Governments should offer free education to any student who has been admitted to the university but who cannot afford the tuition.

I do not agree with the suggestion that governments should offer free education to any student who has been admitted to the university but who cannot afford the tuition. The above made statement might seem convincing at first sight but it can have many adverse effects on the university, its students and the government.

The implementation of this scheme can have many unfavorable effects. If the students having unsound financial background are exempted from paying tuition fees, the revenue generated by the University for the Government is bound to decline. Also, the government will have an extra expenditure of supporting the education of such students. This in turn will result in fee hike of other students to compensate the fall in revenue and finally it would make education more expensive.

The above mentioned scheme will not only subject a university to financial pressure, but it will also affect the quality of education imparted to the students in various ways. The reduction in the university's income may have a negative impact on the salary of its employees. The university employees will naturally be disconcerted and opt for better paying jobs. The university may also have to curtail its maintenance funds which will directly affect students' welfare. It will eventually hamper the university's esteem and harmony of its working system.

Also, there could be a sense of disparity created among the students. Let us consider a meritorious student with sound financial background and another student belonging to an economically weaker section. The meritorious student in spite of securing better marks would have to pay full fees, while the other student will be educated for free. This will tend to cause a feeling of disparity in the meritorious student and it would serve no reward to his hard work.

It is true that if tuition if made free for students who cannot afford it, it will definitely encourage students of the financially weaker section to continue with their education. This scheme will definitely give a fair academic platform, but there are alternate solutions to this problem. Students who are not financially strong can get loan from banks and pay it off once they start earning. They can also apply to various institutes for scholarships to fund their education. These alternate solutions can allow a student who cannot afford tuition to continue with his education without the government's help.

Thus, by not exempting any student from the tuition free the university will be able to support its quality and standards and its revenue to the government.