Is free education bad?
September 25, 2013 at 3:42 am
(This post was last modified: September 25, 2013 at 3:48 am by Something completely different.)
I recently had a discussion with someone I know concerning the subject of student fees, which I would like to continue on this forum.
In the country I currently live (Austria) there are no student fees for college or uni, with the exception of private educational institutions. Every attempt by the federal gverment to interduce student fees ended with widespread protests and even the occupation of unis by students and professors.
In Germany the fees for unis and colleges which are state owned are determined by the states and not the federal goverment. Fees vary from different states from 500 euros per semester (Bavaria, Würtenberg) to 280 euros per semester (Berlin).
A person I know recently argued that the missing fees had negative consequences on the Austrian educational system, and here are the 2 points with which he argued:
- As a result of the non existing fees and small fees (in Germany), students often change the subject and chose subjects which do not give them better future career chances.
- The non existing fees cause foreign students to emigrate into this country and thereby take the places of domestic students.
But as far as I know, the number of students who study subjects that do not deliver "good chances for a future career" is high amongst various countries despite the lack or existance of student fees. And the reason why so many foreigners study in Austria is not because of the lack of fees but because of the non existant numerous clausus. Proof for that is in my opinion Hungary, which has an enormous number of German students studying there despite the high fees, because there is no numerus clausus in that country.
Personaly, I dont have a problem with paying fees between 300 to 800 euros per semester, but I absolutly oppose the fees in existance in the US and the UK which are so high that studying is either made a privilege for upper classes or that young academics start their careers with an enormous mountain of debt.
I was unfortunatly uncapable to continue this discussion with that person since he then dismissed me as a "naiv leftist" who believed in "the lies by the jews who run the international left and international banking sector" at which point I left the table he was sitting at.
Still, I would like to know your opinion on student fees and what you think the limit on them should be.
In the country I currently live (Austria) there are no student fees for college or uni, with the exception of private educational institutions. Every attempt by the federal gverment to interduce student fees ended with widespread protests and even the occupation of unis by students and professors.
In Germany the fees for unis and colleges which are state owned are determined by the states and not the federal goverment. Fees vary from different states from 500 euros per semester (Bavaria, Würtenberg) to 280 euros per semester (Berlin).
A person I know recently argued that the missing fees had negative consequences on the Austrian educational system, and here are the 2 points with which he argued:
- As a result of the non existing fees and small fees (in Germany), students often change the subject and chose subjects which do not give them better future career chances.
- The non existing fees cause foreign students to emigrate into this country and thereby take the places of domestic students.
But as far as I know, the number of students who study subjects that do not deliver "good chances for a future career" is high amongst various countries despite the lack or existance of student fees. And the reason why so many foreigners study in Austria is not because of the lack of fees but because of the non existant numerous clausus. Proof for that is in my opinion Hungary, which has an enormous number of German students studying there despite the high fees, because there is no numerus clausus in that country.
Personaly, I dont have a problem with paying fees between 300 to 800 euros per semester, but I absolutly oppose the fees in existance in the US and the UK which are so high that studying is either made a privilege for upper classes or that young academics start their careers with an enormous mountain of debt.
I was unfortunatly uncapable to continue this discussion with that person since he then dismissed me as a "naiv leftist" who believed in "the lies by the jews who run the international left and international banking sector" at which point I left the table he was sitting at.
Still, I would like to know your opinion on student fees and what you think the limit on them should be.
