Nowadays, university tuition fees are paid by students in many nations while in some other countries, they are provided with financial support for these costs from the government. From my perspective, although this approach can mitigate the financial burden on families and provide opportunities for students, these short-term benefits come at the cost of a burden on the government budget and teaching quality.
On the one hand, covering daily expenses such as food, clothing or accommodation is a common struggle within many financially disadvantaged families; thus, university education may be out of their reach or become a burden on their finances. The alleviation of studying expenses by the government may reduce this burden on them, giving people access to universities. Furthermore, this approach also creates opportunities for potential students. Many students often have to give up their dreams or drop out of universities to follow other careers such as retailers or cashiers which may not provide them with a stable income. This happens mostly due to the expensive tuition fees that they are unable to afford. However, removing this challenge by waiving tuition fees allows them to continue to pursue their ambitions, who may eventually become valuable contributors to society.
On the other hand, the government’s budget may be affected by these supports. A Reduction in tuition fees while the school’s budget stays the same means that the budget will be more dependent on the government’s funding rather than the fees. Therefore, the government may have to reduce its funding in other sectors such as medical or the economy, causing disruptions and issues within. Moreover, these education opportunities from the government may lead to an increase in the number of university students. This rise may place a burden on the usage of facilities as well as teachers’ workload which can lead to burnout and demotivation among them. This, together with the deterioration of facilities due to frequent use, may cause a decline in the education quality.
In conclusion, despite the financial relief and upward mobility opportunities for gifted students, these benefits may result in financial burden on the government as well as a decline in teaching quality. Thus, from my perspective, only the eligible students should be given this opportunity.