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Should higher education be free? The demand for higher education has been increasing rapidly however the supply of higher education is increasing at a lower rate. With supply unable to match the demand it has resulted in higher education value and worth

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Introduction

Should higher education be free? The government believe that education is important for the future development of the UK, and are continually investing in the market. With more students than ever before wanting a higher education, competition is growing not just in the Uk, international students want their higher education in the UK .the biggest issue we have seen become more discussed about is the fees that students have to pay and if there should be a fee Higher education currently has a fee of �2335 a year for UK undergraduate on any full time course. Previously university were limited to the rich white people and then over the years opened up and allowed more lower classes and other ethnic minority. The government currently run a system which allows students to take a loan out to cover the fees in which they pay back once they have left the higher education are earning an income suitable to start paying the loan back of. The government also currently offer a grant to students who are coming from less financially able families to help with the higher education. When students decided to look at the choice of higher education they look at marginal benefit and marginal costs and make a rational choice. When looking at the marginal benefit of attending university you find ideas such as increasing their market value of the student, better job perspectives and a more in depth knowledge of you specialised area. ...read more.

Middle

Another possible source of finance is to have the students coming from rich family backgrounds paying more. However you may find that families are unwilling to pay for their child education and may cause the student to have to pay the higher price due to their family wealth. This would mean theses students would have to pay for it by taking loans and then they are put at a disadvantage. Also education is supposed to be based on merit, were students who worked hard and get the grades are able to attend university not about who can financially afford to attend. If higher education was made free at the expense at both the tax payers and other government services being reduced and smaller payments being made by students will increase the demand and more people would be willing to go to university. However this would be inappropriate to do as the government are unable to meet the demand. Going to higher education increases the student market value and also their salary. Therefore the students should pay from some sort of payment for the education as they are receiving benefits from it. However the amount the pay back should not be too high that it should be difficult for them to pay it back even with the higher value. This is why a part government and part student payment of fees should be implemented as it is the most beneficial waay of higher education. ...read more.

Conclusion

The idea of no tuition fee for the students will encourage more students to go through college and continue to university. On the other hand some argue by making higher education free the importance of a degree is no longer and the motivation of the students is minimal. In conclusion we shouldn't have a free higher education; however it should be a small amount which can be afforded by the students. I believe a proportion should be paid by the government through taxes and decreases in their expenditure on other services such as nuclear weapons or the army. Student should still pay an amount in order to stop other students who will be attending but not actually working, and the rest can be paid through the taxes which will be also come of those who go into higher education .students will then start jobs with higher pay and therefore will be paying higher taxes as they are higher in the tax brackets. Sources These are the website I have used in order to create this essay. 1. http://www.london-student.net/2009/01/19/education-should-be-free/ 2. http://www.economicshelp.org/2007/10/how-should-higher-education-be-funded.html 3. http://tutor2u.net/economics/gcse/images/demand_supply_excess_demand_increase.gif 4. http://tutor2u.net/economics/gcse/images/demand_supply_excess_demand_increase.gif 5. http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100106104903AANKmSE 6. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2337183.stm Text Books These are the books that have helped me with the essay. 1. Economics for Business Fourth Edition by John Sloman and Kevin Hinde 2. The cost of free education: schools and low income families By Judith O'Neill, Janet Paterson pages 2, 76 3. Financing higher education: answers from the UK By Nicholas Barr, Iain Crawford ?? ?? ?? ?? Should higher education be free by hana ali Student id w1225228 Economics Page 1 ...read more.

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