Education is widely regarded as a key factor in the economic and social development of a country, but there are different attitudes about whether students should pay or not. Some regard education as a basic right, which should therefore be provided free, while others think the individual student should have to shoulder some of the costs of his or her education. This essay will examine some of the arguments for and against free education at third level.
There are several reasons why university education in particular should be paid for by the students who receive it. First of all, a university is a choice, not a requirement. Nobody is forced to attend third level, and those who do are hoping to enter very well paid jobs. Students entering professions such as engineering or medicine will be well able to repay loans or the cost of tuition. A second point is that if students from rich families are receiving free university education from the state, they are increasing the load on the university and ministry of education and reducing the resources available for poorer students. Furthermore, when people pay for something, they often value it more. Students who get free education may enroll purely because they don’t want to work or because they can’t think of anything better to do, and this can lead to poor motivation and poor study habits.