Manifesto for Open Education
In 2020, Google started offering courses for in-demand subjects like programming at a fraction of the cost and time of mainstream universities. Its Global Affairs Senior VP stated that the company will “treat these new career certificates as the equivalent of a four-year degree for related roles.” This move reveals how large employers of high-paying jobs acknowledge the limits of 4-year, generalist university degrees and encourage motivated juniors to seek other ways for education.
The current higher education system discriminates against international students with high tuition fees and does not answer well enough the challenges scholars will face in their careers. I am convinced that today’s problems and future, from sustainability to the fight against inequality or viral diseases, can only be solved by easing global access to higher education.
The primary wrongdoers for this unequal access are the schools and universities. Colleges in Europe and Northern America charge excessive tuition fees for international students, including those in developing countries, but favour privileged families in well-developed states. In the United Kingdom, international students must pay between £30,000 and £43,000 per year (the equivalent of $57,000) to attend programs such as Medicine or Biochemistry. A University of London’s Medicine MBBS degree will cost each international student close to £280,000 ($380,000) for the full six years. In comparison, fees for domestic students are 80% lower, starting from £9,250 per year.
Furthermore, the education received at higher institutions does not sufficiently form scholars for today’s in-demand skills. Universities have plummeted the expectations for their students. A 2018 article in The Sunday Times revealed that the top 11 universities in the UK, including Liverpool, Durham and Oxford, had not failed a single student in the first finals exams of the preceding year. Students must now use private counselling or online resources to obtain positions at banking and consulting firms.
On the other hand, individuals have taken steps to solve the issue of open education, even with much lower funds. In 2004, Sal Khan worked as an hedge fund analyst when his cousin asked him for help on her middle school math homework. He started by making tutorials on SmoothDraw (a hand-writing software) and published them on YouTube. In 2009, the videos were garnering up to 35,000 views per day, and the Khan Academy website was born. The innovative, informal way of teaching helped the videos spread virally.
Upon viewing the success of his teaching videos, Sal Khan could have chosen the easy path forward and launched a private tutoring school like hundreds already exist. With his innovative approach to teaching, he could have charged exorbitant amounts, and families that need Khan Academy the most could not have afforded this service. However, he made the platform the first free online school, providing the most accessible complements to in-class learning in STEM topics, exam preparation, and computer science. Sal’s Khan Academy is an excellent example of choosing equal access to opportunity over personal greed.
In sum, to democratise access to education, everyone must strive to be a teacher of their respective domain. A functional democratic system is one where everyone participates in the social debate of their city or state, and it is the same for learning. It is only by contrasting numerous perspectives and takeaways on a specific subject that we can push the boundaries of what is known.
It goes beyond saying one cannot teach about every subject without relatively sound knowledge and experience to back it up. You may not be able to teach quantum mechanics but still share tips on writing a resume or drafting a monthly budget. Aim not to consume but to teach and produce. Introducing a concept to one of your acquaintances, be your partner or a friend, is a remarkable way to learn and deepen one’s expertise on a subject. It will also enable your social circles to get enriched by your expertise.
