HOW FREE IS “FREE” EDUCATION?

The so-called “free education” that the Scandinavian countries are so well known for, has generated much debate, especially among Republicans, always afraid that someone will get something for nothing! So let me try to shed some light on the issue, and perhaps make some concerned Republicans sleep a little better!

First of all, the only “free” part, is that tuition has been eliminated. Higher education is still costly, of course, with room, board and textbooks, while income opportunities are very limited, compared to those working full time while contemporaries are going to school. That means that despite no tuition, most graduates are left with loans, often very big loans that may take years to pay off. The better educated are also likely to earn more once they are out of school, and thereby pay more in taxes, which again go into the country’s coffer.

What countries offer tuition free education have realized, is that educated people are a tremendous asset to a modern society! The better educated, the better off everybody will be, both the more or less educated, as well as those with perhaps only a basic schooling. A well educated populace is one of the main reasons why for example the Scandinavian countries are doing so well. Progressive nations have realized that and decided to make it a bit easier to be educated, especially to acquire higher education through medical or even graduate engineering school. Realizing that higher education is hard enough in itself, the burden is reduced somewhat by making it tuition free. That makes a lot of sense for a society as a whole.

Some not so progressive people are overly concerned about “their” tax dollars being spent to educate others, while they should be happy that someone is willing to take the load that higher education usually means, – and again for the benefit of all. There is no “tax dollars” going to cover tuition. Tax dollars are mixed with a country’s income from other sources, including fees, licenses, VAT, exports, sale of natural resources to private explorers, etc. Out of that mixed mass, colleges and universities are funded among other things determined to be necessary to keep a society functioning.

For the record, “free” doesn’t mean that everybody can study whatever they like! Far from it. In the more demanding areas, like medicine, dentistry and especially graduate engineering, the studies are “closed”, which means that you have to compete to get in, based on grades on written exams from the gymnasium, graded in secrecy by someone who doesn’t know you, and with your teacher totally out of the grading process (Btw.: the American term “high school” is a confusing misnomer, which has nothing to do with higher education. The international term is “gymnasium”, which in Europe ranks higher than American High Schools).