80.

Some people believe that a college or university education should be available to all
students. Others believe that higher education should be available only to good students.
Discuss these views. Which view do you agree with? Explain why.

There are many controversial topics, but one limits to how higher education can have
a wider impact in society. For some, this can be reached by reducing its access only to
good students, while others consider that a complete unrestricted access is the key to
guarantee equality for all. In this essay, I will compare both perspectives with their
pros and cons. At the same time, I will then give my personal opinion on the topic.
In next lines, more ideas and details will be given.

First of all, let’s talk about the restricted trend: availability of education only for the
best. What is good about this? The quality of graduates, research groups and, academia
in general terms will increase as a result of better prepared and encouraged students. The
disadvantage of this perspective is very obvious though: discrimination. We all have
a right to get higher education, which is an effective way to overcome poverty, for many.
Restricting this is the ultimate way of exclusion: knowledge exclusion. These are some of
the key points connected to this trend.

In a clear contrast with the previous point, a free education that covers all the
population also brings pros and cons. For instance, what was seen as discrimination for a
restricted education is the redeeming point of this specific idea: there is equality, true
equality. Everybody will be in equal conditions in order to build a better society. However,
when we think on costs, the drawback is strong: providing higher education to as many
people as possible is something that not all governments can afford. This is particularly
worrisome for developing countries in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. These
are some of the essential perspectives on this area.

Now, I deeply believe that even with its funding difficulties, it is important to provide
higher education for all. In first place, this will eventually provide a higher number of
qualified workers benefitting the economy. And, secondly, it creates a better-informed
society, that will require less resources and will demand a transparent government. For
example, in countries like Germany, higher education is free, even for international
students. This means that the access is unlimited and, the country enjoys its benefits:
lower unemployment rates, better and more consistent entrepreneurship creation, among
others. This is why I support my perspective.

In conclusion, even thinking about their pros and cons, the availability of higher education
is still a delicate topic where there is not a final absolute last word. However, which is true
is the fact that cases like the one explored in the previous paragraph should work as
encouraging experiences for the world.