Friday, October 15, 2004

Freedom Has It's Price

I thought that free University was a great idea (hey, save me my HECS debt), but then my brother put this to me - If Uni was free, then the lower classes would be subsidising the rich.
It happened in the 70's under Whitlam. What i Don't like about this is that it doesn't give many opportunities for the lower classes to educate, gain higher skills and improve their standing in society - which is what the HECS increase is doing, making university too expensive for the majority of the population.

One suggestion we came up with was to make TAFE - Technical Colleges - free, rather than the upfront costs that put them out of reach for welfare recipients. but this still creates an educational class division. Means-Tested scholarships for underprivileged students could help reduce the disparity, but it wouldn't be enough for my tastes. Well, I have to cop the 25% cost increase now, and IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT.
posted by Keegan at 2:33 pm

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