The democratization of higher education is a significant societal shift with both proponents and critics. While a school of thought vouches for the higher levels of education in a nation, others hold against the lowered academic standards and future validity of a university degree. This essay will delve into both perspectives before presenting a subjective viewpoint.
On the one hand, the expanding access to university could be justified based on the correlation between education and economy. Education tends to raise productivity and creativity, as well as stimulate entrepreneurship and technological breakthroughs, and all of these factors lead to greater economic growth. As more individuals get access to higher education, they become more specialized in their fields, and obtain more knowledge to solve their nation’s issues. To illustrate, if more people can go to colleges and gain a better understanding of economics or science, a country will have a more skilled workforce to collectively find practical ways to boost its economy.
On the other hand, the grave concerns over the universalization of university’s entrance could be validated on two main grounds. Firstly, the emphasis on accessibility has led to a decline in academic standards. To incentivise more students to attend universities, educators may have to lower the entry requirements, which can possibly reduce educational outcomes if the higher education cannot properly cater to a wider range of student abilities. Secondly, the inflated graduation rates can diminish the value of a college degree. More people attending college makes degrees even more common and further depreciated. To be specific, in the past, only students with high-level performance could enter universities; however, nowadays, an increasing number of colleges accept students without any competitive requirements. This may cause employers and the public in general to overlook university degrees.
From my point of view, the rapid expansion of higher education is a positive development with the potential to create a more educated society with specialized laborers who are capable of boosting the economy. Nonetheless, it is essential to address the challenges associated with this trend by ensuring the high quality of academic standards and degrees. This necessitates a collective effort made by the government and educators who are in charge of the national education system.