TWO
YEARS FREE- NEUFELD- FEBRUARY 18, 2018
In BC, tuition
costs and student debt are rising, and post-secondary education is becoming
more imperative than ever. Who should pay for tuition? The present system of paid tuition leaves
students overwhelmed with debt and discourages low-income individuals. The proposition of free tuition, on the other
hand, is fraught with flaws and idealistic. The solution is a compromise: two
years’ free tuition.
Advocates of free
tuition claim that post-secondary graduates, able to get higher-paying jobs
after graduating, will more than pay for their educations through higher
taxation- a Canadian university degree costing $50,630 at the outset will
eventually cost, on average, $106,000 for women and $159,000 for men. (Ivanova, 2012) However, BC has the highest underemployment
rate in Canada, with only 57% of undergraduate-educated workers employed in
fields utilizing their degrees. (Van
Santvoort, 2017) A university graduate
who is only able to find low-wage work will not be able to “give back” their
tuition through taxation.
Further, under the
paid-tuition model, BC students are currently graduating from four year
programs with debt averaging
over $30,000. (Hernandez, 2017) Accumulating such debt with uncertain job
prospects deters individuals from enrolling, or leads them to drop out. Providing two years’ free tuition would open
the door to all to achieve educational goals, and strengthen BC’s economy with
a new well of currently untapped potential.
The ‘Tennessee
Promise’, initiated in 2015, is a leading example of a two-years-free
program. This “last-dollar scholarship” covers
two years of tuition and fees at a Tennessee public college or technical school
that are not covered by other forms of financial assistance. (Tennessee Promise, n.d.) Participants must attend meetings with
mentors, contribute community service, and maintain a satisfactory GPA. (Tennessee Promise, n.d.) The mentoring program sets the stage for
students to succeed, and community service ensures that recipients of the
Promise give back to the state.
The Tennessee
Promise has already been successful, with “first time freshman enrolment
[increasing] by 13 percent in Tennessee”.
(Tennessee Promise Sees Increased Enrollment, 2017) After two years, 17%
more participating students had graduated or were pursuing further education
than those who did not participate in the program. (Tamburin, 2017) The Promise is part of Tennessee’s Drive to
55 initiative to “equip 55 percent of Tennesseans with a college degree or
certificate by 2025”, which governor Bill Haslam says will be achieved two
years early at its current momentum.
(Gonzales, 2018)
The two year free
tuition model would benefit BC because it is a middle ground for paid and free
tuition. It would be more easily funded
than a full free tuition system, would relieve financial burden on students,
and would help to achieve a stronger economy.
The Drive to 55 Alliance describes its mission as “not just… higher
education, but a mission for Tennessee’s future workforce and economic
development”. (Drive to 55 Alliance,
n.d.) This noble objective sets a
standard which BC, already a leader of change in Canada, should proudly adopt
for its own.
References
Drive
to 55 Alliance (n.d.) Drive to 55 Alliance. Retrieved from
http://driveto55.org
Gonzales,
J. (2018, January 29) Gov. Bill Haslam touts education gains, says Drive to 55
two years ahead of pace. USA Today Network- Tennessee. Retrieved from https://www.tennessean.com
Hernandez,
J. (2017, February 22) B.C. budget eases interest on student loans while debt
continues to soar. CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca
Ivanova,
I. (2012) Paid in full update: Who pays for university education in BC? Retrieved
from Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC Office website:
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/BC%20Office/2012/01/CCPA_Paid_in_Full_2012_web.pdf
Tamburin,
A (2017, September 22) Tennesse Promise students more likely to succeed in
college, less likely to drop out, new data shows. USA Today Network. Retrieved
from https://tennessean.com
Tennessee
Promise Sees Increased Enrollment (2017, February 2) Retrieved from
https://www.tn.gov/thec/news/2017/2/2/tennessee-promise-sees-increased-enrollment-strong-retention-rates-in-year.html
Van
Santvoort, A. (2017, September 5) B.C. leads country for undermployment. Business
In Vancouver. Retrieved from https://biv.com/
Very interesting piece with some really good arguments for finding a way in-between free and paid tuition. It sounds like a fair system if you pay for half of your education, especially if it would make students stay in their program and complete their education. The ‘Tennessee Promise’ sounds like a good project, because the students give back to the state by doing community service. As long as the quality of the two years of free school is high, I think it would be a good system. / Amanda
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting example. Tennessee Promise seems to facilitate a diploma for those who want to study and requires the students to invest in their education further financially to obtain a bachelor's degree. Although students get support to go through the first two years, they still have to pay for the last two. So ,the problem has been delayed, though reduced to two years. Another question is what are the sort of jobs that are waiting for them with a two year diploma? Especially when the number of those with a two year education in the job market will be high.
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ReplyDeleteI love compromises. I do like the idea of meeting in the middle. I still think giving EVERYONE free education (even if it is 2 years), is not the best idea. Take that money and put it into bursaries for students who really need it.
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