2017-12-17

【Aiden in English】

        Higher education should not be free, as the average quality will decrease, and a system as such has too many holes to be viably used.

        From the start, paying for higher education equaled the higher quality of education. According to CollegeData, private schools on average cost thirty-four thousand dollars, compared to the public school average, twenty-five thousand. As common knowledge, private schools are superior in technology and teaching compared to public educational systems. Project a free education system onto the existing one. Private schools remain atop the education system, still demanding money, and public schools continue to dip in the quality of education. A 2010 study conducted by NerdWallet showed that, on average, “Public school grads earned just 80% of what private school grads earned”. This drastically proves the difference between private and public schools, as well as their effects. If the higher education system becomes free, then the gap between private and public would continue to grow. What would be the point of having free education if most people would still prefer to pay for a good college?

        Free education, although the results are still up to debate, may have a positive outcome towards the economy. Perhaps, the government can somehow cover the cost of college through distribution among the population to severely decrease the price. It sounds like a good plan, but it is not viable. Alone, the system is unstable. Never before has a country with such a large economy and internal debt, combined with a large population, implemented a free education. Agreed, the result can very well benefit the country, but to what risk, and at what chance? With prices for college continuing to grow, where would the money come from? Raising taxes is unpopular. The federal budget is limited. With these uncertainties, is it safe to provide free education?

References:

1. US Department of Education.

2. “What's the Price Tag for a College Education?” CollegeData, 2. www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_payarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10064.

3. Wei, Stephanie. “How Your College Choice Affects Your Career.” NerdWallet, 3. www.nerdwallet.com/blog/nerdscholar/college-and-career-study/.

【红霞译文】

        鉴于教育水平日趋下降，体制本身漏洞百出，高等教育不该免费。

        起先，高校学费用以提供良好教育，根据大学数据库信息显示，私立大学年均学费38,000美元，而公校则为25,000美元。众所周知，在技术师资方面私校要比公校实力雄厚，免费教育体制正是基于这种现状提出来的。私校即使在各方面占据领先地位，但仍然不堪重负，更不要说公校教学质量一直下滑。2010年美国个人财务网站“书生钱包”研究表明：一般情况下，“公校毕业生仅有私校毕业生所挣工资的80%”，明确指出私校与公校不同及其社会影响，一旦高校系统实施免费教育，私校与公校之间的差距势必加剧，假如多数国民情愿为名校买单，那么免费教育的意义何在？

        虽然众说纷纭，免费教育可能对经济产生积极影响，兴许政府能够通过发放补贴变相降低学费，乍听起来蛮好，但并非可行，况且教育系统本身不太稳定，再说美国财政赤字严重，加上人口众多，历史上又从未推行过免费教育。没错，免费教育有益于整个国家，但是风险怎样？机率如何？随着大学费用持续增长，这笔钱该从哪出？提高税收不得人心，可是联邦预算极其有限，针对这些未知因素，提供免费教育靠谱吗？

参考资料：

1. 美国教育部

2. “大学教育标价多少？” 大学数据库网址：

www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_payarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10064

3. 韦筱洁: “你的大学选择如何影响你的职业生涯” 书生钱包网址：

www.nerdwallet.com/blog/nerdscholar/college-and-career-study/

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2014: Andrea Bocelli Concert, NYC(纽约安德烈波切利音乐会)

2014: A Life in NYC-2(浪迹纽约之二)

2014: A Life in NYC-1(浪迹纽约之一)

2013: Hindu in Mangalore, India(印度门格洛尔印度教寺庙)

2012: Easter Island—Navel of the World, CHL(智利复活节岛—地球的肚脐)

2009: 新西兰天籁之声(Sounds of Heaven, NZ)

Crosslinks(相关博文)：

8th Grade Argumentative─For the Flavor(议论文─利益)

7th Grade Argumentative─Crutches(议论文─拐杖)

6th Grade Argumentative─How to Wake up for School(议论文如何早起上学)

6th Grade Argumentative─Homework(议论文─论家庭作业)

5th Grade Argumentative: DARE(论述抵制滥用毒品教育)

5th Grade Argumentative—Boys & Girls Co-Team(议论文—论男女同队)

2009： 算术─孩子的花销(Math on Raising Kids)