Udaba lokungafundi ekolishi lusanda kugqama kwezombusazwe zaseMelika, ikakhulukazi ngoba ababili abahamba phambili abagaqele ukuqokwa njengomengameli weDemocratic Alliance, uBernie Sanders noHillary Clinton, baphumelele. Sanders ucele ukufundiswa kwamahhala kweziqu zabafundi emakolishi omphakathi nasemanyuvesi, ukuze kuxhaswe intela ngokuqagela kweWall Street, kuyilapho Clinton wenze okufanayo, nakuba ngeziqu ezithile kanye nendlela yokuxhasa ngemali ehlukile.
Impikiswano enkulu yemfundo yamahhala yasekolishi kanye nenyuvesi iyafana neyemfundo yamahhala yomphakathi jikelele: njengezikole zamahhala zomphakathi zamabanga aphansi kanye naphakeme esezivele zikhona e-United States, imfundo ephakeme yamahhala yomphakathi inikeza ithuba lokufunda kubo bonke.
Empeleni, kuze kube muva nje, i-United States ibinohlelo lwamahhala noma lwamahhala lwemfundo ephakeme yomphakathi. Ngo-1862, ukunikeza ithuba lokufundisa i โabantwana bokukhandleka,โ UKhongolose wase-US waphasisa Morrill Act, ukusungula amakolishi omphakathi namanyuvesi anikezwa umhlaba ngaphandle kwemfundo. Cishe ikhulu leminyaka ngemva kwalokho, amakolishi amaningi omphakathi aseMelika namanyuvesi ayengakukhokhisi isifundo noma imali encane yokuba khona. I-State University yaseNew York (ISUNYAMA) uhleloโolukhulu kunawo wonke esizweniโaluzange lufundiswe kwaze kwaba ngu-1963 University of California Uhlelo, olwasungulwa ngo-1868, lwalunezifundo zamahhala kuze kube ngama-1980s.
Nokho, emashumini eminyaka amuva nje, lesi simo sishintshe kakhulu, njengoba izindleko zokufunda zikhuphuka zaba phezulu ngendlela exakile kuwo womabili amakolishi omphakathi nawangasese. Phakathi kuka-1978 no-2013, izifundo zasekolishi laseMelika kubikwa ukuthi zenyuka 1,120 amaphesenti. Ngonyaka odlule, izindleko ezimaphakathi zonyaka zokufunda kanye nezimali ezikhokhwayo amakholeji omphakathi namayunivesithi ibingu-$9,139 kubahlali besifundazwe kanye no-$22,958 kubahlali besifundazwe. E- University of California, Izifundo zaminyaka yonke zeziqu kanye nezimali ezikhokhwayo manje sezimi ku- $13,251 kubahlali besifundazwe kanye nama- $37,959 kubahlali bangaphandle. Izindleko ziphezulu kakhulu amakolishi azimele namanyuvesi, okuyisilinganiso esingama- $32,599 ngonyaka wokufunda nemali ekhokhwayo. Isilinganiso esiyishumi esibiza kakhulu sama- $50,632 ngonyaka. Lezi zibalo azibandakanyi izinkulungwane ezengeziwe zamaRandi zegumbi, ibhodi, izincwadi, nezinye izindleko zokuphila.
Lokhu kukhuphuka okukhulu kwezifundo kuye kwaba ne- umthelela owonakalisayo ngethuba lokufunda. Njengoba ingakwazi ukukhokhela ikolishi, intsha eningi ayilubhadi kuyo noma ishiye phakathi endleleni. Ucwaningo luthole ukuthi isizathu esiyinhloko abantu abasha abasishoyo sokungayi ekolishi izindleko zayo ezinkulu. Abanye abantu abasha abaningi bangakwazi ukuya ekolishi kuphela ngokusebenza ngesikhathi esisodwa emisebenzini ekhokhayo (okuthatha isikhathi eside ezifundweni zabo) kanye/noma ngokuba nezikweletu ezinkulu. Muva nje ekuqaleni kwawo-1990, iningi labafundi basekolishi alizange lithathe imali mboleko ukuze lixhase imfundo yabo. Manje, nokho, cishe abafundi abathathu kwabane abaneziqu zasekolishi baboleke ukuze bahlangabezane nezindleko zabo zasekolishi, benza isikweletu esilinganiselwa ku-$30,000 umuntu ngamunye. Ngenxa yalokho, isikweletu semalimboleko yabafundi baseMelika manje sesiphelele $ 1.3 isigidintathu. Ukukhokha lesi sikweletu ngamanani enzalo ephakeme kuwumthwalo osindayo entsheni yaseMelika, futhi iningi labo lingase lihluleke ukusikhokhela, noma, ukuze lisikhokhe, liyayeka amaphupho abo futhi lisebenzele imisebenzi engayithandi.
