The choice by the government to introduce performance-based tuition fees is a measure to ensure that the ever-rising cost of education doesn’t impede the citizen’s ability to access higher learning facilities. This is because access to higher education is the single most important investment that one could make for themselves in their lives in America. As such, there has been an introduction of subsidies and tax breaks in a bid to counter the rising cost of higher education. The most recent move was one to assess college fees based on the performance of the student. This paper discusses the implications of using this approach in the education sector.
The intention of providing student aid based on performance will add value to the education system based on academic achievement and the subsequent affordability that it will bring. Performance-based tuition fees means that academic performance will be valued at school as a major mechanism of improving student performance. Moreover, this approach seeks to add value to the education sector by rejecting the notion of 70 is just enough as it is the cut-point for grading. Setting such a precedent to the education sector means that graduates will have better academic value than in any other situation since they are motivated by lower prices for higher performance (White House, 2013).
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Furthermore, the government aims to remove all previously set barriers to academic innovation that otherwise impeded the use of new technology at federal institutions of learning. Previously, the use of new technology was only accessible to advanced institutions of learning, with very little given to other institutions. With cheaper college fees that are calculated based on the performance of the student, there is better accessibility to these facilities for the learners. Moreover, students can sustain themselves in institutions of learning of their choices based on their willingness to perform well in those institutions. Therefore, the barriers that were present about the accessibility to institutions by innovative students who lacked the means will automatically be removed (Rust, 2014).
In addition, this plan also considers students that are paying their college fees on loan as such students will also access as Pay As You Earn program for the repayment of learning under such a regime. This plan ensures that there is access to funds for learning even with the rolling out of the new program in learning institutions. Students can have smaller loans to repay in the course of their livelihoods after college.
However, the larger part of this policy rests on purely academic performance of the student. This means that other categories of students may be discriminated against, including mentally challenged students and other categories of students who may not possess the necessary academic acumen to maintain lower fees. This means that some groups of students will constantly be pressured into academic performance in a bid to reduce their tuition fees. On the other hand, no consideration has been made for physically and mentally handicapped students in the pursuit of their further education in this case. They are prone to high academic fees and perhaps a lack of access to higher education.
In conclusion, the program offers students a chance to gain a meaningful incentive from their education through the improvement of their grades. Moreover, this opens access to previously economically challenged students to actively participate in their academic pursuits with the promise of lower rates. However, consideration of mentally impaired students could bring serious complications to its application.
References
Rust, O. (2014). Performance-based college tuition could motivate high school students . Retrieved May 16, 2016, from MRT.com: http://www.mrt.com/news/education/article_3658b778-85b2-11e4-8e70-07749bf65eb7.html .
White House. (2013). FACT SHEET on the President’s Plan to Make College More Affordable: A Better Bargain for the Middle Class . Retrieved May 16, 2016, from White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/22/fact-sheet-president-s-plan-make-college-more-affordable-better-bargain- .
