Greek Learning About Politics Blog

This is an article written by Nicholas Barr, about the issue of subsiding the costs of higher education. He argues that it is not minimal fees that encourages access, but rather the policies that deal with inequality in schools, including higher quality and raising aspirations. Concerning fees, he points out the people must be made aware that ‘free’ means ‘someone else pays’.  Since richer people pay more taxes than poorer people, he concludes,  ‘free’ higher education redistributes the costs from poor to rich. My opinion is that policies which encourage participation do help in decreasing inequality and promoting universal access to higher education. However, I do not think that it should be people with more money who should support those from poorer backgrounds. Just because they have a little more does not always mean that they can afford to pay the taxes that help keep the poor in higher education. I believe that the state should look for other means of funding the education of the poor.