Education is the key to success, and it prepares students for a brighter future; thus, it should be free. In the US, the minorities and those from the low economic background report the highest number of children not completing college education. Some people argue that education, especially college, should not be free since it will overwhelm the state’s spending plans and increase tax. However, the proponents of free education argue that free education brings an equal opportunity to unprivileged students. Free education will allow students to concentrate on education instead of part-time jobs. When all society is educated, there will be economic development and growth.
The high tuition fees charged by the American education system deny many students from unprivileged backgrounds a chance to get an adequate education. Students from low socio-economic status who graduate high school do not join or complete college and university education due to a lack of tuition fees. Free education opens opportunities that students could miss due to financial reasons (Flood, 2014). Implementing a free education policy will give every student an equal opportunity to attend school, work hard, and fulfill their dreams. In her article "College Shouldn't Be Free, but It Should Be , " Green Shannon argues that although college education does not need to be entirely free, it should be affordable for all Americans (Green, 2018). The only way to help students from unprivileged backgrounds is by allowing them to join college and get educated.
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Free education motivates learners to concentrate and focus on their studies instead of focusing on how to work part-time to pay for their tuition fees. Students fail to perform better since they focus more on figuring out where to get money for the next semester ( Throndsen, 2017). At times, the workload and pressure are too much, making it difficult for them to fully concentrate on schoolwork. Students focus on their studies and perform better when facing fewer financial challenges ( Cottom (2015 ). Many students struggle to pay for their school fees, food, and accommodation. According to Page & Clawson (2020 ), college students turn to criminal acts like drug dealing with getting money to pay their tuition. If education is made free for every student, then those from low economic families will benefit since they will not worry about managing tight daily schedules.
Making education free for every student will lead to economic development. When all students get the opportunity to finish school and pursue their careers, they get good jobs and raise their living standards, leading to economic development. According to Page & Clawson (2020 ), free education is suitable both for individual benefit and society. American Dream can only be achieved if all Americans get equal opportunity to participate in economic development and growth. According to Cottom (2015), eliminating tuition fees will reduce the inequality gap and give every American access to quality education and a well-paid job. Offering free education increases the future source of taxation that grows the economy ( Goldrick-Rab et al., 2016). The government will use the tax and other savings that could have been used to provide for unprivileged to develop an essential sector like healthcare and infrastructure. Therefore, free education will benefit both the individual and the nation at large.
However, the opponents of free education will increase the tax burden on taxpayers. The opposes arguing that free education is expensive, and it will be costly for the states and the federal government to maintain. If college education is made free, Americans will have to pay more taxes to cater to the cost ( Ron Balsera et al., 2018) . Also, opponents argue that free education will affect the quality of education. Free education will lead to a high increase in the number of students enrolling in colleges, which might overwhelm the available resources.
In summary, education should be made free since it gives children from unprivileged families equal opportunity to fulfill their dreams, allow students to fully concentrate on studies, and lead to future economic development and growth. Although opponents argue that free education will increases tax and lead to mediocre education, the benefits of free education surpass the drawbacks. Every child has the right to acquire education and get a chance to enhance their future and contribute to the achievement of the American Dream.
References
Cottom, T. M. (2015). Why free college is necessary. Dissent , 62 (4), 115-117. https://www.adamabraham.info/uploads/1/1/5/9/115940383/freecollege_cottom_2015.pdf .
Flood, Alison. “US students request ‘trigger warnings’ on literature.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 19 May 2014, www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/19/us-students-request-trigger-warnings-in-literature.
Goldrick-Rab, S., Kelchen, R., Harris, D. N., & Benson, J. (2016). Reducing income inequality in educational attainment: Experimental evidence on the impact of financial aid on college completion. American Journal of Sociology , 121 (6), 1762-1817.
Green, S. (2018). "College Shouldn't Be Free, but It Should Be Affordable." . OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020, from http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/audience/shannon-green/os-ae-college-should-not-be-free-20180821-story.html .
Page, M., & Clawson, D. (2020). It's Time to Push for Free College . nea.org. Retrieved 30 July 2020, from http://www.nea.org/home/62740.htm.
Ron Balsera, M., Klees, S. J., & Archer, D. (2018). Financing education: why should tax justice be part of the solution?. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education , 48 (1), 147-162.
Throndsen, H. (2017). Why College Tuition Should Be Free . Odyssey Online. Retrieved 30 July 2020, from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/college-tuition-free-millennial .
