The Best Higher Education Colleges – Its Demerits

Introduction

It is understandable that students aspire for the best higher education colleges to build a satisfying career for themselves. To rephrase the same in a roundabout way, it may be said the higher education colleges are like factories that produce quality products – in this case human forces, resourceful persons or ‘skilled labor’ that can uphold the cause of a particular socio-economic and cultural infrastructure.

However, these human forces are the crème of society and they are well respected by all. It is believed that their services are essential for the wellbeing of society and for that matter this sophisticated class is paid well. Obviously, there is a tacit understanding and a reciprocal relationship between the best higher education colleges and the best products of the institutions – the former produces the later and the later protects the former. However, a few demerits associated with the so-called best higher education colleges may throw some light on the actual critical social roles the class might play in a broader social context.

• It is a well established fact that the best higher education colleges are not meant for all common people. Theoretically, however, the issue is viewed differently – i.e. each and every person in a democratic country has every right to have the best education available. In fact, only a few privileged students can avail themselves of the ‘greatest’ education. The paucity and scarcity of the best education colleges thus proves detrimental towards equal opportunity equal access to the higher education.
• The discrepancy between demand and supply– i.e. demand for opportunities in good colleges and limited supply of seats–naturally makes the commodity costly and thereby tend to push away financially weaker section from the coveted positions.
• Higher education colleges, thus, have clear vision of educating limited number of aspirants to make them the models of the best and, thereby, making the entire society look up to the educationally elite for inspiration and sustenance.
• Often the roles of these colleges are interpreted as pro-establishment and anti-nationalistic. Although controversial, but if this be the situation, the educated elite class, of course, enjoys special privilege over common citizens and thereby appears to be proactive to creating class divisions more acute.
• The preference of the graduates for greater wealth, comfort and material security appears to be the primary motives of the class and if it is really so, the trend is discouraging and unhealthy for society which has more unprivileged than privileged people.

Conclusion

The unconditional courteous attitude to the best higher education colleges, however, is gradually losing its foothold. In many developed countries, the US and some European, a campaign for equality of people irrespective of social and cultural status is often a priority and, at least officially though, those who are not fortunate enough to have degrees from the so-called elite colleges tend to be gaining power. Too much importance to the elite colleges is obviously noticed in the third countries more than in the developed countries. This is because the difference between the so-called elite and other ordinary colleges is perceivably acute in the poor and developing countries. The development of a society ordinarily takes place both horizontally and vertically. Vertically, a society aspires for a higher level of development in terms of an overall higher social stability. Horizontally, society aims at the greatest good for the largest number of its inmates. In this sense too much importance given to the best education colleges is detrimental to the community as a whole. Efficiency of a selected few should not be the goal if a society has to exist as a unit. The discrimination between the moneyed and not so wealthy people, on the one hand, and the best colleges and not so good colleges, on the other, must be eliminated. At least theoretically, all civilized countries attempt to achieve this equilibrium.