Blogs:

There has been a constant stress by our President that in order to ensure a bright future for our country, it is imperative to focus on a college education. This is the only way we can compete in the global marketplace.

In order to achieve this, Federal spending has increased by sixty percent in the year 2011 as compared to 2008. All private lenders have been pushed out by the government that has taken over most federal student loans.

All this is fine. But how far is the average citizen getting his money’s worth? Is our government ensuring value and performance for what is being spent? Our country today is up to its neck in debt and it is imperative to ensure that taxpayers get what they pay for.

As far as the field of education is concerned, whenever there is a discussion on quality education, there is never any talk about measuring value for money. Go through any statistics and you will find that money has been funneled blindly into the education field. This in turn is achieving nothing but feed forces that drive up cost of higher education.

The vicious cycle continues where students require help through taxpayer money which in turn is required more due to high costs. There is an increase in the number of back office staffs required to ensure compliance with reporting and regulation requirements which again is a reason for rise in tuition costs. All strings attached by the government for money it lends do not come cheap.

The trend today among parents and students is to gauge schools by the amenities it offers. School now is more a party place for students than an institution where you gain knowledge. More bills are being paid by taxpayers even as lists such as the “top ten schools in America” take on a new meaning.

This is the attitudinal change that explains other issues such as rise in infection rate on sexually transmitted diseases and rise in binge drinking. Schools in turn strive to keep pace with changing student attitude by adapting.

For most teachers today, being ‘cool’ is more important than being a good teacher who impart essential values and incorporate critical thinking among students. Our President says that our country has failed the college students.

As we analyze, we find that the failure is not due to the fact that students are not able to think critically or are graduating with massive debts but because they are not even attending college in the first place.

If more regulations are introduced and more money infused into the system, it will only compound the issue. Governments have always interfered in different markets and when things go wrong, only complain.

What we must realize here is government from refrain from picking losers or winners in the education field. It is definitely unethical bringing in regulations to prevent for-profit, private education from competing with traditional educational institutions.

Government must stop interfering in higher education market and allow schools to compete for the attendance and money of students. Allow private charities, colleges, businesses and banks to fund student loans and offer tax breaks to businesses that offer student aid.