Jill Biden: 'We're going to make sure that everyone has access to free community college'

Authored by thehill.com and submitted by ProfessorEric2000
image for Jill Biden: 'We're going to make sure that everyone has access to free community college'

First lady Jill Biden Jill BidenBiden emphasizes diversity in first visit to Pentagon Jill Biden: 'We're going to make sure that everyone has access to free community college' Michelle Obama announces children's show focused on healthy eating MORE promised on Tuesday to ensure access to free community college and training programs for all Americans.

Biden during a recorded broadcast at a virtual event emphasized the coronavirus pandemic's effect on the economy and how access to education could help.

“We have to get this done. And we have to do it now," she said. "That's why we're going to make sure that everyone has access to free community college and training programs."

Her comments come as student loan debt has continued to grow over the past decade. Tuition and fees at community colleges averaged around $3,730 during the 2019-2020 school year. Average tuition was approximately $10,440 for in-state students at four-year public colleges, The Associated Press reported.

Biden on Tuesday also said community colleges are no longer America's "best-kept secret," adding that "they are our most powerful engine of prosperity."

The first lady, who holds a doctorate in education and teaches at Northern Virginia Community College, has been an avid advocate for free community college education. Last year, Martha Kanter, who served as under secretary of Education in the Obama administration and who has known Biden for over a decade, confirmed that debt-free community college was a long-term goal for Biden.

“That is what she would like to see. We have often talked about community colleges as the unsung heroes."

SmartLady on February 11st, 2021 at 02:21 UTC »

Community colleges are poised to be utilized as a vital tool in fighting anti-intellectualism. Free community college is a tool for saving democracy.

astrozombie2012 on February 11st, 2021 at 02:07 UTC »

Wish this was a thing when I was working 60+ hrs a week and going to college full time... I might not have completely burned out and actually gotten my degree.

decent_clouding on February 11st, 2021 at 01:46 UTC »

Honestly they could achieve this by just reforming fafsa. The fact that poor students have to wait until we’re like 24 to get the pell grant because our parents make “too much” is fucking ridiculous.