Annotated Bibliography: Higher Education and Tuition Costs

This annotated bibliography examines the rising costs and challenges of higher education. It analyzes articles addressing issues such as tuition fees, university funding cuts, globalization, and the impact of market forces on educational institutions. The sources explore various perspectives, including the challenges faced by universities in the UK, the commercialization of education, and the prospects of higher education in the US. The bibliography includes summaries of each source, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and evaluates their relevance to the broader discussion on access and affordability in higher education. The assignment also touches upon President Obama's vision for encouraging higher education for all and the necessity of education as dictated by the market scenario.

Running head: ANNOTATION
Alini, E. “A vicious cycle: Why tuition is so high and will likely keep going up.” Retrieved from
https://globalnews.ca/news/4414387/canada-tuition-college-resp-2018/ (2018)
This author of this article provides the reasons behind the rise of tuition fees and why the
pursuance of higher education for all sections of the society is getting more difficult with
each passing year. The reasons highlighted by the author states that the federal policies
for cutting down on the funding of the universities is the prime reason why higher
education in Canada is becoming unaffordable. Apart from that surreptitious practices
like charging higher from students of other provinces and the student debt are also posing
as possible causes.
The strength of the article is that it provides a comprehensive understanding of the causes
that has led to the increase in tuition fees in the nation. The weakness of the article is that
it has not related the faltering economy and the high rate of inflation in Canada making
life difficult for the common people to the list of causes.
Altbach, P. Higher education and the WTO: Globalization run amok. International Higher
Education, (23). (2015)
The author of this article tends to explain that the rapid level of commercialization of
higher education has tended to transform the way traditionally universities were viewed
as centers meant for dissemination of learning. The author says that the universities are
increasingly coming under the influence of market forces and are rather becoming
contributors to the global economy rather than disseminating holistic education.
Globalization and the advancement of technology has made universities of the developed
nations pose serious challenges to the ones in the under developed parts of the world,

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thereby making pursuing higher education for all sections of the society an undesirable
affair.
The strength the article is that it makes it very evident that world class universities of the
developed west not within the range of affordability of all persons which is a fact. On the
other hand it also tends to provide an unrealistic picture of education and is wrong in
criticizing the globalist forces commercializing education as the ultimate goal of
education is to seek livelihood.
Coughlan, S. “The challenges facing universities in 2018.” Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/news/education-42413636 (2018)
The author of this article seeks to provide the internal problems that are causing
impediments in the path of pursuance of higher education in the universities of UK for all
sections of the society. The main points raised in the article are the high tuition fees
which were a result of the lack of funding of the universities; the unduly high level of
payment for the Vice Chancellors and other support staff; the incapability of the
universities to generate funds on their own unlike their counterparts in the USA and the
course structure not having the value for the fees charged, are the problems.
The strength of the article lies in the fact that it has devoted a deep insight in examining
the internal weaknesses of the educational institution. The weakness is owing to the fact
that the reasons are economically deterministic and other administrative details have not
been looked into.
Kalyanaram, G. On availability heuristics, the world bank and IMF, and US higher education.
(2016)

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The author of this article tends to provide an overview of the prospects of pursuing higher
education that makes US as the destination sought after by all. It is owing to the fact that
there is a greater degree of democratization in the nation with regard to education which
provides for freedom of expression of opinions freely. Hence students have a better
opportunity to pursue their education in US.
The strength of the article lies in the fact that it has not just presented the reasons which
substantiate the claim that US is an ideal destination for pursuing higher education for all,
but has also provided the accounts provided by persons whose views add legitimacy to
the claim of the author. With regard to the weakness of the article, it can be said that the
article tends to paint a utopian picture of the standard of education in the nation by
ignoring the problems that students can face.
Staff, C. “Higher Education for All” | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved from
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/1/27/staff-obama-higher-education/ (2015)
The author of this article deals with the issue of the necessity of education as dictated by
the needs of the market scenario. Though the jobs do not prescribe any specific
qualification, however the requirements and criteria hints at the fact that a minimum of
post secondary educational qualification is must for the sake of being able to do justice to
the profession. It also speaks of the vision of President Obama who has envisaged a plan
whereby higher education for all shall be encouraged and he shall be providing for the
necessary logistical support to meet the educational aspirations of the students.
The strength of the article lies in the fact that it has provided the necessary details of the
enterprise of President Obama which shall be beneficial for the purpose of raising

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awareness. The weakness of the article lies in the fact that it treats the provisions
envisaged in a generalized manner without providing much explicit details.

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Works Cited
Alini, E. “A vicious cycle: Why tuition is so high and will likely keep going up.” Retrieved from
https://globalnews.ca/news/4414387/canada-tuition-college-resp-2018/ (2018)
Altbach, P. Higher education and the WTO: Globalization run amok. International Higher
Education, (23). (2015)
Coughlan, S. “The challenges facing universities in 2018.” Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/news/education-42413636 (2018)
Kalyanaram, G. On availability heuristics, the world bank and IMF, and US higher education.
(2016)
Staff, C. “Higher Education for All” | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved from
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/1/27/staff-obama-higher-education/ (2015)