The Impact of Politics on Education

The Impact of Politics on Education

Introduction

The political climate of a country affects many things whether positively or negatively. A stable political climate will favor development while an unstable one will stall all the developmental projects. A country’s political climate also determines the economic state because transactions can only be carried out in a peaceful environment. one major sector that is affected by politics is education and, in this case, higher education. This essay is going to discuss how the political climate affect university students both economically and socially.

Discussion

Public universities are popular among high-school senior students who are seek to join higher learning institutions. This is because of their affordability and assurance of quality education. Affordability is because public universities receive government funding which assists in the running of the school affairs. If public universities did not receive funds from the government, the cost of higher education would be too expensive and many people would not afford it. according to Robert, the government funding and tuition fee revenues for public universities depend on both political and economic factors (1). This implies that political stability translates to economic stability. When a state has a stable political and economic climate, public universities receive huge funds. In a similar manner, when the political and economic climate is unstable, public universities receive small funds. The funds received from the government directly affects the students in that when a lot of money is granted, students pay less for tuition fee and when little money is granted, students have to pay more for tuition fees. This implies that the political climate can directly affect students because they face an economic challenge when they have to pay more tuition fees than they budgeted for.

Another negative effect of the political climate is the psychological state of the minority students. Public universities are open for application from students from all walks of life. That means even the minority students stand equal chances of gaining admission into these institutions. The fact that public universities admit all qualified students regardless of their racial or economic background makes them a perfect ground for students’ interaction and it also gives them a chance to learn from the diversity. However, with the recent political events, minority students have not been at ease. According to Dennis, the fear of discrimination has risen among minority students since the election of Donald Trump into the presidential office (1). This is because of the proposed Mexico border wall and the deportation of all immigrants. As that anxiety increases, more students become withdrawn and they turn to drugs and this affects their mental stability. This situation not only affects the minority students but the entire student body at large because the minority students are part of them and they learn from each other in matters of education as well as culture and social life.

On the other hand, politics do not necessarily affect the economic state of university students. When higher learning institutions fail to procure enough funds from the government, all the economic burden does not always land solely on the student’s shoulders, the institution comes up with ways to get the needed funds. Most institutions look for private donations and apply for research funding from private organizations (David 4). This teaches the students resilience and also equips them with skills to handle such situations in future. On the other hand, some institutions involve in entrepreneurial activities and they immerse their students fully. This teaches the students the value of team works and also sharpens their entrepreneurial skills. In other words, although politics can directly influence the funding of private universities, the situation can be turned around to yield good end results.

In a similar manner, students can unite and campaign against discrimination of their fellow minority students. The diversity in public universities gives local students an opportunity to learn about other cultures first hand. If the minority students are discriminated against, most of them will go back to their countries and some may actually slip into depression. The local students may seem as if they have nothing to lose, but in reality, they lose the opportunity to learn about other cultures and furthermore pick self-improvement traits from the different cultures represented. When students understand the importance of minority students, they can come together and hold a campaign to protest against all policies that discriminate against such students. It is important for students to know that all students whether local or immigrant are important in the higher education learning system.

Conclusion

Political climate can directly affect university education economically and socially. It is upon the university fraternity and especially the students to determine whether the political climate will affect them positively or negatively.

Works Cited

Lowry, Robert C. “The effects of state political interests and campus outputs on public university revenues.” Economics of Education Review 20.2 (2001): 105-119.

Tandberg, David A. “Politics, interest groups and state funding of public higher education.” Research in Higher Education51.5 (2010): 416-450.

U.S. political climate frightening for teens: study (2018, August 20) retrieved 13 November 2018 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-08-political-climate-teens.html