El miedo a la gratuidad

Abstract

Education as a gift often normalizes discrimination, inequalities, sexism, machismo and homophobia. The famous phrases: I am not good at mathematics, I was not born for art, etc. imply that there are gifts that were given to each of us and what it is about is to recognize what are the capabilities we have to develop them. It is not the same to understand education as a gift and education as a right. The gift is selective. It is not even uncommon for many neoliberals to consider that higher education is not for everyone. Higher education should be for those who have the capacity to reach it and above all to pay for it. On the contrary, education as a right is universal. There is no one being denied the right to access higher education and for this to happen it is essential that higher education be free.