Spending for Learning Is Still A Must

The cost of education, nowadays, continues to skyrocket. Some schools across the U.S. cost about as much as a Lexus per year to get an education, and not everybody has a million-dollar trust fund or well-off parents to pay for it. And let's face it - unless you're the class valedictorian, or the star quarterback of your high school's football team, a full scholarship to the school of your choice is rather hard to come by. Partial scholarships and grants help, and while any little bit helps, it's not quite enough. Like most people, in order to cover the costs of education that aren't covered by scholarships and/or grants, you need to turn to either your local bank or that great financial matriarch Sallie Mae to help you get through school without having to worry about making payments - until you graduate, that is.

Needless to say, the increase in tuition rates will only get worse in the current state of our economy as budgets are continuously cut and endowments shrink. Schools have always been dedicated to providing education for all, regardless of economic background. This is why you see so many schools advertising themselves as admitting on a need-blind basis. Yes, in these tough times, there are colleges that are putting in better financial aid packages for lower-income students, but the problem is with middle-class families.

Many are caught in the middle-class trap where they make too much money to be eligible for financial aid, but have little or no money themselves to cover the rising cost in education. It is important that these students are able to attend school, especially as our nation as a whole is falling behind education-wise compared to other nations around the world.

While this problem is pretty much out of the students’ hands, many of us still recognize the importance of spending for learning. Even the Obama administration is taking steps to invest in education reform by launching the "Race to the Top" fund. "America will not succeed in the 21st century unless we do a far better job of educating our sons and daughters," Obama said. "In a world where countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow, the future belongs to the nation that best educates its people."

Although this program does not directly fund for students' tuition, it assures citizens that this country still values education. Some would argue that one does not need to go to school to become successful in life. This is true, but what is also true is that not everyone is born with the natural ability to become successful. Life experiences are great to learn from. However, education is still key to equipping people with tools and knowledge on how to navigate life. I say spending for education is money well-spent. What do you think?