Benefits of Free Tuition by Emma Bouck

     There are many reasons why tuition should be offered to students, not just in British Columbia, but around the world. Free tuition is good because it gives students opportunity for future careers that will benefit our society without the stress of paying back large loans.

In Finland, education is regarded as a fundamental right for all citizens and considered fair for everyone to have an equal opportunity. As well, many places around the world are slowly realising how much students are struggling with expenses. According to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,

“As of the 2015-2016 school year, at least nine countries offer tuition-free public higher education. For example, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, and Poland have free college education. So free college has proven to be a popular idea.”

The UK, although not free, offers monetary relief. Research found on the website “Should College Be Free? Here's What You Need to Consider” states,

“…Payment is deferred until after graduation, and every graduate is automatically enrolled in an income-based repayment program. So graduates only have to pay an affordable percentage of their incomes once they start earning above a certain threshold.”

In British Columbia students pay for their tuition, supplies, room and board. Some students need to drop out because they can’t afford to pay these expenses for all four years of school. This results in students dropping out of potential careers, which hurts our economy. As stated by Hunter Throndsen,

“It is a matter of fairness and equality. If we want the best and smartest people to succeed, then what is known as "the great equalizer" should be more accessible.”

In 2017 former president Barack Obama created a budget proposal stating the federal government would cover 75% cost of tuition for two years, and the remaining 25% would be covered by the states.

"We have to make college affordable, because no hardworking student should be stuck in the red." Says Obama. This idea could also work in Canada with the federal government paying a portion and the provinces contributing the rest.

In conclusion, countries like Finland that offer free tuition consider it a fundamental right to give everyone the opportunity for an education and a future. Students in British Columbia and around Canada pay approximately $7,000 per year on tuition alone. This doesn’t include schooling supplies or room and board. Obama’s vision on lowering education cost is still viable today and could make a huge impact to student’s futures. If nine other countries around the world offer free tuition to their students, then why shouldn’t Canada be offered the same?

References:

Dickler, J. (2016). Obama: We have to make college affordable. Retrieved on February 15th, 2019 from: https://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/12/obama-we-have-to-make-college-affordable.html

Should College Be Free? Here's What You Need to Consider. (2019) Retrieved on February 15th, 2019 from:  https://www.trade-schools.net/articles/should-college-be-free.asp#other-countries

Throndsen, Hunter. (2017). Why College Tuition Should Be Free. Retrieved on February 15th, 2019 from: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/college-tuition-free-millennial

Why is education free in Finland? University of Eastern Finland. Retrieved on February 15^th, 2019 from: https://www.uef.fi/web/mns/tuition-and-scholarships/why-is-education-free-in-finland