Rich - Poor Divide

I was just going through fee structures as mentioned by the "Shikshan Shulk Samiti". This prompted me to write an article over the same.


As far as I can see today Engineering, Medical and Management form the largest group of courses which lead to financial success.


Of course you could argue that people who haven't studied or studied other courses have also succeeded. While this is true, this rags-to-riches stories aren't many.
I feel that not even 10% of poor and lower middle class people could do it.



Today's fee structure for these professional courses are well beyond the reach of these sections. There are hardly any subsidized seats available. The vast majority have to opt for other courses that do not offer such high salaries.


This is certainly going to increase the rich-poor divide.


While there isn't much that can be done, what are the possible options available for people who can't afford? All have their pros and cons:

1. Loans: Loans are available much more easily now. But security and willingness to take the risk is still a problem.
2. Study in some other state which has subsidies: The problem here is additional cost involved in staying away from your home. Also the worth of the university is important. Might be fine for medical courses. Say for medicine where the cost is Rs. 3,50,000 per year, if you can get in some other place for Rs. 50,000; it's still worth it.
3. Correspondence courses: They are cheap, but their value is less especially at entry-level. But if you have some experience and just need a degree, this is a very cheap option.