which is presumptuous. This is a bare assertion; indeed it is not an agreed upon fact that people have the "right" to an education. While people do have the right to pursue an education, either alone or through teachers and schooling, one does not have the right to be taught by others. One only has the right to ask to be taught. We cannot force another person to teach us against our will, and we should not be allowed to force others to fund our education. Nonetheless, our western society has made it a legal right to provide basic (first and second level) education to students "free" of charge. Yet schooling is not actually free. Schools require funding to maintain their buildings, pay employees, buy books and supplies, support programs, etc. Public schools are funded through tax dollars. Post-secondary education, i.e. tertiary education, provides schooling that goes beyond the basics and allows for additional specialization in a particular subject. There is no way to make this schooling free; there will always be an associated cost unless the institution is run entirely by volunteers and charity. Therefore the resolution is already negated -- tertiary education should not be free, because teachers require a salary and funding is necessary for research, tools and more. Pro suggests that by making this level of education "free," we would have more scientists and doctors. However despite the increased amount of students going to college, we do not see a dramatic increase in scientists and doctors. In fact students are choosing the sciences less and less [2, 3]. Now there are several reasons college should not be "free." First off, the American public (and probably whichever country Pro is from) cannot afford this. Taxes are already an unbearably high burden, and our governments are in a massive amount of debt. Second, flooding the college system devalues your degree. If everyone has a college degree, it does not make your level of education stand out against your competitors. This means you will need even more education to be impressive. Eventually the value of a college degree will be obsolete the more people have one. Third, "there is no such thing as a free lunch." There is always going to be a price you have to pay for anything you receive, including education. Higher education is not even a strong necessity for life-or-death like medical care. You shouldn't taxpayers to pay for your education, when they don't even know who you are. Fourth - if people don't pay for their education, they have no inventive to finish on time or take the smartest and most fiscally responsible course of action. There is no incentive for fiscal responsibility when you have carte blanche with other people's money. Fifth, according to a live ticker created by MarketWatch, student loan debt is increasing at a rate of $3,055 every second. The report"s findings show that of all three programs the Federal Direct Subsidized Loans generated a 65 cent-on-the-dollar increase on college tuition, while Pell Grants generated a 50 cent-on-the-dollar increase on college tuition [4]. In other words, the more money the government allocates toward paying for higher-education, the more college institutions will charge because they know students (consumers) don't care about the cost, since the government is footing the bill. Increased tuition subsidies increase the price of tuition [5]. This would provide a significant burden on the tax payers, instead of letting supply and demand dictate market equilibrium. People used to be able to pay for college on their own. The more "help" we give through government funds, the higher the cost of education, thereby making it impossible to pay one's own way. Also consider the fact that many careers don't require college, therefore we shouldn't advocate everyone go to college. People can learn on their own for free. Thanks to the internet, we have access to more information than ever before in the history of the world. You can take online courses from some of the best universities in the country online for free, along with a plethora of other free online courses [6]. Thus you can still learn and receive an education without going to college. People should be looking more for jobs that don't require college that are very in demand, such as in the trade and technical industries [7]. Experience is the best teacher; working your way up or taking internships is also a great way to advance in your career without prioritizing college [8]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org... [2] http://www.cnn.com... [3] http://www.outsidethebeltway.com... [4] http://college.usatoday.com... [5] http://www.forbes.com... [6] http://oedb.org... [7] http://www.forbes.com... [8] http://www.forbes.com...