Write about the following topic:
Children’s education is expensive. In some countries, the government pays some of or all of the costs. Do the advantages outweigh its disadvantages?
Complete the topic within 20 minutes. Write a 200-300 word essay.
Government Pay Partly Or All Education Fees
Model Answer
In many countries, mostly developed, the government or the State sponsors education – wholly or partly. While some countries provide free education to primary or secondary level, there are many, which have made education till the level of University free for all. I think the advantages of government-funded education far outweigh the costs.
There are many advantages of State-sponsored education. First and foremost, for many, education is not a necessity. With a substantial investment as an input, education is reduced to being a choice – and often, a less favored one. This is true for most of the lower income groups, who are unable to afford the high costs associated with it. It also means that, more often than not, in the absence of education, they are unable to move up the socio-economic ladder. This is where the role of government is critical. For a State, its most important resource is its people – in the productive age.
With the right skills – through education, this resource can contribute enormously to the economy’s growth and income. And if this resource becomes under-utilized, or worse, unproductive, the costs to the state in terms of benefits and welfare schemes might be insurmountable.
On the flip side, if education is made free, the incentive for individuals to study may diminish. Only the highly motivated individuals may strive to work hard to gain from this free good.Also, for the government, there may be decreased pool of resources available for spending on other public welfare schemes, which may suffer.
However, despite the negatives, I firmly believe that the benefits outweigh the costs. The onus of educating its country’s resource should be shouldered by the governments so that households no longer have to choose between sending their children to educational institutions or sending them to work or using the finances for something else.
