Higher education in the United States faces a number of challenges because of the opportunity gaps that exist in the society. The opportunity gaps stem from the increase in immigration of minority groups in the society and the lack of affordability for higher education in these minority groups. Despite the current arguments in the United States that there is the attainable American Dream, there are still those persons who cannot access or afford higher education. The truth is that children of lower socio-economic groups will have a more difficult time accessing higher education and this leads to the limitations on those who earn academic degrees. Higher education is integral to the development of the overall development of the country as persons must be educated and informed in order to make sound decisions and choices. Practical and vocational training by itself cannot influence the informed choices that one must make and as such it is important that the country not just move away from defining education as vocational learning. The educational institutions need move towards integrating educational and vocational programs that will change the current situation where those who cannot afford education or those who are not academically inclined can make positive contributions to the society as well.
According to Ethan Miller, “higher education is in serious trouble” (Miller, par. 1) as the problems are not as simple as one would want to believe. For many persons, higher education means that one becomes educated with intellectual learning and exploration and attains worthless degrees that fostered a system where persons possessed the desire to earn exorbitant cash. But, the harsh reality is that higher education poses a threat to the long-term viability of a system that stands as the foundation to increasing “the well-being of the citizenry, strengthen democracy and ensure the long-term economic health of the country” (Miller, par. 2). Additionally higher education provides the path that allows for upward social mobility despite the economic restrictions. The crisis of higher education is great even as the education system moves away from the traditional implications of defining education as a vocational training program.
Janet Napolitana argues that there is no crisis on the American system of higher education (Napolitana, par. 3) and that the concerns that there are challenges to higher education stem from persons who believe that the inclusion of technology in every aspect of life is inevitable, the high cost of education fees, and an escalation in the division of the social class groups in the society (Napolitana, par 3). Nonetheless, other critics argue that the concerns for accessing higher education are great and more should be done to change the high level of academic capitalism and corporatization that prevents students from accessing higher education in the United States. In the last two decades, a new crisis has emerged in the education system as many organizations have leaned closer towards "academic capitalism" (Williams, par. 1). As such, these universities have moved away from the cultural and literary studies that form the foundations of the graduate programs and have made it more difficult to achieve higher education.
The escalating debts have led to a decline in accessing higher education as “those born in the bottom ranks have difficulty moving up” (Sawhill, par.1). Sawhill suggests that in order for children to rise above their low socio-economic standing is to earn a college degree (Sawhill, par. 1). However, such a chance is minimal as few children are able to access higher education because of “the link between parental income and college-going has increased in recent decades” (Bailey & Dynarski, 2011 as cited by Sawhill, par. 1) and prevents a number of children from accessing the higher education and lean more towards the primary vocational programs.
There is a growing need for change around the world as a number of persons have to contend with poverty, global warming, illiteracy, and access to health care. These problems stem from the limitations to education and the lack of informed knowledge that could remove the stigma surrounding the uneducated mass in the world. The crises of the global challenges will increase as there is a lack of formal education that could otherwise help persons to achieve more personal and economic benefits. In the past decades, the society accepted that students who were not academically inclined could simply leave school and seek vocational training to offset their burdens. But, by leaving school early and not pursuing higher academic programs, these persons have become victims to the high level of ignorance that allows them to accept the poverty in which they live and the limitations to health care. The latter issue is of the greatest concern as the lack of proper health care can lead to a number of epidemics that will eventually cause a significant decline in the world’s population. Of course, the poverty and the squalor in which a number of persons live will also cause a problem for many of these poor persons.
One may argue that higher education will not solve the crisis that now exists in the world as it is not feasible for everyone to achieve higher education and even if everyone were to achieve higher education, then there would be no jobs for skilled persons. The truth is that having higher education does not limit the vocationally trained person, but instead improves that quality of work that these persons produce and also allows for global marketing of vocational skills and services. According to Dr. Priscilla Gac-Artigas the current educational and financial changes in the society creates a growing need for colleges and universities to adapt and conform to finding “quality education to a growing student population” (Gac-Artigas, par. 11).
