Nowadays, the remarkable increase in tuition fees has ignited a debate over free higher education. While many argue that all individuals, regardless of their socio-economic background, are entitled to university education which covers their tuition fees, I hold the opinion that this policy would do more harm than good.
It is undeniable that abolishing tuition fees would bring access to tertiary education to every student no matter what their financial conditions are. As holders of bachelor’s degrees, they are likely to secure a better life with more job opportunities, leading to improved living standards. In addition, the country’s workforce can benefit from a large number of undergraduates. The increasing number of university students corresponds to the proliferation of a skillful workforce, which contributes to economic development.
However, I believe that the aforementioned merits are overwhelmed by the drawbacks of free higher education. First, if the government offers costless tuition fees for all students, they will possibly take this policy for granted and neglect their studies to indulge in other life trivials. There is a likelihood that the elite would lose encouragement to study harder because everyone would end up attending higher education. Second, the policy of tuition fee abolishment largely results in competition in the job market, which, in turn, would cause a horde of undergraduates to be unemployed. University students who do not strive to equip themselves with fundamental soft skills would fall behind and tend to struggle to obtain a lucrative job. Last, growing subsidies allocated to education correspond to declining welfare benefits for the need, such as the poor and the disadvantaged.
In conclusion, I genuinely contend that waiving tuition fees for higher education is not an optimal policy though some are in favor of free access to bachelor’s degree. Payment of tuition fees would be a driving force for students’ learning performance and outcomes.