President Obama spoke out about education reform and what he’s doing to help college graduates succeed in today’s job market in a Monday conference call with student journalists.
Obama drew attention to efforts made to strengthen the nation’s higher-education system, which he said is important to the country’s success. He said America’s college graduations rates have plummeted from first in the world to 12th in just one generation.
“If we’re serious about building a stronger economy and making sure we succeed in the 21st century, the single most important step we can take is to make sure that every young person can get the best education possible, because the countries that out-educate us today will beat us tomorrow,” Obama said.
Obama outlined steps he is taking toward higher education, specifically reclaiming the world’s top college graduation ranking and having the world’s highest proportion of college graduates by 2020. He said policies being implemented are designed to make college more affordable.
That includes changing federal student loans so that loan money goes directly to students, tripling the investment in college tax credits for middle-class families and raising the value of Pell grants to make sure that they keep up with inflation, Obama said.
“Higher education is the only place where inflation is higher than it is in health care,” he said. “But (these policies) are allowing us to support community colleges and make college more affordable for nearly 8 million students and families.”
Another policy Obama said he hopes to put into place by 2014 allows future borrowers to choose a student loan plan that allows them to pay only 10 percent of their monthly salary. The policy also stipulates that those who enter a career in public service, such as teaching, will have the remainder of their student debt forgiven after 10 years of steady payments.
While acknowledging that the poor economy has created a challenging job market for graduates, Obama said college students
proficient in math, science and communication skills are generally able to find jobs.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that your dreams will be constrained going forward … Right now, we are going through a tough time, but I have no doubts that you guys are going to be successful,” he said.
