Whether students should be allowed to pursue higher education without paying any tuition fees or they should be charged for it has gained traction. While each view has its merits, I partly agree with this statement based on some compelling reasons, which will be analyzed in this essay.
On the one hand, free tertiary education would guarantee equal educational access. Specifically, disadvantaged students often choose to abandon their studies after high school due to financial difficulties to attend work in order to make a living and help their families. By offering university education for free, underprivileged students would also be capable of receiving opportunities to pursue higher education, thus reducing social inequality. Moreover, tuition fees exemption for students who want to enter higher education might also create a better workforce, as more skilled workers could be trained, leading to a boost in economic growth.
However, offering completely free university education might pose several potential drawbacks. The first disadvantage is placing a heavy financial burden on the national budget. If governments allocate funds to provide free education for all students, many other important fields such as healthcare and infrastructures would not be able to develop. Furthermore, the students are likely to lose their motivation when they are able to attend university or college education without paying any tuition fees. Students might skip classes, neglect their studies, consequently leading to a waste in the national budget. In my opinion, completely tertiary education should be given to impoverished students who possess excellent academic performance in terms of scholarships.
To summarize, while offering free higher education may help underprivileged students to approach opportunities to continue their studies in spite of financial hardship and might create a boost in economic growth, it can also place a heavy burden on the national budget and some students might not find studying valuable when tuition fees are completely free.