Should our universities be free?

NOT LONG ago, going to university was seen as an option, available for the wealthy and not necessary for success. While it was seen as a luxury for a select few, the cost of university wasn’t seen as a big problem, since most got on well without. It was easier to learn skills and then enter a career without having a degree first.

Nowadays people in search of a good job require more experience and education. This is a result of a combination of a decline in the number of jobs available and an increase in the number of applicants for these jobs.

However, things have changed and going to university is more common seeing as it considerably helps in getting jobs that are perceived as good. Those who have not earned a degree in their chosen field have a huge disadvantage when it comes to finding employment.

This raises an important question: In a world where attending university is almost essential to success, should university students in our country have access to free tuition?

The benefits of allowing all South Africans free access to university, provided their marks are adequate, are obvious. South Africans who otherwise would not have been able to attend university because it was too expensive will now have the chance to continue their studies.

The effect this would have on South African businesses would be beneficial. No longer will the country need to rely on professionals from other countries to assume positions requiring scarce specialisations or unique skills.

In addition to this, the increase in youth continuing their studies after matric should lead to a drop in unemployment rates. The current unemployment rate, which is floating around 25 percent, is a major problem for the country and by giving all South Africans the tools to get a good job, the country should see a drop in the number of unemployed South Africans.

For the many South Africans living in poverty, the implementation of a system of providing university students free tuition would be favourable.

While it may seem like giving students access to free tuition is a good idea for all, there are reasons why South Africa has not or should not pursue this idea.

First, there is the fact that universities need funds to run on and the money needs to come from somewhere. The government would need to allocate large numbers of tax money to education which would mean an increase in taxes and a more basic allowance for universities to run on.

In rural communities where universities are already running on near minimal funds, this wouldn’t be that much of an issue. But some of South Africa’s more prestigious universities such as the UCT rely on higher fees to maintain the standard of education that makes them amongst the best universities in the country.

It is likely that if a nationwide system of free tuition is implemented, the standard of learning, which is already low in comparison to other countries, would drop even further. It is also likely that more universities would be needed to cater increasing numbers of applicants.

In addition, his would not necessarily solve the problem of disadvantaged South Africans having unequal opportunities. This would benefit disadvantaged South Africans but in the same way it would give South Africans who can currently afford university an advantage. They are now retaining even more of their wealth and already have the advantage of being able to enter and start businesses easier than South Africans coming from less privileged backgrounds.

More applicants would make positions in top universities harder to get, which on a national level isn’t a problem but wouldn’t be ideal for privileged students who can already afford university.

Free university is not wishful thinking in all countries. Some, mostly European, nations do not require university students to pay the full costs of their university educations. These countries, unlike South Africa, are wealthy enough to make and maintain such a system.

For a country that is still developing and battles poverty on such a large scale, the idea of university students having access to free tuition remains nothing more than wishful thinking.

The problem of education amongst lower-class citizens isn’t being left unaddressed. Most universities offer discounts to students who are considered disadvantaged. Systems like BEE aim to allow all South Africans equal chances to succeed but, as with any system, some people manage to take advantage of it, both the people who it is aimed to help and also those who aim to use it to help themselves.

It would be nice for South Africans who can’t currently afford university to be able to attend thanks to tuition paid by the government and the country could definitely benefit from more students continuing their studies after high school, but the country is not at a point where it could successfully make this change.

However, it is in the hopes of all South Africans to solve the problems preventing us from joining countries like Germany and Norway in offering all university students access to free tuition.