The California UC system is regarded as one of the world’s best public university systems, offering quality education at a fairly modest price. But in the wake of California’s gigantic budget deficit, the tuition for a UC education is seeming to rise by double digits every year.

California must realize that the rising cost of higher education will only diminish the quality of its workforce and decrease productivity in the long run.
The original mission of the UC system was to provide education that was affordable, accessible and of high quality. Unfortunately, due to the recession, California is spending less and less money each year on the UC system and public education in general.

Furthermore, Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed a budget bill slashing the UC’s funding by $650 million, further compounding the problem of the UC system’s near $900 million budget deficit. California legislators do not realize that the state’s higher education program is foundering.

Humans have the intrinsic right to education. The duty of the state is to provide students with the opportunity to further their learning and providing them with a solid foundation for their futures. By cutting the UC’s budget so severely, the government is completely debilitating the system. The University of California Board of Regents was forced to increase the average tuition cost by a gigantic 9.6 percent, from $11,124 to $12,192, in order to compensate for the state’s lack of funding.

These rising costs continually place college out of the reach of lower- and middle-class Californians, who are often rejected from much-needed financial support. Even with this increased tuition fee, as a result of ever-dwindling state financial support, the UC system has implemented layoffs, consolidated and eliminated numerous programs, increased class sizes and reduced levels and hours of service.

What is most appalling, however, is that the state’s spending per student for the UC system according to the Economist, has fallen a dismal 40 percent since 1990, even accounting for inflation over the past 21 years.

In 2009, the State Higher Education Executive Officers reported that the state annually contributed a measly $10,000 per student. To put this in perspective, California spends about $50,000 per prison inmate every year. According to the UC Board of Regents, the 2011-2012 budget for the UC system is $2.37 billion, which is dwarfed in comparison by the $9.6 billion budget allotted to California’s prison system.

California needs to realize that money is better invested in education for students and future leaders than for criminal correctional facilities. The UCs are now far from the the prestigious educational system that people attended a decade ago.

The quality of education is eroding with severe budget cuts, and students are forced to pay even more money for a lesser education. Over time, the state will pay for these decisions as the quality of education in California diminishes, leading to an overall detrimental effect on society.