The Importance of Education to the United States

Today students around the United States protested budget cuts and tuition hikes by their states. States are finding that their solution for their budget problems by implementing the budget cuts tuition hikes. According to the Huffington Post Texas Governor Rick Perry is cutting 29 million dollars from the Texas budget from their department of education. Another example in California at UC Berkeley massive protests against 30 percent tuition increases. Tuition there has increased twice in two years at unprecedented levels. To show their solidarity schools across the United States have staged protests and teach ins. For more information go to Defend Education, they have been important organizer for this movement.

The problem today with the budget cuts and tuition hikes is that the quality of education in this country is getting worse not better. A four year degree does not hold the same value as it did 30 years ago. Colleges today do not have the same value. It is important for everyone to gain a good education, but College is not the perfect fit for everyone. The idea that modern society puts on its youth that the only way for people to prosper is through college is false. Technical schools and the military are honorable career paths for students to follow. It is important to realize that all students are not one size fits all.

 This leads us back to our original path the inability of state governments to provide adequate education at affordable prices without cutting quality. If we want to be the best in the world in all aspects of global dominance we need to provide the funding to our education systems so future generations can maintain our strides in improving technology and learning. There is not a short cut of being innovative or great. To be the best time and effort are needed. For our country and our states that means funding for students at all levels. From elementary, middle school, high school, community college, college and graduate work funding should not be taken away, but increased to propel learning and our country forward. 

If we do not do this we will fall behind. Our educational system shapes our leaders of tomorrow and if we do not fund it adequately or let it be affordable for all students we will fall behind. It is in our common civic good that we as a nation protest to our state and national government about the importance of education.