Read this if you are a college student (or used to be one)! It will make you think about your experiences of going to college in Michigan (or anywhere in the US) versus going to college in Iraq!
This is not about tuition increases or state funding. More fundamental.
Articles like these do make me reconsider the general apathy that at times I develop towards my higher education. The author makes a clear, and accurate point about the vital connection between a country's future successes and the educational opportunities it can provide for its people and its academics. There is no way a society will remain healthy with out a healthy educational system. While Americans are blessed with a relatively robust educational system in comparison to some others in the world, it is no excuse to shield ourselves from the problems within our system. Until we can address the fact that Milwaukee and Detroit have 46% and 25% high school graduation rates, respectively, and other alarming issues we cannot claim success. We still have huge structural and societal reforms to make in the way we educate our people. However, I believe that the author makes a good point about nations collaborating and supporting each other in this journey.
ReplyDeleteThat's right. It's like the revenue expert said, "We aren't poor when you look at the world as a whole." Cutting funds to education is not the way to create jobs, and it doesn't make desirable state to live in.
ReplyDeleteHigher Education is a very important factor in determining any region's economic success. Dr. Ballard discussed the brain-drain problem in Michigan, and the success of well-educated states like Massachusetts. It is clear that education and income go hand in hand, which is why I can not understand how any rational thinking policymaker could cut education from their budgets. In terms of occupying Iraq, I feel sorry that there is still such big obstacles existing for higher education, and felt a little guilty about sometimes taking my own education for granted. However, I would have to remind the man who requested Americans to "Occupy Iraq with knowledge, not guns" that since the war began, there have been several U.N. Resolutions implemented to help promote a stronger future and more opportunities for the women of Iraq, whom had previously stopped being educated around the age of 12. I believe all nations should support eachother in the fight for equality in education, because like the end of the article said, it's what is needed to achieve anything.
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