It’s not cheap going to school; it can be
downright expensive. Especially if there is rent, and bills to pay and the cost
of putting food on the table. Free tuition would eliminate the stress caused by
going to getting a post-secondary education. The burden of tuition on students
is crippling, says Anissa Calma-Brown in her special report in the Financial
Post. “The average tuition cost for a Canadian university — before the cost of
books, travel and supplies — is $6,500 per year. Higher-cost programs can range
anywhere from $8,000-$22,000 per year.”
So why put
yourself through that financial burden? Why not just go and get a job? Well,
it’s not that easy and those jobs? In my opinion, offer no stability and pay
only minimum wage. However, if one wants to get ahead, post-secondary education
is essential to acquiring a better salary. But how do you pay for it? If you
are lucky, you may get money as a gift from your parents. You may use the
savings you have put away for that rainy day. The other way is to take out a
student loan. It is that loan debt, that according to an article by Robert T.
Muller, Ph.D. in Psychology Today, says is “why students are struggling to cope
with rising tuition costs and high debt loads.”
For some, like
those who are in low paying jobs, post-secondary education is reserved only for
the rich. The only resource for low-income earners is to apply for a government
student loan and become a financial slave. According to Calma-Brown, the
“current liberal government has written off 200 million dollars in student
loans.” Those loans are what concerns Dan Allan, the Director of the Student
Budget Consultation Program, according to Calma-Brown’s article believes
“their biggest concern is whether the cost of education is worth the burden that
comes with student loans.”
Eliminating
tuition would mean no more loans. Students at graduation could pursue a career
in their field of study instead of focusing on paying off their student debt.
They could buy a house, start a family and feel like they are a contributing
members of society and not just a drain on the economy.
Your argument stands strong for many students, especially the mention of student loans causing people to go into debt, which then scares people away into pursuing their career dreams. It's a matter of whether the pros of free tuition out weigh the cons, and you've done a great job at providing the evidence to which you stand. Makes you think about the future, and for many, because of the high cost of post secondary can be very scary.
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