In addition, the author reiterates that the cost of education at present, does not allow students to access creative knowledge and provide future innovative solutions that will engage them in learning without the additionally pressure of debts (Gac-Artigas, par. 11). Arguably, higher education is not for everyone as many students are not prepared for the challenges that come with the work at the college level. Of course, having a college degree is beneficial to the overall development of the country, but that would also place limitations on the number of persons who work in the vocational fields.
Vocational education serves as a tool for organized educational programs that can create opportunities that relate to providing students with the chance to become self-reliant and independent. For those students who are not academically inclined vocational education as serve as the primary factor in the development of these students. Vocational training programs allow students who cannot afford the expensive baccalaureate programs to find meaningful educational opportunities in higher education. Over the years, many students drop out of colleges or do not even attempt to achieve higher education because of the cost of higher education and because of their educational limitations. As a result, these students learn instead to accept social security or menial jobs to support self and families. This limitation does not bode well for the economy as the country must then lean towards illegal immigrants and foreign assistance to achieve goals that could have been achieved otherwise. In other words, vocational training would allow students to learn to integrate their vocational skills with academic skills and thereby earn degree to complement their vocational training.
There are implications to applying vocational training to every aspect of the educational curriculum as there is a growing need for skilled workers in the society. Arguably, technology has made a tremendous impact on the society and more persons are gravitating towards the use of technology and moving away from practical skills. But, by becoming more educated in the field of technology and by using technology to assist in almost every field in the society, there will undoubtedly be a decline in the use of manual labor to complete tasks that could be cheaper with manual labor. Cheaper labor will undoubtedly increase and the value and access to higher education will decrease. Furthermore, the problem will continue as the cycle of poverty continues. The future generation of children will be left with no choice but to follow in their parents’ path as these parents will not be able to afford their education.
Higher education faces further challenges as the number of part time lecturers has increased and the number of full-time lecturers has decreased. Students are no longer able to spend quality time with lecturers outside of the classroom and this limits the quality of the education that students receive. The truth is that the future of higher education looks dismal as professors are paid poverty wages, and this has a negative impact on the quality of the education that these professors provide (Miller, par. 5). The students who fall in the minority groups will continue to struggle as the exorbitant fees for education continue to increase. The problem is likely to continue to grow and endanger the future of the professors and the students and in turn impact the development of the country.
In concluding, the last few decades have seen a rise in cost of higher education and this has led to the increase in the challenges to access quality education. Of course, higher education is integral to the citizenry of the country, but the truth is that not everyone is able to afford higher education with the increases in the cost of education. In the past, education was clearly a vocational tool that served as the driving force behind the working class persons in the society. But, based on the changes in technology and science, there is a decrease in the need for vocational training as more persons are gravitating towards technological devices that are used instead of the practical skills of persons in the field.
The crisis is greater as the increase in technology and the high cost of education lends itself to the limitations on acquiring higher education. The problem intensifies as the lack of access to higher education will undoubtedly increase the level of poverty and the number of diseases as persons is unable to afford a better life. But, for those who are able to afford the high cost education will continue to use their education to amass more wealth, while the less fortunate will not be able to move forward. Organizations will strive to further their development and this development can only come through the employment of those who are educated. In essence, the future holds no place for those who do not have higher education and this will continue to be a challenge as higher education is unreachable for more persons than necessary.
References
Gac-Artigas, Priscilla (Dr.) What Would It Imply For Public Universities To Be Tuition-Free?
The Electoral Process and the Future of Higher Education in the US, (2016), Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.hispanicoutlook.com/featured-articles/2016/1/5/the-electoral-process-and-the-future-of-higher-education-in-the-us-by-dr-priscilla-gac-artigas 11 Feb 2016
Miller, Ethan, The Crisis in Higher Education, (2013) Huffpost College, Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ethan-miller/the-crisis-in-higher-educ_b_2727653.html 11 Feb 2016
Napolita, Janet, Higher Education Isn’t in Crisis (2015) The Washington Post, Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com 11 Feb 2016
Sawhill, Isabel, Higher Education and the Opportunity Gap (2013) The College Board Paper,
Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2013/10/higher-education-opportunity-gap-sawhill 11 Feb 2016
Williams, Jeffrey J., Deconstruction Academe: The Birth of Critical University Studies (2012),
The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Chronicle Review, Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/An-Emerging-Field-Deconstructs/130791/ 11 Feb 2016
