This academic year in our school had been very exciting and full of learning for the students. The school had been efficient enough in providing us the quality education that students’ need in preparation of their future careers. However it had been a serious issue in the campus among us, students, the continued increase in our tuition and other fees. Students see, that in order to escalate further the quality of education in our school, the school has to face strenuous modifications in technology, books, and other school facilities.
However, there would always a need for students to be consulted first about the issue, because these matters would always concern us. Along with the increase in the tuition fee is the increase in all other fees. Why? First, if the school would not fight for a greater state subsidy, then the school had to pay for the bills, the salary as well as to the technology and materials it would employed.
With this matter, the budget would come from the tuition of the students and everything else would be increased; Internet fee, laboratory fee, school paper, etc.
Second, education is supposed to be a right and not just a privilege, but with the continued increase in the tuition fee, along with other miscellaneous fees in the campus, there had been an apparent decline in the enrollment rate compared to the previous years. This only shows that few students were able to access the right to education because of the increase. Hence, there is a significant relationship between tuition fee increase and to the limited access of students to education (Dalton 2006). A similar study from the Rand Corporation in 1995 indicated that for every 10percent increase in the tuition fee of the students, there would be a 1.97 percent in the enrollment of the focus of study.
Third, the effect of tuition fee and other fee increases would be felt less by those of the middle class brackets. Most of the burden would be felt by those in the lower class; usually with among black and with ethnic backgrounds. Accordingly, majority of the students in most schools were usually coming from the lower bracket and they were the ones who were greatly affected. The school is the only way for these students to move to the next ladder in the society. The tendencies for these students are to dropout or to transfer to a cheaper school with low educational standards. Needless to say, the educational preparation that they got is not enough to equip them for a high paying job in the future.
The tuition fee increase that the school implemented is a subtle permit for the state to less care for the educational welfare of its citizens. Students are wary of the fact, that because of the tuition fee increase, we have to burden ourselves with part time jobs more than double just to compensate for the shortage in budget.
Students recognized that tuition fee increase in needed to uplift the educational quality in this school. However, it is too fast and too soon to implement. Students are not prepared yet; emotionally, physically and financially. There was no consultation in the increase in fees. It had always been our right to know and the responsibility for this school to be transparent. The students carried the baggage of financial hardship just to beautify the school, but the education that we got before then was still the same as now. Except of course in slight innovations in the laboratory facilities and in technology, the same education system we got from the school.
If tuition fee increase is really bound to happen, we wanted to be prepared for it. We wanted an apparent positive change in the learning that we got; of course it is not to say that we got no learning from this school, it is just that, the change in learning is just minimal. This school has been our battleground to combat poverty, to uplift our situations and to gain learning. If the school is to increase its tuition fee and other fees, we expect that it would also provide subsidy through scholarship, or other alternative solutions to augment our financial difficulties.
As well as it is the responsibility of our parents to finance our education; it is also the responsibility of the state to provide to its people the right to education. But how could we get this if tour very right has now become a mere privilege. The sad fact is, not the privilege of the majority but of the few only. If we are destined to suffer from the tuition fee and other fee increases, would it be right that we would also demand great changes in everything. Would the payment that we give, be enough for us to pose subordinate command over our instructors and over other employees; anyway, we paid for them.
Students believe, that in this school, students of characters should be made and not just a mere passive, technologically dependent ones. We need support to develop our minds, which is the role of this school. But where would we go now if this school would deprive us of that need? We seek to be consulted first, we need data of its great benefits on us, and we need alternatives for the increase that is accessible for everybody and not only for the few.
Sincerely,
[Name of the Sender]
[Position/Occupation]
Works Cited
Dalton, McGuinty. “Canandian Federation of students.” 8 March 2006
<http://www.reducetuitionfees.ca/en/issue/watch_video_of_the_tuition_fee_increase_announcement>