'New Era of American Prosperity': Sanders Calls for Free Higher Ed for All

“It is time to build on the progressive movement of the past and make public colleges and universities tuition-free in the United States,” presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wrote in an op-ed on Thursday, saying such a move would “be the driver of a new era of American prosperity.”

“If our economy is to be strong, we need the best-educated workforce in the world. We won’t achieve that if, every year, hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college while millions more leave school deeply in debt.”
—Sen. Bernie Sanders

“In my view, education is essential for personal and national well-being,” Sanders declared, elaborating on a key aspect of his populist platform. “We live in a highly competitive, global economy, and if our economy is to be strong, we need the best-educated workforce in the world. We won’t achieve that if, every year, hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college while millions more leave school deeply in debt.”

In his call to make higher education free for all, Sen. Sanders (I-Vt.), who is seeking the White House as a Democrat, noted that public colleges and universities are tuition-free in countries including Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Mexico. “They’re free throughout Germany, too,” he wrote, “and not just for Germans or Europeans but to international citizens as well.”

“Governments in these countries understand what an important investment they are making,” he continued, “not just in the individuals who are able to acquire knowledge and skills but for the societies these students will serve as teachers, architects, scientists, entrepreneurs and more.”

Sanders has already been beating the free tuition drum on the campaign trail. This week in Iowa, for example, he told a crowd at William Penn University: “Generally speaking, to make it into a good middle class job today, you need a college degree. So some of us think that if, as a nation, we have determined that free public education historically has been from kindergarten through high school, that in the year 2015 now is the time to extend that idea to colleges and universities.” The line drew enthusiastic applause.

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