Education
Education Station: Connecting Us to Our Future
If a nation does not change with the times, time will wash away that nation, but the United States has never had that problem. Our versatility and ingenuity are among our greatest strengths, and educating our children will see that the next generation has the same advantages. Unfortunately, it is hard to educate for the future when the people dictating lesson plans have their heads stuck in the past, and recently, teachers and students alike report that their education standards have been diluted by federal regulations. Oftentimes, the only way way for states to get crucial funding from the federal government is to adopt “voluntary” regulations which dictate what they must teach, untailored to the needs of the students they affect.
Anurag Sandireddy doesn’t think that schools and teachers should have to dance for the federal government in order to get the money they need. If elected, Anurag would end the coercive practices of the Obama administration, and see to it that grants are awarded based on actual merit, and with few strings attached. States know the needs of their students better than the federal government, and it is time that congress acknowledged that fact.
Being Smart About Higher Education
In our country, the opportunity to get a college education is threatened by the rising costs and it is estimated that the average college graduate is burdened with $30,100 in student loan debt. This is a problem which needs to be addressed, but current proposals on how to do that are foolish and short-sighted. Subsidizing colleges to eliminate tuition would cost, generously, $75 billion, increasing the deficit by 12%. Furthermore, to eliminate tuition at public universities and colleges would fail to solve the student debt problem, because most low-income students already receive scholarships which cover tuition. The far larger cost is room and board, supplies, and transportation, on average $11,257, which are not included in tuition. On average, the yearly tuition for in-state students at a four year college is $9,410, less than the cost in fees. A tuition elimination plan would only help those most able to cover college costs, who do not already receive scholarships: not what government is for.
We cannot truly solve an issue unless we look at its roots, and to find it, all you have to do is talk to America’s working base. It used to be that a person did not need a college education to earn a good living. Trade and manufacturing jobs could be gotten with a simple apprenticeship, and provided a family with a livable wage and dignity. But recently, outsourcing, government regulations, and stigma have dried up the number of these jobs available, forcing more Americans to pay for college to secure a bright future. We must be realistic, and understand that some of the old backbones of American manufacturing industry, will not support us anymore, as machines become more involved in these industries. However, to allow new industries, such as programming and computer manufacturing, to be dominated by Asia is foolish.
We need to encourage young students to take an interest in these fields so that we can rebuild our manufacturing sector with a bright future in growth. Anurag would propose new grants in education in order to encourage the creation of youth technology programs without infringing on States’ rights to sovereignty, and ensure that these industries remain unencumbered by government regulation. Graduates of American high schools will be ready to take up promising careers in the tech industry without taking on student debt. With fewer people forced to enroll in college, those who do choose to pursue college education will see the lower demand drive their tuition AND related fees down. Let’s use simple economics to solve one of our greatest problems.
If a nation does not change with the times, time will wash away that nation, but the United States has never had that problem. Our versatility and ingenuity are among our greatest strengths, and educating our children will see that the next generation has the same advantages. Unfortunately, it is hard to educate for the future when the people dictating lesson plans have their heads stuck in the past, and recently, teachers and students alike report that their education standards have been diluted by federal regulations. Oftentimes, the only way way for states to get crucial funding from the federal government is to adopt “voluntary” regulations which dictate what they must teach, untailored to the needs of the students they affect.
Anurag Sandireddy doesn’t think that schools and teachers should have to dance for the federal government in order to get the money they need. If elected, Anurag would end the coercive practices of the Obama administration, and see to it that grants are awarded based on actual merit, and with few strings attached. States know the needs of their students better than the federal government, and it is time that congress acknowledged that fact.
Being Smart About Higher Education
In our country, the opportunity to get a college education is threatened by the rising costs and it is estimated that the average college graduate is burdened with $30,100 in student loan debt. This is a problem which needs to be addressed, but current proposals on how to do that are foolish and short-sighted. Subsidizing colleges to eliminate tuition would cost, generously, $75 billion, increasing the deficit by 12%. Furthermore, to eliminate tuition at public universities and colleges would fail to solve the student debt problem, because most low-income students already receive scholarships which cover tuition. The far larger cost is room and board, supplies, and transportation, on average $11,257, which are not included in tuition. On average, the yearly tuition for in-state students at a four year college is $9,410, less than the cost in fees. A tuition elimination plan would only help those most able to cover college costs, who do not already receive scholarships: not what government is for.
We cannot truly solve an issue unless we look at its roots, and to find it, all you have to do is talk to America’s working base. It used to be that a person did not need a college education to earn a good living. Trade and manufacturing jobs could be gotten with a simple apprenticeship, and provided a family with a livable wage and dignity. But recently, outsourcing, government regulations, and stigma have dried up the number of these jobs available, forcing more Americans to pay for college to secure a bright future. We must be realistic, and understand that some of the old backbones of American manufacturing industry, will not support us anymore, as machines become more involved in these industries. However, to allow new industries, such as programming and computer manufacturing, to be dominated by Asia is foolish.
We need to encourage young students to take an interest in these fields so that we can rebuild our manufacturing sector with a bright future in growth. Anurag would propose new grants in education in order to encourage the creation of youth technology programs without infringing on States’ rights to sovereignty, and ensure that these industries remain unencumbered by government regulation. Graduates of American high schools will be ready to take up promising careers in the tech industry without taking on student debt. With fewer people forced to enroll in college, those who do choose to pursue college education will see the lower demand drive their tuition AND related fees down. Let’s use simple economics to solve one of our greatest problems.