Equity OF ONE’S OWN ACADEMIC ASPIRATIONS
I was made to pay for my own primary reports. After I finished my O-Levels, my dad got me a job teaching fee to my younger relatives so I had money to pay for my own professor.
In my second year of young school, the money was n’t sufficient – so my dad offered to loan me the money that I needed for finance education on condition that I paid him back afterwards.
Going to school on my own money ensured that I did not omit seminars or lectures, since doing so would have been at my own price.
On the other hand, my husband’s kids paid for all his personal coaches and college costs up until he completed his diploma. He admits to never taking his lessons really again next– but when he decided to pursue an advanced diploma afterwards on and paid for it himself, he became the most studious he’d ever been in his life.
I took my studies seriously because I was the one paying for it. My husband only started taking his studies seriously once the financial responsibility for them fell to him alone.
However, even after 10 years of co-parenting, we still have different views on whether we will foot the bill if our kids tell us they want to go to university.
What we do agree on is this: If our children are made to bear at least some financial responsibility for their own higher education fees, then they will likely be less inclined to waste their university years.
COMMUNICATE EXPECTATIONS EARLY
Even for parents who genuinely wish to support their children’s higher education, their financial situations may not always allow them to.
Regardless of whether parents plan to commit to funding their kids ’ tertiary education endeavours, it ’s important to communicate such expectations early and clearly. If necessary, discuss alternative funding options as a family, such as scholarships or part-time work, so that the child can plan and prepare accordingly instead of getting ambushed by a new stack of stresses.
Deferring one’s studies by a year or two could also be an option. One of my university classmates worked as a flight stewardess before entering university to ensure she could support herself while schooling.
Each family will have different needs, preferences and dynamics– but each one needs to have honest discussions to establish mutual understanding and clarity about financial realities and shared responsibilities to avoid creating tensions that could escalate into harsher conflicts, or even legal battles.