As a North American full-time
student, living in a city that is increasingly expensive, I’m not afraid to admit
how difficult it is. With rising tuitions, book prices and fees, the financial
aid the government offers only just covers my tuition. With 5 classes a
semester, hours of homework and assignments due, I am unable to work full time and
maintain good grades. I have to get creative every month to make ends meet for
my living costs. I’ve even tried my luck with student lines of credit. Thanks to
the fact that I am a young person with no net worth and no family members
capable of co-signing this was dead-end. I once had a financial advisor at a
bank very seriously look me in the eyes and state “a lot of girls in school are
stripping these days… have you ever thought of something along those lines.”
This
is a reality for many returning adult students, returning to post-secondary is
unaffordable and unfeasible. Without any side income most, including myself,
would not be able to pursue a post-secondary degree, and many don’t. The world
of academics is not accessible to everyone, and still conforms to the ideology
that it is a privilege, when in fact it is a right that everyone deserves to
have access to. Although even if you do have access to it, you are sadly not
promised employment afterwards. “More than 12
per cent of Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed
and more than a quarter are underemployed, meaning
they have degrees but end up in jobs that don't require them.”
Unlike
North America, Sweden’s post-secondary is tuition free. Yes, students still end
up with large amounts of loans, due to the fact that the cost of living is not
free. However, having the ability to focus on school work and using loans to
help with living prices is a much better situation than the survival of the North
American “starving student”. Even with such large amounts of debt, the monthly costs are fairly cheap.
The Swedish government has set low interest rates, and a long period for
repayment. Along with their manageable repayment system and free education, their
employment post grad rates are high. Studies done in Sweden on a graduating
academic year of 2011/2012 found that a year after graduation 81% of the
students were established with jobs post degree.
So
why is it so important that education be accessible to all those that wish to
pursue it? For one, it has been proven that “the
more educated the citizens of a country are the more the country experiences
economic growth.” Along with creating happier and
healthier lives, unity and trust in society. Although post-secondary may not be
for everyone, it should be available for all who wish to obtain it. An educated
community is a stronger community, with skills in deep thinking, dealing with
problems, working with others and proper communication techniques.
Using your personal experiences in your introduction was a great way to draw readers into your piece and made me want to read further. I was quite intrigued by your statement regarding the underemployed individuals in Canada and I'm curious as to why that number is so high. Is it due to the number of job opportunities or a lack of networking skills?
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you brought up Sweden's post secondary system as I am planning on studying there within the next coming year and I believe that their approach is something that Canada should attempt to replicate as it takes the pressure off of students financially.
What is interesting for me in your article here is that you mention “the more educated the citizens of a country are the more the country experiences economic growth.” It's interesting because Canada is considered the most educated country in the world, yet only ranks 10th in highest GDP in the world. I wonder then if education is not as important in the economic growth of a country? Or maybe past a certain point of education there is nominal growth, especially compared to other underdeveloped countries that see a great increase in economic growth when their education increases. I do agree that education should be free, but perhaps Canada has weighed the pros and cons of it and deemed it not as useful to their economic growth, since they've already hit the point of stagnation.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked by what you were told by a so-called financial adviser. It does, however, highlight the current state of a broken system when young people who just want to make a better lives for themselves when they are having to turn to such drastic measures.
ReplyDeleteWhen there is inadequate financial support for students this means that they are constantly over worked and stressed which has negative and adverse effects on grades and graduation rates.
The country will suffer as a result because as you rightly pointed out, economic growth relies on having an educated population at the helm. The post war baby boomers, those who rely on welfare and pensions today had had far greater financial support for their education . Unfortunately, these people and the working class are out of touch with the unreasonable burden being placed on students today.