Why College Should Not Be Free
Today, there is a growing political platform for providing free college education. However, I do not think that providing a free college education for students is in the best interest of the government, or the people. As such, college should not be free.
First, providing a free education would put undo strain on the government. Education comes at a price. It is not free to produce an education, which takes skilled teachers, technologies, books, and other supplies. Therefore, it should not be provided for free.
Additionally, if it were provided free, then the government would be paying for it. The government pays for such services through increased taxation. This puts a burden on the poor, especially in nations, like the United States, where the middle and lower classes carry a higher tax burden than the rich. Expecting these classes to carry the burden of providing everyone with a free education, further disabling them from providing from their family, and potentially increasing their dependence on other federal aid, like food programs, does not improve the nation or the economy overall.
Finally, not everyone is ready to pursue their education and take it seriously. Those that, as a result, do not take their education seriously will do poorly, and are ultimately wasting the resources of a free education. They are taking advantage of a government paid system, by putting the government to the expense of educating them, without actually becoming educated. Students that must pay for their own education are more likely to take the work seriously, and benefit from the classes they take, because they are both personally and financially invested.
While there are many argument being made in favor of providing free, open enrollment education through the college level, it will ultimately cost the tax payer dollars unnecessarily. As a result, college should not be free.
