Free Education: The Key Benefits Essay

Main ideas

1. Promotes the rate of student enrollment in college education
2. Lowering overdependence on student loans to facilitate their education programs
3. Enhancing the rate of college completion among the students
4. To improve the overall status of the society

Introduction

In the past years, the idea of a free college education has been circulating and capturing the attention of policymakers in the country. The various governments including the current system have tried evaluating the possibility of formulating and implementing such a program into practice. The rising college fee together with associated expenses has become a nightmare for the public especially the communities that have limited sources of income. According to Miller-Adams (2021), student loan is unattainable which is making it difficult for learners who rely on it to afford the necessary financing to support their education. Furthermore, there is a high rate of inequities the society following the inability of some parents to pay for college tuition for their children. Such cases are enhancing the gap between the poor and the rich. However, with government involvement in the program, students irrespective of their socio-economic background will have the ability to enroll and pursue their college education.

Thesis Statement: By having a fully funded college program by the federal government, students will have the opportunity to enroll in studies, complete their education, reduce their loan burden and the societal status will improve.

Preview: In this presentation, I will focus on the reasons why the college education program should be fully sponsored by our government. In addition, explain the context of free education to ensure the audience comprehends how it will impact the community and the country as a whole.

Main Point I

Promotes the rate of students’ enrollment in college education in the country.

1. By initiating free education, many students from various communities will have the opportunity to enroll in colleges despite their economic status.
2. The approach will ensure the aspect of inequities is reduced since students will have an equal chance to access education programs.
3. For instance, learners from marginalized groups will be able to obtain the required education making them increase their skills and knowledge for employment purposes.
4. The increase in the number of students in college implies that the country will have more workforce to run the economy effectively.

Transition: Therefore, by having a free college program the government will promote equitable access to education as well as the ability to acquire employment opportunities.

Main Point II

Miller-Adams (2021) iterates that facilitating free college programs will lower dependency on student loans to enable their learning.

1. According to Ison (2022), most students rely on loans to pay their fees and cater for their accommodation.
2. The over-dependence is making it a challenge for the agency to provide for all the needy students in the country.
3. If the federal government implements the free college program, students will not have to use loans to finance their education thus enabling them to be debt free upon completing their studies.

Transition: By having free college, students will not be bombarded with loan repayment issues upon completion.

Main Point III

Pratt, Harwood, Cavazos, and Ditzfeld (2019) argue that financial constraint is a major factor influencing the ability of learners to stay in college. In other words, when students are unable to finance their studies and accommodation programs, they are more likely to drop out before completing their desired college education.

1. Most students especially those from poor backgrounds have challenges raising the required tuition fee to keep them in classes.
2. Furthermore, the accommodation charges and other necessary expenses make learners defer or drop out completely from college.
3. When the government sponsors the college program, such unfortunate students will have the ability to complete their studies successfully.

Transition: Therefore, when college education is declared free, the majority of the learners will complete their respective courses without having to terminate midway due to financial problems.

Main Point IV

Free college education has the potential of improving society.

1. Generally, the community is segregated following the social classes whereby only the middle-class and higher-income earners are the ones able to educate their children.
2. Herbaut and Geven (2020) iterate that if the government implements a free college program, even the poor will have the ability to educate their young ones at a higher level.
3. When people are educated, they will have the required knowledge of changes in the community and thus making it easier for them to influence a positive outcome.

Conclusion

Even though the idea of free education is yet to be implemented, if the government opts to initiate the program, it will promote the number of students enrolling in college studies. Issues such as financial constraints have become a significant barrier to obtaining a college education, by sponsoring the process, learners will have the ability to complete their studies successfully. In order to have a better society, the level of literacy must be higher which can only be achieved if all students irrespective of their economic background have equitable access to college education.

References

Herbaut, E., & Geven, K. (2020). What works to reduce inequalities in higher education? A systematic review of the (quasi-) experimental literature on outreach and financial aid. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 65, 100442. Web.

Ison, M. P. (2022). The viability of tuition-free community college. Educational Policy, 36(5), 1054-1077. Web.

Miller-Adams, M. (2021). The path to free college: In pursuit of access, equity, and prosperity. Cambridge MA: Harvard Education Press.

Pratt, I. S., Harwood, H. B., Cavazos, J. T., & Ditzfeld, C. P. (2019). Should I stay or should I go? Retention in first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 21(1), 105-118. Web.