by Chanell Gautreaux

Created on: September 01, 2009   Last Updated: September 04, 2009

While every student should have the opportunity of a formal college education, it is just not realistic to expect significant financial assistance for each of them from a government agency. Regardless of what anyone believes about the responsibilities of government, the reality of the situation is that the money just isn't there.

Most graduating high school students are hoping for academic or athletic scholarships and counting on government-sponsored grants and loans to help cover any remaining expenses. While it would be great if all communities and nations could have governing bodies that were able to pay for the advanced education of all of their youth, this is not only not feasible, it is simply not the responsibility of governments.

State-run schools already provide a place for students who cannot afford to attend private institutions to study and earn degrees in a chosen field that will then allow them to earn a living teaching others or pursuing a specialized profession. The salaries of instructors and administrators in these state schools, the libraries, student centers and other facilities are all maintained with taxpayer money, which is constantly in jeopardy of being reduced through annual budget cuts. The only way for government to give out additional financial assistance to college students is to increase taxes on their already-strapped parents.

At one point in time, parents worked multiple jobs for their children to be the first in the family to receive a formal college education and have the opportunity to gain scholarly knowledge and perhaps even a better-paying job. People understood the importance of hard work, responsibility and accountability. Those with some means set up college funds so that when their children or grandchildren graduated high school, there would be money available to pay for their continued education. In modern societies, people seem to think that it is the government's job to take care of them merely because they pay taxes.

Education is a privilege once reserved only for aristocracy, and later, for upper-class families with the money to afford to pay for tuition or private instruction. While the development of public education has provided more opportunities to all children of all backgrounds, pursuing formal education via colleges and universities is still a personal choice to be made by an individual student and his or her parents. The cost of formal education, like everything else, continues to increase annually, and anyone who chooses to attend college should not automatically expect financial assistance from their government.

Public funds are regulated, while private funds are not; the decision on how public funds are to be spent is made by committees, not by individuals. This means that these funds are not as readily available as frequently and in unlimited quantity as money that is privately secured, without bureaucrats and miles and miles of red tape.

Parents who want their children to have a college education need to start planning for it when their children are still infants. Students who want to go to college should work part-time during their high school summer breaks to help pay for it. Being successful in college requires the appropriate academic and emotional preparation as well as a tremendous amount of hard work and discipline. Working part-time during school breaks will not only help students pay for their own education, it will help them develop the discipline and work ethic to complete the full term required to graduate.

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