A system in need of Aid. (For Class)

Now, I’m not really a socialist. I like capitalism in most instances, though like any system, I think it is quite flawed. Those flaws, however, are causing the education system to become less and less effective. There is no immediate money in education, since it is a long term investment, and in a system where profits need to be visible every year, that is a problem.

The system I am worried by is the education system. Specifically, the higher education system. Now, I’m not saying that the current system is totally bad. But it is heading in a troubling direction. As our economy sinks lower, the price for a college education rises higher. As less people can afford education, fewer people get the needed knowledge and qualifications for higher paying jobs, and thus can pay less into the system. As less money is paid into the system, the more a college education will cost. As this cycle continues farther and farther toward the ground, the United States falls behind. And then, we complain about our slipping in world status.

We focus on other things, because discovering that the United States is a beacon, slowly dimming, is a hard subject to broach. We blame it on the economy, on world events, on anything but the fact that other countries are starting to creep ahead because we look elsewhere for the source. Education, however, is at the heart of how well a country functions.

As a democracy, we depend on the ability for the public to make good, intelligent decision. In order to make such educated decisions, we need the public to have the knowledge to do so. That knowledge can best be gained by focusing on our schools.

By focusing, I mean spending more money. Hire more teachers. Make it a higher paying job. Cut costs for the average student. In fact, it would be great if everyone could attend college. This, in reality, is in keeping with the capitalistic and democratic ideal, which is the belief in an open market in which everyone can participate. If college was truly affordable, then more would attend, regardless of current economic class, and the cream would rise to the top. Given this focus, it would create lasting economic progress, as those graduates would bring innovations to all fields within the country.

Instead of this focus, we see less money spent on education, instead of more. As less money is spent on our education, the colleges have to let go of more and more teachers. Classes become bigger and bigger, and the level of education reduces. This is not even considering the talent that is dropped in the name of saving the bottom line. It reduces not only the quality of the education, but also the reputation of the education system.

Perhaps we need to attack the source of this problem. Perhaps it is time for those within the education to get loud about the issue. Politicians won’t push for change that isn’t strongly voiced by the public. Logically, why would they focus on a problem that has nothing to do with getting them elected? We need to make this issue one that is talked about everywhere, and bring education to prominence within the societal discussion.