CMNS 165
Brad Kettner

Opinion Column: Free Tuition?

Tuition for post secondary education nation wide has been steady increasing over the years, without any sign of stopping. Many argue that tuition should be free, with students now averaging at about 27,000$ in student loans. Further, research has led to show an oversupply of the education once considered crucial for a successful career after university or college.

David Macdonald, an economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy alternative argues that the tuition problem will solve itself within time. He theorizes the process will be similar to the eventual government support for high school, as it “became a service that was just paid for through government coffers as opposed to being paid for through individual tuition.” Although such a process would involve heavy regulations throughout the provinces to maintain an equal and evenly support system, people like Mcdonald believe that free tuition is not only important, but inevitable. However, it seem unlikely these changes will happen anytime fast, as the Canadian political system seems to favor the wants and needs of the adult, with Canadian young people not yet figuring out how to be heard by their government.

However, other information points to not the cost of post secondary education, but it’s lack of tangible worth. A 2016 CIBC research report indicated that Canada leads the world in university graduates that earn less than half the median income. Studies point to this being a symptom of ‘degree inflation’, a situation where the degree worth becomes devalued due to the amount of people that have one. As the return on investment for a university degree becomes lower and lower, it’s harder to justify the huge payments needed to secure such a document.

The trends are consistent, and definitely not pointing towards a valued post secondary education anytime soon. Nine times out of ten however, the work that goes into securing those degrees and certifications will be the true measurable value in a career, not the dollar amount on the diploma.