Americans have long considered advanced management education a pathway for economic advancement. Sadly, the playground is no longer level. The authorities need to focus on ensuring management education is accessible to all regardless of gender, race, and nationality. What needs to happen to transform access to education? This post highlights important recommendations to achieve education system reform in the US. These measures shall help in ensuring management education is accessible to all.
1. Ensure Management Education is Affordable To all
Gender, race, and nationality should never be a basis for establishing a payable tuition fee. Unfortunately, Colleges, universities, and institutions of higher learning in the US are far from ensuring affordable management education for all.
Unfortunately, some institutions of higher learning charge tuition fees based on race, gender, and nationality, creating unequal opportunities. The problem dates back to the 20th century when African-American, Latino, and Asian students were educated in segregated schools funded at rates lower compared to those serving white Americans. Today, African-American learners seeking management education at institutions of higher learning end up borrow loans to fund the high cost of education. Consequently, more Black Americans are stuck in student debt crisis than their white counterparts are.
To achieve the democratization of higher education, America needs to handle the issue of discrimination based on gender, race, and nationality. Create equal opportunities for all, to ensure education is accessible.
2. Make Colleges Accessible To Minorities
Minorities face vast challenges when it comes to funding management education. To ensure inclusivity, the department of education should be determined to address socio-economic inequalities. Integral to achieving that mission is providing financial aid to minorities. Ordinary Americans, those from poor family background, end up struggling to pay for management education. The government should introduce measures to support these students once admitted. Providing subsidies towards the education of minorities will help bridge the gap.
3. Resolving the Student Debt Crisis
Authorities need to consider different ways to resolve the student debt crisis. Low-income students are unable to clear the student loans they incurred to pursue the undergraduate degree,. Caught in the student debt crisis, these students cannot pursue management education, because the cost is much higher than they can afford. Therefore, they cannot access higher education, and consequently, the students do not have access to higher-paying jobs.
To transform access to education, the authorities should think of an approach to resolve the ever-rising student debt crisis. The approach will open up access to higher education for the students who are stuck and unable to clear loans from their undergraduate education.
4. Prevent Abuses by –Profit Institutions
The for-profit education institutions treat the student as a customer, and thus, focus on maximizing the profits. This alone, is enough reason for the student debt crisis, as these institutions package their product making it lucrative and consequently expensive to the learners.
Authorities should come up with a legislature to curb these institutions from exploiting the students, by charging exorbitant tuition fees in the name of quality management education.
Conclusion
Management education should be accessible for those willing to enroll. For the dream to become a reality, authorities should work towards the democratization of higher education. This includes addressing socio-economic inequality, which hinders accessibility of management education.
- Allan Akhtar (2019), countries where higher education is free. Business Insider
- Lori A. Trawinski, (2019) The Student Loan Debt Threat. AARP Public Policy Institute