| I would love to be able to just sit down with our leaders of the Department of Education. We need to revamp the current system to encourage more education and skills training for the trade skills. We also need to revamp our student loan repayment programs. Education is imperative to the success of the American family. But this needs to be at all levels from charter schools to the trade skills and to the higher-level education.
So many people cannot afford to get their higher education or continuing education in a trade. Not everyone is an “A” student and can count on a scholarship. Not everyone planned well when he or she was in high school. There are so many people who are highly motivated and intelligent who have fallen through the cracks. These are truly missed opportunities for our workforce. The independence and autonomy that a good charter school is able to operate under allows the school to provide better educational opportunities for those attending them without major bureaucracy. Many of these charter schools are in the inner cities where our minority youth are at higher risks. These schools provide yet another opportunity to help guide our youth in the right direction. We need these charter schools and vocational schools to help build our labor force to be stronger and prepared to fill the open positions for the skilled trade jobs that are coming back in to our country. They should be encouraged and developed. We need a flexible voucher system as well. Government student loans and scholarships for higher education should be focused on degrees in areas that will truly provide back to our economy and growth of our country, not the liberal arts. We also shouldn’t focus on providing student/work visas that are allowing non-citizens to take the jobs that our current citizens should have a right to and at a fair wage and train them here. The existing loans for higher education need to be paid back and it should be done by payroll deductions. Make it fair and reasonable for a student to afford something like 3% so it doesn’t hurt, but helps the students to prioritize their obligations. Also, encourage government and private sector employers to assist in paying these payments. This would be a great employee benefit and would encourage more loyalty from an employee to their employer. It would also reduce our outstanding loans. What are our true needs as a nation in education? Let’s focus on that. Let’s develop and grow that. |
