"Hey, have you read the latest news from Fudan University? The tuition fee for the master's degree in finance has soared to 258,000, which is going to heaven!"
"I'll go, it's just crazy! What family can afford it?"
"What about poor students? Is there no connection with higher education?"
Recently, an official announcement of Fudan University caused an uproar on the Internet, which really aroused the doubts and worries of many netizens. As one of the top universities in China, Fudan University has set the tuition fee for its master's degree in finance at an astonishing high level of 258,000 yuan, which undoubtedly brings a heavy blow to students from poor families.
For a time, public opinion was in an uproar. Some people question whether Fudan has completely lost its educational sentiment and has become a profit-seeking player. Some people angrily accused that this was "closing the door" to poor students; There are also people who understand this, believing that the increase in tuition fees is only an inevitable result of the law of supply and demand in the market.
Either way, it reflects a growing demand for equity in education. In the current era of knowledge economy, education is undoubtedly an important channel for class mobility. However, the uneven distribution of educational resources seriously restricts the poor group's dream of class jumping, which is tantamount to an impact on social justice.
But at the same time, we must also examine the practical reasons behind the increase in tuition fees at Fudan University. As a first-class master's program in finance, this major has always attracted many students to apply for the examination. With the rapid development of the financial industry, schools have to invest more to ensure the quality of teaching, so it makes sense to raise tuition fees.
From an economic point of view, this is a manifestation of the law of supply and demand in the market. When the demand for a certain good or service is much greater than the supply, the price will naturally rise to reach a new equilibrium point. As a scarce resource, the increase in tuition fees is naturally in line with the laws of economics.
However, this perspective alone is too one-sided. Education should not be equated with a commodity trade, let alone be completely marketized. The responsibility and mission it carries are far more important than profit. As an important center for knowledge dissemination and talent training, universities should uphold the concepts of educational fairness and knowledge democracy, and strive to open up growth channels for every student who is interested in studying.
Therefore, Fudan University is faced not only with how to take into account its own interests in the adjustment of tuition fees, but more importantly, how to avoid exacerbating the education gap between the rich and the poor, and how to ensure that poor students can still obtain equal rights to education. After all, if even the highly regarded top universities close their doors to the upper class, then education, the "golden key" to class mobility, loses its meaning.
Undoubtedly, 258,000 tuition fees is an astronomical amount for poor families, enough to make them stop. We can't help but ask: In addition to poor families, is there an uneven distribution of educational resources that hinders poor students' pursuit of education? How to ensure that every aspiring young person has equal access to education?
Clearly, this requires the cooperation of the whole of society. First of all, the relevant departments need to increase investment in education and provide more grants, loans and other financial support measures for poor students to reduce their financial burden. Secondly, top universities should also reflect on the original intention of education, be more humanistic when formulating fee policies, and reserve a certain number of places and preferential policies for poor students.
Finally, each of us should actively participate in the social cause of promoting educational equity, provide various forms of funding and assistance for poor students, and create a good environment that focuses on talent equity.
Whether we can truly achieve educational equity is not only a major test for Fudan University and the entire education system, but also a review of the progress of our society. Only through the mist can we see the road to equality.