Unless you've been living under a rock for the last six months, you'll be well aware of the curent issue with university tuition fees. Essentially, university used to be very expensive, now the government wants to remove the cap on university fees which will make them EXTREMELY expensive. Personally, I think it's a good idea. I'm sure you've all seen my thoughts on University and the Economic Climate but that's not the point I want to make in this post. I want to show you the complete other side of the argument; why university will eventually be free.
Firstly I'll draw your attention to primary school. Hundreds of years ago, attending a school wasn't a legal requirment, and education was an activity reserved for the wealthy. Eventually, as our combined knowledge increased, and the level of basic education needed to get the vast majority of jobs increased with it; it was clear that people would require some form of education before entering the workplace. That's why child labour was discouraged, and children were forced into school. Since then, secondary education has come about, largely due to the fact that people required even more knowledge to actively compete in the job market. As well as this, O-levels were introduced in order to have a cumpolsury qualification to prove your effectiveness in the workplace. Later these became GCSEs.
As people's brains hungered for more knowledge in a way that only be compared to Amy Whinehouse's adamant obsession with tattoos; sixth form education came about. I would speculate that this is largely due to the fact staying in education became a comfortable way to avoid the harshness of reality. Like moving out, paying bills and getting a job. But I'm sure by now you're seeing a pattern emmerging. Primary education was once for the elite and was therefore expensive. It was then made cumpolsary for all, and free. In order for richer people to get a better chance at getting the better jobs, secondary education was introduced as an opptional added-qualification. This later became mandatory to attend and therefore free; so it lost it's elite status. Sixth form education got a bit ahead of itself, becoming largely free long before it is scheduled to become mandatory in 2013, and now we have University.
University was once for the absolute elites, nowadays anyone can get into one provided they make realistic uni choices (The fatcats at Cambridge and Oxford even now will chuckle menacingly before flicking a B-students application off their desks). It's no longer for those who are affluent enough to pay the tuition fees, as interest-free student loans have been supplied to all university students along with certain government grants. The current government is obviously trying to avoid it following the same trend as the rest of the educational institutions (because its expensive), but essentially it's inevitable that it too will become a mandatory qualification and thus, become free. The other problem is, university is becoming immensely popular... for all the wrong reasons. Has university gained popularity because getting a degree gives you a better chance at getting a job? No, it's a widely known fact that unemployment rates are higher than ever, and people coming out of university with degrees are ending up taking any job they can get; most of which won't require postgraduate qualifications! Surprisingly, you can make McDonalds french fries without an honours degree...
So if people aren't necessarily going to uni for the employment prospects, and the cost is so high; they must be truly fascinated by their course, right? No... the real reasons people tend to apply to university is threefold;
1- To kill time; either till they decide what it is they want to do in life, or to try and avoid the mass unemployment at the moment. Going to uni ensures them a loan, accommodation and food for the next three years
2- The social side; Moving out of home, parties every week, and a whole new bunch of new potential friends.
3- Peer pressure; from their parents, friends, tutors and society in general. This one ties in with the other two points, if all of your friends are heading off to uni next year, you don't want to get left behind by yourself? So you figure you might as well apply to uni too. There isn't really any other option if there's no source of employment; it's go to university, or do nothing.
If you take all this into account, there is no reason why university won't increase substantially in popularity. And if politicians ever want to be able to address employment opportunities as equal and meritocratic, they have to ensure everyone has access to the same basic qualifications; and at this rate, a degree will be a basic qualification within the next ten years. If everyone in the job market has a degree then potential employees have to ensure they can be competitive. It's all well and good saying you can go out and get a job as a hairdresser after college instead of going to university. But if at any point in the future you need to apply for a new job, who are the recruitment team at the local salon gonna pick? The girl who's been doing hairdressing for the last four years, or the girl who has a honours degree in beauty and cosmetics plus a years experience in a top New York salon?
Some may argue that experience will become more valuable as non-contextual, impractical academic courses become popular, and I agree with them. To the point that experience will be very valuable, but having a higher qualification to prove you know the science behind it too doesn't hurt; and with people currently paying tens of thousands for a slip of paper that "proves" they've accomplished something in the last 3-4 years which doesn't have much of an effect in getting employment. I don't see how this situation could go any other way than to increase the average debt of each generation, become a standardised qualification, become a recognised part of the general education system and eventually be reduced in price, then become free.
In my A2 class last year, not only did every single person in my tutorial (bar myself) apply to university; but anyone that expressed hesitation at wanting to apply was convinced to pay the money and had to go through the immense effort it takes to make an application anyway. It's all well and good for everyone to aim for the important jobs like being doctors and scientists; but someone's got to empty the wheelie bins. 'Cause there's nothing important about being the doctors and scientists of cesspits.
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