RE: Student Debt and Access to Higher Education
First as you say the degree or that piece of paper i think is getting generalized around the world... which in many situations is not a good thing... i know a lot or "professionals" from universities where they literally buy a diploma.
I know if you are someone with saving habits you can accomplish almost anything... but there's a lot of reasons why people couldn't save money low wages, vulnerable situations, kids at home, etc... if you like that issues i recommend to read things related to "poverty traps" is something like a vicious circle...
As you said its possible to work while you study.. but not always... maybe in masters and Pdhs ... i do the same for my master degree, so i know is possible.
But what about undergraduate students... remember that as an undergraduate the jobs you are able to apply are always low skille, low wages and extensive workdays so study i a lot of situations is merely impossible. Remember that you need money for the bus, lunch, books, etc.... I think all those points apply to any country.
Finally... as you say for undergraduates exist grants and scholarships but that depends on the country... and as you know its impossible to give scholarships to everyone... so always you have people staying below the train, thats i think is not good.
You seem to be under the impression that I'm disagreeing with your post. That's not the case.
I'm not saying it's easy, only that it is possible. In the USA, there are grants and scholarships. They're not always handed to you on a piece of paper, though. Some require a lot of work to find. Personally, I worked every summer at a low-wage job and did work study making $5/hr during the school year. Work study is tax free and the lab monitor positions allow you to get work done, if it's slow. Federal pell grants covered a significant chunk back then, too. I graduated with debt, but not much.
I know others, though, who thought they needed to go fancy schools and graduated with mountains of debt.
People in the US also seem to think that they should go straight from high school into a four-year school. Don't. Work a "job" for a few years and save up first. Go to a community college for general credits and transfer to a four-year school or, better yet, get a liberal arts degree from a community college and then find a position related to what you want to do for a career. That way, you can build experience. If you decide to go for a higher degree, your employer may even foot the bill.
As for other countries, it really depends on which one you're in. My friends in Spain pay a fraction of what we do in the USA.
Yes, inequality is a thing. Unfortunately, it can be very limiting. It shouldn't become an excuse, though. If you're really driven, there is a way.
The real question is: is there a why? My undergraduate degree was worthless—couldn't get work because of lack of "experience." Since then, I've worked in different places for about ten years and am now going back for a masters. I hope it's more use than the bachelors was.
If you absolutely need a degree, you can do it. If you don't need one, it's not worth the effort and cost.
I might add that I believe some things should be socialized. Health care and access to education should be available to all. Unfortunately, these aren't likely to happen in my country in the near future, let alone on a global scale.
Sorry if i gave you that impression... i know for your last post that you dont disagree with this post dont worry... i was giving you some extra info about the rest of the world. 😁 😁
As you say maybe the problem with over indebtedness is that people think that they need to get as quick as possible that piece of paper, without thinking that there's other way around to obtain the same.
If all people could think that access to certain things like health care, social assistant and education ...i'm sure that the world could be a better place to live... but as @bigram13 said... education like a lot other things are a trillion dollar business and that its very unlike to change in any time soon.