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In an effort to project Obama administration in a positive light on his visit to the Maury High School, Vice President Joe Biden focused on the government’s initiatives to make higher education accessible and affordable for all.

Biden was speaking to a gathering of teachers, students and parents at the school gymnasium. He said that if our country was to stay competitive in today’s tough global economy, the single best investment it should make is in higher education.

He said that our national interest and national security lies in producing the best educated people in the world. He also reflected on his father’s insistence to send him and his siblings to get a university education even though both his parents did not go to college.

He went on to say that he had to borrow against his equity to give his children college education. Biden pointed out that the awful recession has led to rising tuition fees and falling real estate values which is very hard on parents.

The administration, he said, is ensuring enhanced availability of loans, federal grants and work study programs to help parents and students in distress. Strengthening our country’s core is the motive behind this, he pointed out.

He told the students that their earning power will increase with a college degree and they can gain confidence and reinforce their sense of self worth only through college education. A “Welcome to Maury” banner greeted our Vice President along with the enthusiastic crowd, not to mention the Commodore costumed Maury mascot and the school band.

In the upcoming Presidential elections, Virginia is indeed a battleground and high administration officials have been visiting on a continued basis. Last month, George County was visited by President Barack Obama.

In a bid to reign in fast increasing college costs, Vice President who was accompanied by Arne Duncan, our Education Secretary, put forth many administration proposals. The past decade has seen doubling of tuition at Virginia universities and public colleges.

There is a proposal by Obama to change rules governing distribution of federal student aid. This campus based aid was to penalize schools that did not keep tuition under control and reward those that did. 

In order to make sure state governments stand by their commitment to providing adequate higher education funds, our President also hung the carrot of $1 billion investment. In order to help students find an affordable and appropriate school, he wants a “college scorecard” created.

Similar pitches were made by Biden over the past few months in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Nevada. If you notice, all of them are prominent states in the upcoming elections.

No matter what the motive, it is time the very core of our country, namely higher education is revamped and strengthened. We need a strong educated workforce to bring us out of this slump.
Education for the mass is the only hope and it is time we worked hard towards turning our ailing economy around and placing it on the road to recovery.