College tuition in the United States is expensive. I don’t think anybody can argue that fact.
The point is should it be so expensive?
Should it even cost anything at all?
President Obama has made a proposal to make the first two years of community college free, but it comes with guidelines that students must follow in order to maintain that free education.
The free education will be rewarded to two-year students who attend at least half-time and maintain a 2.5 GPA.
If this proposal were to be passed, which will be tough with a Republican-led congress, I would at least agree with the guidelines.
There is no reason a student who doesn’t go to class and doesn’t at least maintain a C+ average at a community college should get a free education.
As Obama put it “free for everybody who is willing to work for it.”
Obama has said this proposal is not just about kids but for people in the work force who have to train themselves for better jobs, wages and benefits.
Also Obama hopes this plan will help boost the economy with many households saving money.
The federal government will cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college and the individual states will have to pay the rest.
The White House has said that if all states participated it could save an average of $3,800 in tuition per year for a full-time student.
Being that the average household income in the United States is around $52,000 it is a big deal for most people to save $3,800 a year on college tuition.
If you just look at it from a standpoint of parents saving money by sending their kids to college, then it is a good idea. Of course there are some negatives as well.
It is likely that this program would cost billions of dollars. With our country already in so much debt and the federal government covering most of the costs of this program, it certainly is something that could cause issues.
I’m not sure if this proposal is for the best and I’m not sure it is for the worst.
I do know that it has started a very important conversation that is long overdue and for that I am glad Obama has come up with at least a starting point.
Many people have not been able to get a proper education because the tuition of school versus their family’s income. Not only is college tuition ridiculous, but even the tuition of private high schools and grammar schools. It is time for a change in this department and it looks as if change will come sooner rather than later.