Imfundo cindezela intsha yaseMelika imiphumela kakhulu kusukela ukwehliswa okukhulu kwezimali zikahulumeni nezendawo amakolishi omphakathi namanyuvesi, ngokuvamile aqalwa ohulumeni abalandela imithetho, abanciphisa isabelomali. Kusukela ngo-2008 kuphela, uxhaso lukahulumeni lwamanyuvesi omphakathi lwehle ngamaphesenti ayi-16. Ngaleso sikhathi esifanayo, uxhaso lukahulumeni lwamakhampasi angama-64 e-SUNY lwehle ngamaphesenti angama-28. Ngempela, kunombuzo omkhulu mayelana nokuthi amakolishi kahulumeni namanyuvesi aseyizikhungo zikahulumeni yini, ngoba izindleko zawo eziningiโezake zambozwa uxhaso lukahulumeniโmanje sezihlangatshezwa ukufundiswa kwabafundi. Namuhla, uxhaso lukahulumeni luhlanganisa kuphela amaphesenti angama-30 wezindleko ze-SUNY; abafundi bacosha amaphesenti angama-70 asele.
Lolu hlelo lwe-campus austerity akulimazi abafundi kuphela, kodwa yonke inqubo yemfundo. Bekhathazekile ngokunakekela noma ukwandisa ukusebenza naphezu kokuncipha kwamazinga oxhaso lukahulumeni, abaphathi bamakolishi nabenyuvesi banciphisa izindleko zekhampasi esikhundleni sobuhlakani be-tenured kanye ne-tenure-line abanamatoho angenazimpande, angenamandla, akhokha kancane (izandisi) kanye nabasebenzi besikhathi esigcwele abakhokhelwa kancane ezikhundleni zesikhashana (okungaba khona). Ku 1969, i-teured and tenure-track faculty ibambe izikhundla ezintathu kwezine zokufundisa. Ngo-2013, lolu phiko โoluvamileโ lwalubambe oyedwa kwabahlanu. Isimilo sobuhlakani kanye nezinga lemfundo lehlile.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, abaphathi bamakhampasi, ababhekene nokwehla kwemali engenayo, baya ngokuya bethambekela ekwamukeleni uxhaso lwabantu abacebile nezinkampani ezilungisa kabusha imfundo ephakeme ukuze zifeze izimfuno zabo. Kusukela ngo-2005 kuya ku-2013, kwachitha izigidigidi ezimbili zamalungelo, uCharles noDavid Koch $ 68 million ukuxhasa ngezimali izinhlobo zezinhlelo ababezifuna emakolishi angama-308 ase-US namanyuvesi. E-New York State, lapho uMbusi u-Andrew Cuomo eqala Ukuqala kwe-NY, uhlelo lokuhlinzeka ngendawo engenantela emabhizinisini athuthela emakolishi omphakathi (namanye azimele) noma eduze nawo, akukaze kube khona mbuzo mayelana nokuthi ushansela we-SUNY nabanye abalawuli bazophendula kanjani. Esikhundleni sokumelana nalokhu kuthathwa kwebhizinisi kwezinsiza zasenyuvesi kanye nomsebenzi, baba abaqaphi ngoba.
Kulezi zimo, ukufundisa kwamahhala, okungenani, kungabuyisela ithuba lokufunda ezigidini zabantu baseMelika futhi kususe umthwalo omubi wezikweletu emahlombe abantu abasha. Ukwengeza, ngokuletha isibalo esikhulu sabafundi abasha kanye noxhaso lwabo lwezimali emakolishi nasemanyuvesi, kuzonciphisa inkuthazo kubaphathi ukuthi baguqule ikhono libe yizisebenzi eziphuma kwamanye amazwe ezingenamandla, ezimpofu. Ngempela, ukwanda kwabafundi abaxhaswa ngokugcwele kungase kunikeze abaphathi umgogodla wokumelana nokuthathwa kwebhizinisi okukhulayo kwemfundo ephakeme. Ngaphezu kwalokho, nakuba amakolishi azimele angase angakuthandi lokhu kuxhaswa ngezimali okuthuthukisiwe kwabaqhudelana nabo emphakathini, ukuncintisana okungaba umphumela kwabafundi kungase kubakhuthaze ukuthi behlise izifundo zabo zezinkanyezi, ngaleyo ndlela babanikeze inhlangano yabafundi ehlukene ngokwezomnotho.
Sekukonke, ikolishi elingafundiwe linengqondo, okuchaza ukuthi kungani amaMelika alisungula kwasekuqaleni.
ULawrence Wittner (http://lawrenceswittner.com) unguSolwazi Womlando ophumayo e-SUNY/Albany. Incwadi yakhe yakamuva iyinoveli ehlekisayo emayelana nokuhlangana kwenyuvesi kanye nokuvukela umbuso, Yini eqhubekayo ku-UAardvark?
I-ZNetwork ixhaswa kuphela ngokuphana kwabafundi bayo.
Nikela