We are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Debats d’Educació by giving the educational community the opportunity to air its views
I have a PhD in Economic Sciences from the Catholic University of Leuven (2000), I am a senior lecturer at the University of Girona and, since February 2013, I have been a senior expert with the European Expert Network on Economics of Education (EENEE).
The three things I’ve learned
Free universities do not guarantee equality of opportunity
Only 65% of young people aged between 25 and 34 have at least a secondary education qualification. This figure is well below the average for the OECD (82%). Dropping out of secondary education is a barrier to accessing higher education. However, successfully completing secondary education does not guarantee university access either, even if enrolment costs are very low, because there are other costs – transport, books, living expenses, etc. – as well as not being able to work full time, which is even more important for some people. Parents’ education also has a very considerable effect on access: in Sweden, one of the countries with the most generous higher education finance, 51% of young people with higher education have parents with high levels of education compared to 16% with parents with low educational levels. In countries like Norway and Denmark the difference is still greater (OECD, 2012).
Free universities are unsustainable
In 2010, 39% of young people aged between 25 and 34 in Spain had a higher education qualification (OECD, 2012). Subsidising enrolment costs for everyone is very expensive and, as I have argued in the previous point, it is ineffective as a measure for achieving equality of opportunity. Cofinance by students makes it possible to concentrate public expenditure where it is most necessary: on public health, pensions and primary and secondary education, as well as on social care. More cofinance from certain students also makes it possible to give more generous grants to others.
Sustainability and equality of opportunity: loans with repayment depending on income level?
No-one should have to give up the idea of going to university just because they come from an unfavourable background. Generous grants, including living expenses as well as enrolment fees, should therefore be given, and guidance and information must also be provided to people who cannot get them easily. But those who can pay must pay, because they are the main beneficiaries of the investment. And, under normal conditions, almost everyone can pay if the repayment is delayed and takes place through payments depending on the income obtained when the education stage has been completed. Loans have the advantage that the aid is recycled, but it is clear that crisis situations like the current one can cause tremendous difficulties in this recycling process. This must therefore be taken into account when it comes to designing sustainable, long-term finance systems.
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