This paper aims to highlight some of the pros and cons of free university education. First, university education provides equal opportunity to every individual who wants to study. These were pushed by the concepts of globalization, which presented various opportunities for people worldwide. Countries needed to compete with others by increasing their literacy levels. According to Mok (2015), millennium development goals (MDG) also had education as one of the major milestones. Under globalization and MDG, having massive numbers of universities was an indispensable concept. States needed to reduce the learning costs or cater to them. Most countries have an almost free education system, except for a few requirements that these institutions believe individuals can afford. Private entities also played roles by offering sponsorships to learners. Mok (2015) posits that the more people would join universities for their studies, the more they get the chances for employment and ascending the social ladder. Interaction between people increases as every person has a chance to explore education at the same levels.
Secondly, free university education reduces stress among learners who graduated from their schools. Initially, students studied through government or private sector loans (Montalto, Phillips, McDaniel, & Baker, 2019). These were either disbursed as school tuition or sustenance finances. Upon graduation, the beneficiary was to repay the loan within specific time limits. This ended in stress as the loans attracted interests, either simple or compound. Providing a free education system solved the problem. Upon graduation, students can seek employment and not concentrate on repaying any government debts. The benefit of receiving the free program does not only include the repayment but the general well-being and psychological balance of the learner. Most people do not wish to be in debt due to the stress of repaying it upon completing their studies. Such financial wellness contributes to the positive attitude of students and consequent performance in studies. Despite these benefits, there are also cons to the same free education.
One of the major cons of free university education is the reduced quality of campus edification. Giving a chance to every person to join high levels of study means everybody would register, including those who do not meet the merits of the study. Consequently, the quality of grades reduces, and campuses struggle to keep the students in their study programs (Michael, Michael, & Kathleen, 2017). On the tutors’ side, they remain with a considerable number of students to work with and making it difficult to attend to every student who needs help. In most instances, one-on-one education systems inquire that a tutor can interact with the students and help them when they need critical help. Such interactions improve the student’s grades. Students who have a slow learning pace would take much time with the teachers, who will lack time for others. This does not present equal opportunities for receiving assistance from tutors. The problem exists everywhere and degenerates the quality of campus studies.
With the quality of education falling in universities, the general view of the public is a reduced quality of the education offered in universities. Mostly, people change perception when a general theory spreads over a subject. According to Van de Werfhorst and Andersen (2005), the influx of people into tertiary education institutions massively affected their quality and reduced the number of students enrolling. As a result, people plan to use different approaches to their studies in such institutions. It will require the government to ensure the number of teachers increases, a move that will affect the teacher-to-student ratio. More number of tutors means improved learning. However, this will attract huge financial plans by the states for improvement.
In conclusion, there are various pros and cons of university education. More students get equal opportunities to learn and can access higher learning institutions and courses of their choice. There is also a reduced level of stress arising from loan repayments. The cons of free education are the reduced quality of learning, as the number of learners and tutors remains disproportional. In the end, the perception of people toward university education changes due to the reduced quality. Governments may need to alter the style of education and add more academic staff to adjust the quality.
References
Michael, M., Michael, L. Kathleen, M. (2017). A lost decade in higher education funding state cuts have driven up tuition and reduced quality. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Web.
Mok, K. H. (2015). Massification of higher education, graduate employment and social mobility in the Greater China region. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 37(1), 51-71. Web.
Montalto, C. P., Phillips, E. L., McDaniel, A. & Baker, A. R. (2019). College student financial wellness: Student loans and beyond. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 40(1), 3- 21. Web.
Van de Werfhorst, H. & Andersen, R. (2005). Social background, credential inflation and educational strategies. Acta Sociologica, 48(1), 321-340. Web.