Public education benefits should surpass costs
The Daily Cardinal reported the results of a recent study which concluded that the benefits of obtaining a UW-Madison education exceed the tuition costs paid by students (""Study: Benefits exceed tuition,"" March 4). Of course they do, and of course they should.
UW-Madison is a public university dedicated to serving the public interest of public education. Public education is supposed to be accessible; it is supposed to be high quality; it is supposed to be a good deal. That's what makes public education different from private education.
In most ""advanced"" nations today, including Mexico, Canada and most European countries, access to education at all levels is guaranteed as a human right. This means that tuition costs in these countries are either nonexistent or very low. Indeed, it is a disgrace that a public university education in the United States costs as much as it does today. UW students are paying far too much, the rich are paying far too little and the quality of classroom instruction remains low compared to what it could be.