Higher education has become less of a privilege and more of a far-fetched-rich-people-plan-b-option in North America. There has long been controversy between those who believe gaining knowledge beyond high school will not only add to the value in our pockets, but also in our day to day lives.
“College graduates aged 25 to 32 who are working full time earn about $17,500 more annually than their peers who have only a high school diploma, according to the Pew Research Centre,” an article on The Economist website stated.
There are also those who argue that post secondary education is unnecessary because of the availability of careers in trades, and the fact that the cost of college or university education throws many students into a pool of debt.
Before I can even begin to tell you that countries such as Finland, Austria and Germany currently offer little to no tuition fees for many of their university students and courses, let me stop and address the fact that high school diplomas are also being taken for granted.
Alberta Education claims that Alberta possesses “one of the world’s best education system, providing students with all the tools they need to achieve their full potential.” That’s great. I am in Grade 11, and I’m quite content with the education that I am receiving, and understand that Alberta diplomas are recognized by universities and colleges around the world. However, there are still countries such as Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central and Eastern Asia, with children who don’t have the opportunity to go to school to begin with.
“By law, children living in Alberta must attend school from ages of 6 to 16,” Alberta Education states on their website.
After that we are free to choose if we go on to complete senior high and receive our high school diploma or not. When taking a step back and analyzing the situation, we can see that we are not only offered education, but we are also given the opportunity to neglect it, which is to abandon a gift that is not abundantly available to everyone beyond North American borders.
So the question is: Is the lack of push we are receiving from our government and communities prohibiting Albertan citizens from achieving their fullest potential?
Maybe, maybe not.
