Increase in college tuition unfair

Universities in several provinces have increased their tuition fees, with some of them raising them by up to 50 percent. Experts have warned against the fallout of such a move, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

Although some provinces solicited public opinions before raising the tuition fees, the response didn't change their prior decision to do so.

This makes it all the more important to ascertain the average cost of producing a college graduate and how much of that cost should be borne by the student or his/her parents. In 2006, the Ministry of Education had proposed to calculate the average cost of producing a college graduate but nothing concrete came of it.

In their attempt to raise tuition fees, some universities have attributed the entire cost of college education to students, which is unfair. What is needed instead is a transparent financial regulation to ensure the long-term development of talents and universities. And transparency demands that universities provide a clear break-up of how they use government funds in the cultivation of students. If they don't provide such transparent records, students would be well within their rights to refuse to pay the increased tuition fees.

On what percentage of the education cost a student should pay, we can use the example of some advanced countries, where an average student pays not more than 20 percent of the total cost - but this 20 percent should not exceed 20 percent of the country's per capita disposable income. The idea is to opt for the lower figure.

Raising the tuition fees is the easiest way for universities to increase their incomes. But considering the financial status of an average family, the jump in universities' tuition fees is unfair.

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(China Daily 08/12/2014 page9)