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Opportunities of Education in Colombia vs. the United States
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Can you imagine having all the abilities to succeed in college or the university but then not being able to get in because you do not have the money to pay for it or the possibility to go to another country where there are more educational opportunities? Education should be a possibility for everyone; unfortunately, it is not. In almost all developed countries such as the United States, the government and various institutions support education and give financial aid for those who would like to keep studying but cannot afford it. According to McPherson and Schapiro “The purpose of the higher education system is that of providing educational opportunities to qualified students of all backgrounds” (8). On the contrary, in almost all the less developed countries including Colombia, education is a privilege that not all can afford because the education is not free. Recently, I came from Colombia (South America) to the United States because I have more opportunities here of a successful and secure future, but not everyone has that opportunity. The United States should be more flexible when giving student visas or scholarships to international students because most of them have the abilities to do well, but they do not have the possibilities to develop those capacities in their home countries. In Colombia, the best and most solicited schools are not for everyone; they are for kids whose parents can afford to pay for them because they are private schools and very expensive. Here in the United States, most of the schools are public, and they offer a good level of education. Almost all American and immigrant students attend these schools. As for the lower percentage of students attend private schools. This occurs backwards in Colombia, where the higher percentages of students go to private schools because public schools are not good. But this higher percentage accounts only for the high or middle class in terms of social and economic status. According to an article originally published in Spanish by Parra “In Colombia, ninety percent of the population does not enjoy the opportunity to receive education in the university or secondary education. Those that do not study are the rural population, the urban industrial classes and the so-called marginal groups that reside in the cities. The higher education in Colombia continues being a markedly elitist phenomenon in which only 10% of the population participates” (164). The programs of the secondary and in the university education are but or less directed in exclusive form to the urban high and average classes. I had friends in Colombia who always got the best grades in every subject; they were exceptionally bright and capable. For them this was not a gift because they could not graduate with the rest of our classmates. The reason for this was that their parents could not keep up with the tuition or the school expenses, which our school would demand. Since this was a private school, and my country does not have enough resources; they could not get financial aid in the form of a grant or a loan.
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