The growth in the education sector has picked up jet speed in the last few decades. The rising cost of higher education is a topic of large concern today. As tuition fees continue to grow at a rapid pace – more than food and clothing prices – it is becoming increasingly hard for a middle-class family to afford a quality education.
What factors have been driving this large rise in tuition prices? Many families will end up asking themselves, “Why does college cost co much?” “Is this the price for a quality education?” Some students may end up dropping out of school by taking up jobs.
Education is a basic human need and a key factor in the development of an individual. Investment in education will directly raise the well-being of individuals. Well-educated citizens are capable of contributing to the growth of the nation.
Here are 5 common education myths:
- More spending means better quality:
Quality education requires significant investments of time and other resources, but the relationship between cost and quality is not necessarily linear. More spending does not always equal greater quality.
- Better School Builds Better Foundation
There is simply no hard evidence for the statement that student’s performance has been declining for decades; these are myths put forward by teachers’ unions and education policy makers. A primary education of a child needs proper guidance and care. The type of school does not matter greatly in building the foundation.
- Teachers are Solely Responsible For Learning:
Learning is an interactive process. One can also learn from books, the internet, etc. A teacher is thus more of a facilitator. Therefore, basing teachers salaries on students performance can be counterproductive and is also ethically incorrect. Parents and self-learning play an equally important role in the overall learning and development of the student.
- Reading in a renounced college equals an A class job:
This is perhaps one of the biggest, colossally wrong and destructive myths in our education system. Content knowledge and experience matter more than only credentials. It benefits every student to be an expert in his or her subject field, it hardly matters where one has got his degree from.
- Cost we are paying going to private institutions money bank only:
It’s a popular argument that when we spend more money we get better results. Yes, it is true that private institutions charge more money. But this is for providing students with better facilities and ultimately, a high paying job. This is what the common person demands.
A private institution has well-paid faculties, infrastructure, lab facilities, etc. It conducts volunteering for educational programs, trips, research on curriculum, etc. which incurs expenditure. Prices are determined by services offered. In the end, a student is imparted with skills. So, more fees is not necessarily a bad thing here.
The solution to improving the status quo of our education system may come if teachers in government colleges do their duty sincerely while taking care of individual students. Also, government funds must reach the destined organizations. Then elementary education system may have a dramatic, positive impact and come up with lesser costs and better quality. An effective methodology can ensure a better path towards quality education.
In contemporary society, higher education facilities are increasingly getting costlier and only a small section of the society can afford it. Provision of credit facility for educational purpose is enabling budding talents to realize their career ambitions. When planned with wisdom, educational loans can be a matter of delight that enables fulfillment of career aspirations without having an effect on the living standard. Despite the uncertainties associated in incurring a debt, there cannot be any denial of the fact that educational loan is playing a positive role in strengthening the financial conditions of the citizens in the distant future. There are many scholarships available to bright students such that they do not feel financial pressure and not live with the myth that cost of quality education is too much.
In conclusion, I would like to say that demanding quality without even willing to incur the justifiable cost for the same is an incorrect notion.