A few weeks ago, President Obama
proposed a policy to make community college free to students. Community
colleges are mainly attended by lower income students and/or students who are
the first to attend college from their family. Obama proposed that this
program’s funding would be split between the federal and state governments. The
likelihood of this bill passing Congress is unlikely because Republicans will
most likely disagree with more government spending. Those who oppose the
program claim that this would expand the country’s growing welfare problem and
would just be another negative impact on government balance sheets. Furthermore,
they say this plan is unnecessary because poor students have access to other
government grants that allow them to go to college for free. Many of the
arguments opposing this legislation are mainly due to its cost.
Obama and others who support this
idea argue that this would reduce the education gap that exists in the U.S. This
reduction in the education gap would create economic growth because attending
college makes individuals more qualified for the job market. Many Americans in
the U.S. don’t attend college because it is too expensive, and many graduates
of American colleges and universities are unsatisfied with immense student debt
that they have to pay off. This program would eliminate this issue. This sort
of program is already in place in Tennessee, and it has worked to great effect.
Tens of thousands of people have signed up for the program, and the math and
reading scores of Tennessee students have risen. To me, if an individual state
has shown poor educational performance, this program seems like a step in the
right direction. An increase in education can lead to the reduction of income
inequality, and this could lead to upward mobility for many Americans.
Aaron Ogunro
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