Re: "Tuition costs must be curbed," Aug. 25, and "University degrees are worth the cost," Aug. 30.
The letter-writer is right to point out that students (and their parents) get great value and even greater opportunities from their university degrees. However, this is only part of the larger story.
Post-secondary graduates, as a whole, contribute substantially more value than those who left education on completing high school, and even more than those who failed to graduate from high school. If the graduates' employers are public, the taxpayer benefits; if not-for-profit, society as a whole benefits; if private. those who invest are the beneficiaries.
Those who earn more during their working life also contribute more through direct and indirect taxation (and enable their employing organizations to similarly contribute more) and in doing so, make a significant contribution to federal and provincial support for those who are unable to contribute to the economy, or indeed are less employable because they chose to not continue in post-secondary education.
Lastly, but perhaps of most significance, the availability of high-quality post-secondary graduates is a major consideration when high-added-value companies are looking for new locations to set up business. The absence of a pool of well-educated, highly skilled potential employees is a major disincentive to establishing a business in such an area.
Yes, individuals benefit from successful participation in post-secondary education, but so does society as a whole, including our children and their children. An unwillingness to invest in post-secondary education is to risk dooming our heirs to a struggling economy.
Graham Debling
North Saanich
