Its being accessible is the issue, that is, we don't want to miss a bright child of not so well-off parents who can't afford to pay a lot. Hence education credits: if you're bright and determined, a good education will give you a lot, and land you in a financially more gainful place.
OTOH a diploma becomes a token of costly signaling, "all good kids get a degree", so a lot of people go to college just for lulz, or to appease parents, which is a pretty bad use of their time, and also a source of crippling debt.
Here's where differentiation actually occurs: it's between the determined kids who actively work on and benefit from education, and unmotivated kids who just fool around, because peer pressure, parents, or fashion pushed them to a college which they don't care much about, or which teaches only unmarketable skills. It's a pretty painful and costly way to differentiate; I hope the society will eventually find a different way to achieve a similar effect.
(To say nothing of the rising cost of education, fueled by the unending source of the educational credit money.)
For the record: I did not press my son to go to college, and he decided not to go. I'm fine with it. He's got an engineering job anyway.
Yes, accessible, but not universally accessible. And yes, accessibility should be merit-based. If you're smart and get good grades in high school - university should be available. But then some people start complaining how it's unfair and smart-but-poor kids can't get on the same level during high school. Thus we should push that one step further.. Which IMO is bullshit. People can use up any leeway given to them.
Its being accessible is the issue, that is, we don't want to miss a bright child of not so well-off parents who can't afford to pay a lot. Hence education credits: if you're bright and determined, a good education will give you a lot, and land you in a financially more gainful place.
OTOH a diploma becomes a token of costly signaling, "all good kids get a degree", so a lot of people go to college just for lulz, or to appease parents, which is a pretty bad use of their time, and also a source of crippling debt.
Here's where differentiation actually occurs: it's between the determined kids who actively work on and benefit from education, and unmotivated kids who just fool around, because peer pressure, parents, or fashion pushed them to a college which they don't care much about, or which teaches only unmarketable skills. It's a pretty painful and costly way to differentiate; I hope the society will eventually find a different way to achieve a similar effect.
(To say nothing of the rising cost of education, fueled by the unending source of the educational credit money.)
For the record: I did not press my son to go to college, and he decided not to go. I'm fine with it. He's got an engineering job anyway.