Ielts task 2: Free schooling.

Everyone should have a right to university education, so the government should make it free no matter what their financial background. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Education is essential in shaping our future lives. While free higher education has several benefits, I firmly believe that the disadvantages of free tertiary education are more significant than their positives.

All students should have access to free schooling. Students in deprived areas are not worried about financial difficulties and easily enroll on any courses in their dream universities. These students have opportunities to access higher education in prestigious universities. They are likely to become experts in their fields and gain well-earned degree, which gives them a head start to embark on a career. Free schooling also offers the poor an equal chance as the rich to prepare for the job market. Were tertiary education not free, only students from wealthier families would have access to the best learning opportunities. That is to say, this kind of inequality would ensure the success of some but harm the prospects of others.

However, there are several problems of free university education. First, free tertiary education puts a financial burden on the government. Annually, the authority allocates a substantial part of public funds to building more schools, paying for teachers and upgrading the teaching facilities. If free schooling were available, it would be more likely to have detrimental effects on other sectors such as health care, food and infrastructure that also need to be focused on. Second, the negative outcomes of education might happen. Students take free learning at university for granted, so they may not take responsibility for their study. In addition, they are lacking in determination and sheer perseverance to reach their academic potential to the fullest or even have bad performances at classes. As a result, they scrape through exams and may not gain formal qualifications to secure a good job after graduation.

In conclusion, although it is true that free higher education may contribute to the improvement of living standard of poor students, I believe that the government should not make it free because of above negative impacts.