
Originally Posted by
The Dunster;213***
The idea behind HECS is that Governments can't afford to offer free education which is simply not true.
With the introduction of HECS people are being suckered into paying for something they can't really afford much like financing on a car or any other asset that loses value over time.
Property / Houses in general are something that generally appreciates in value over time. But education in most cases has a limited life meaning the value of a degree declines over time.
For those able to afford to pay upfront the cost is much less [benefits of paying upfront, no interest] and the asset itself still has value once they own it outright due to it being fresh / new / relevant. For those that can't pay upfront not only do they pay more, by the time they make their last HECS payment the asset has essentially no value at all.
We can also look at Human Capital Theory [HCT] where studies have shown that anything beyond a basic undergraduate degree is a complete waste of time and money.
The only ones to really benefit are the charlatans offering the courses / degrees.