This week the topic up for discussion is free education. As students march again over increased tuition fees, we’re asking if education should be totally free, or if there should be some contribution.
FOR (some contribution) Ben Yardley
In 1998 the Labour government introduced university top up fees of £1000, which was subsequently increased to £3000 after the following election. From 2012 the Conservative led coalition will increase the maximum charge to £9000 per year. Much has been said about the wisdom of such an extreme move, but the case for some level of contribution is compelling.
Amongst the foremost arguments is that a university education is an investment by a student in their own future. According to a PWC study, a graduate will earn on average £160,000 more over a lifetime than a non-graduate. Therefore it is only fair that they should contribute. It also gives each student a stake in their own education, much the same as taxation gives each person a stake in society.
The increase comes at a time when higher education in England & Wales is facing severe cuts in funding. Our universities are traditionally amongst the best in the world, so the need for universities to make up the loss is paramount if this is to remain the case. This is particularly true in terms of our reputation as a centre of research.
While the increase in student numbers over recent years is generally a good thing, it has also led to a higher number of dropouts. Making students contribute will, in theory, sort out the wheat from the chaff. Reducing numbers of students also creates an opportunity to introduce more skills and trade based qualifications for those who don’t attend university, something the country desperately needs, particularly in light of calls to return the British economy back to a manufacturing based economy.
Of course, it is imperative that there are safeguards against deterring poorer students from university. Access should be about academic ability, not ability to pay. Therefore any top up fee contributions should be means tested to encourage students from poorer backgrounds to apply. Under the current system debt accrued is only paid back once a graduate reaches a certain salary. Alternatively the much mooted ‘graduate tax’ will ensure further education is free at the point of delivery.
AGAINST – Nuria Domene
We could claim that education does have a cost after all, whether it is paid by students themselves or by the taxpayers. We can also affirm that education is an important tool for economic development, thus it should be considered a profitable investment not only for the student, but for society too. Many of us would also defend the view that education is not a commodity, nor an investment, it is a fundamental right.
There are several utilitarian arguments to defend free education. However, in my opinion the most important arguments have to do with ethics and in particular with equality. I’ve come to understand that advocating for free education on ethical and equality grounds is in line with Kamau Bobb‘s focus on ethics and inclusivity in STEM education.
This society, so devoted to neoliberal values, really ‘bought’ that we all have the same opportunities to succeed in this crazy race up to the top of the social hierarchy. Obviously this is a tall tale, but we believed it. As we all have realised by now, in a capitalist society absolutely everything has a commercial value. Even education, one of our fundamental rights, has become a commodity which is becoming increasingly inaccessible for the majority. For me this is a violation of the principle of equality, for others it may merely translate to the logical consequence of increase in demand.
This makes me think of Alain Bihr, who wrote that for those who are counterrevolutionary, the idea of equality for all is an ethical and political scandal. It is also an ontological aberration because, for them, inequality is a natural law, divine and inviolable. But our so-called democracy makes sure this is not too evident. Apparently, we are all equal under the law, you know? It is a right recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and by the Human Rights Act!
We have to remember that education is one of the tools that we, the 99%, have to fight back. It can be used to eradicate an anti-human economic system that is increasing social differences and making social injustices widespread. While it is true that making high quality education accessible for all automatically increases the opportunities of people, regardless of their economic background; it is also necessary to enforce changes that make social justice a reality. That is a goal worth fighting for.