Here's a story from one of my high school teachers. I think it demonstrates how some people have a poor sense of what it means to get an education.
Every student must pass a semester of civics in order to graduate from high school. Because everyone must pass this class, it's not particularly hard. Not everyone will get an A in it, but everyone who works at it should be able to get out with a passing grade. There was a particular student who was failing this class. The teacher called up the student's mother to talk to her about what's going on, and to encourage her to encourage him to put in the effort so that he can pass.
Initially, the mother tried to do some negotiating with the teacher, but the teacher would not budge. He refused (on principle) to give a student who was clearly failing the class a passing grade. After a while, the mother got exasperated with the teacher's position and said, "I know my son can't read, but I want him to have a high school diploma."
To me, this is very sad. It's likely that the mother does not have much of an education herself based on this comment. It's likely that her son does not appreciate the education he has been getting because he still can't read, even though he's in high school. (That he got so far in the first place is a sad commentary on the state of education.)
A degree will only have meaning if it allows one to differentiate between those who are qualified and those who are not. It's a system that does draw a very clear line between the "haves" and "have nots," and some people don't like that. I'm not ignorant to the fact that social conditions have an effect on students and the levels of education they are able to attain. I'm in favor of outreach programs for low income students and other things to help them to navigate the educational system (especially higher education). However, "help" should never be turned into
a "giveaway." The students must still demonstrate that they have the knowledge and the skills appropriate for the degree. Otherwise, all you do is treat a symptom without providing any real help to cure the problem.
