Running head: HIGHER EDUCATION 2
HIGHER EDUCATION 2
Higher Education and the Society
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As far as students themselves benefit from higher education, society stands to benefit more. First of all, with many college graduates, the unemployment rate is reduced. According to Shafiq, Toutkoushian, & Valerio (2019), research indicates that the most-poor economies and ones with high unemployment rates are ones with few higher education graduates. With college and university graduates, many government services are made available. Through taxes, college graduates can fund a lot of activities. Graduates are also likely to benefit society in many ways, such as community service. A learned society is a wealthy society.
The burden of financing higher education should be for society because, as soon as the student graduates, they become taxpayers. Thus, I would say for the community it is like an investment. Perna, Leigh, and Caroll (2017) argue that there have been a lot of developments and quick growth in nations that have offered free college education to their students. Therefore, it is only right that public funds from taxpayers finance their education. And if people pay the fee by themselves, some would lack the money, thereby making some students miss the opportunity to study.
The primary tension between the federal policy, state policy, higher education, and other involved parties is financing and the public purpose the systems expect from higher education institutions. No rationale is clearly defined justifying the state’s spending on higher education institutions, capital, and financial aid. Also, the state may have higher expectations of the public purposes they expect higher education institutions to help them attain, which when they fail, it may be challenging to finance the institutions.
References
Perna, L. W., Leigh, E. W., & Carroll, S. (2017). “Free college:” A new and improved state approach to increasing educational attainment?. American Behavioral Scientist, 61(14), 1740-1756.
Shafiq, M. N., Toutkoushian, R. K., & Valerio, A. (2019). Who Benefits from Higher Education in Low-and Middle-Income Countries?. The Journal of Development Studies, 55(11), 2403-2423.