Is Free Education A Synonym For Equality?

[Noesdeayer]

In today's La Nacion Hector Masoero's article,"Gratitud Universitaria Es Sinonimo de Igualdad?" offers an interesting proposal to this question.In 2015 the central governent's budget for university education was a little over U$D 6.5m at AR$15 or about U$D 1,670 per student. The drop out rate is huge only about 30% of these students finally graduate.In his view, who should be charged tuition are those about to graduate who cost the Argentine State about U$D 33 k each and will be the ones who will extract the most benefit from their university education.
In my opinion this is an interesting idea.Given the fact that most of the drop outs are from the lower.income groups who stop because they need to dedicate themselves more to working than to studying and the local concept that university education should also serve as an aculturation process.The 30% who actually do complete their studies ought to be those who pay some fee.Especially since most of that 30% usually belong to the upper income groups making the system elitist anyway.

 

[steveinbsas]

The exp<b></b>ression "free education" is a synonym for economic illiteracy (and/or ignorance).

 

[thorsten]

Proposing a system in which people can study for years and then don't finish and incentivize them with free tuition while the people who take the studies serious and finish with a degree get charged for all the cost they induced sounds pretty stupid to me...

 

[joeschmoe1920]

Free education is worth exactly what you pay for it.

 

[Pensador]

Free education is worth exactly what you pay for it.

Since college I have educated myself 100 times more and counting and have not paid a dime for it. Looking back college was a joke in my thinking. Having been a professional in more than one field as I look back my professors were totally lacking any real capacity to educate. Just my two cents.

 

[thorsten]

There is no "free education" - the question is just if the students need to pay it or the state pays it. So a phrase like "[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]Free education is worth exactly what you pay for it.[/background]" just shows that the author either got a bad "free education" or paid for a bad education...

 

[AngelinBA]

My husband became a lawyer for free at UBA. He would not have been able to do that if there had been any cost involved. He comes from a very poor family. His mum's suggestion for him was to become a Plazero (the guys who clean the plazas) her reasoning was that they give you a uniform. He didnt have money even for the bus, would climb on, spend a few stops "searching" for coins until the driver kicked him off, then wait for the next one. He had 3 layers of cardboard in his shoes because he couldnt afford new ones. (Y'know, the whole"walked 3 miles in the snow" routine). But because of this free education, he is now able to support our family, private college for the kids, private medical insurance, and I don't have to work. This is what free education is for. Maybe the ones who should pay are the eternal students mentioned above, who never seen to get round to finishing.

 

[Noesdeayer]

thorsten:
That's becauise you don't have the "pie in the sky" Peronist mentality so prevalent in Argentina where there is a generalized belief that many things must be freeFew think about the economics involved.If they do,they simply say taxation should pay for it.
So the answer was to give them what they wanted -a payment free university system-.The fact that the majority drop out,which was not AngelinBA's husband's case,is in their minds ,beside the point they don't pay.That is what matters to them.Of course,the quality is often questionable but that's another matter.entirely.
I am in Chile at the moment which has implemented terciary educatiion reform.In a few years all lower income students will be able to study tuition free while those who can afford to pay,will pay.Colombia already has such a system.
,i will never forget the 4 years I lived in Acassuso and taking the 60 bus home listening to all the Mama's boys and dadies' girls coming home from "La Facu" jabbering about their winter vacations in the Caribe.But $$ for "La Facu"? are you kidding?

 

[Matiasba]

Private education is synonym of inequality.

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

Private education is synonym of inequality.

Education is by nature a private good. If the government funds it then it should provide some benefit to the society as a whole, which, inarguably it does. The question is in what amount, and I think here we've passed the balance point.