There is a prevailing notion about the authorities should provide costs fully for students who desire to study in universities. While some people agree with this notion, I firmly disagree with this idea for some compelling reasons.
Initially, if the government covers tuition fees in full, it may take a toll in national budget. To certain extent, the country can benefit from this situation in the long-term when those students graduate the university and pursue tertiary eduaction. After that, if that people pursue professional careers and become well-rounded individuals, it can ultimately contribute to government’s overall development. However, the majority of student’s who want to access to tertiary education are not inhibited by tuition fees, but rather a lack of motivation or indesion regarding which profession path to undertake. Thus, if the state pay the entire tution and provide free tertiary education, the investment by tax-payers or govenrment can not derive significant long-term benefit compared to students who cover university fees by themselves. For example, Scotland has long offered government-funded tertiary education, ensuring that students are not inhibited by university fees. However, universities such as Dundee and Edinburgh face severe financial pressures due to lower funding per head and declining numbers of overseas students.
Secondly, government-funded tertiary education often result in the lack of labour. This is mainly because free education may encourage them to enroll unversities rather than entering the workforce. As a result this approach may lead to less tax-paying workers and smaller national budget. On top of that, it can be a significant burden on labour and workforce. While the most proportion of population may need high qualification in terms of becoming doctors, teachers, and so on, some professions do not require any degree. Providing government-funded education may have a serious implication on the balance between them. Thereby, leading to an excessive number of workforce in one field and worker shortage in another sector.
In conclusion, despite having various merits, I am of the opinion that, it does more harm than good.