Education denotes a social institution that promotes and enables the acquisition of knowledge, skills and a broader personal horizon.  Commercialization of education refers to organizing education to earn money while neglecting the actual responsibility of delivering knowledge, sharing experiences or improving skills (Accioly & Leher 12). Commercialization of education has changed the purpose of education from turning to earning as students are learning to earn rather than to turn. Therefore, commercialization of education has led to several negative impacts.

The Negative Impacts of the Commercialization of Education

One of the negative impacts of the new scenarios in education is characterized by earning without turning. The commercialization process has reversed the original purpose of education as the new purpose of education is to earn money rather than the learning process. Before commercialization, the aim of education was the delivery of knowledge attitude to students. It was accompanied by the genuine need by teachers to transfer knowledge, as well as their experiences to the students (Brantlinger 11). The new purpose of education takes out the importance of the learning process leaving the new generation of students focused entirely on the ability of education to make them more money. The situation has become so severe that the biggest motivation to pursue further education is mainly to improve the earning prospects of a person rather than mastering a particular subject area.

The second negative impact of commercialization of education is the accompanying high fee structure. Most private schools and colleges have fee structures, which keep going up and moving beyond affordability for the ordinary person. The fee structure of most of these schools has gone so high that even the middle-class people cannot afford to educate their children in the private schools and colleges. Therefore, most children in the society are unable to access the quality education that is supposedly offered in these schools (Accioly & Leher 13).

Commercialization of education has also led to the proliferation of artificial intelligence in the education sector. Depending on computers and other forms of digital technology for educational purposes in the new area of commercialization of education has resulted in changing patterns of studies. The use of technology in education also robs the poor people without access to these forms of technology the competitive edge offered to those with access to these forms of technology (Brantlinger 14).

The negative impact of education is also felt in the employment sector as commercialization of education is credited to the growth of unemployment. As the numbers of children who are awarded degrees every year continue to rise in private institutions, the rate of unemployment also grows. The rate of job creation does not match the rate of graduations from private institutions, which creates the desperate situation of unemployment in the society (Ohmann & Radway 21).

Commercialization of education has also led to the lack of wisdom, as well as decision-making. As much as the number of students getting an education in private institutions has increased, the level of intelligence produced in these graduates does not meet the requirements for research, science and medical fields. In addition, most students under this system lack the proper tools of decision-making, which leads to the inability by most students or graduates to make their own decisions on important matters in life. The scenario is so bad that most students are not aware of what they want in life or what is best for them. Students cannot even decide on the field of study that best suits them. In many cases, after graduation students cannot still practice effectively in a particular field while some lack the interest in their chosen field, which also contributes to the high rate of unemployment (Ohmann & Radway 23).

Another worrying situation accompanying the commercialization of education is the sale of degrees. With the right amount, people can now purchase degrees and certificates from some of the fraudulent education institutions. This situation creates many unqualified people in the society for jobs, which results in poor performance on the job. In some cases, the phenomena can endanger the life of people in the society, especially, when such corrupt and unqualified people access public offices that are important in the society such as public health offices. The impact transcends the current condition and affects the future of the society profoundly. Even some politicians possess invalid degrees according to some of the most trending news in social media

Education is supposed to create the right man for the right job. However, commercialization has led to the exploitation of the assumption that a degree is a degree without considering the quality of that degree (Ohmann & Radway 24). It is commonly assumed that a degree holder possesses enough knowledge, skills, and experience about their degree. People can automatically place themselves in government and other vital institutions without the required set of skills, knowledge or experience necessary for effective operation.

Conclusion

Commercialization of education has benefitted the proponents by increasing the earnings of the operators of these systems. However, it has created numerous problems, which reflect in the current state and will also affect the future of the society.

Works Cited

Brantlinger, Ellen A. Who Benefits from Special Education?: Remediating (fixing) Other People’s Children. New York, N.Y. [u.a.: Routledge, 2006. Print.

Leher, Roberto, and Inny Accioly. Commodifying Education: Theoretical and Methodological Aspects of Financialization of Education Policies in Brazil. Rotterdam: SensePublishers, 2016. Internet resource.

Ohmann, Richard M, and Janice A. Radway. Politics of Knowledge: The Commercialization of the University, the Professions, and Print Culture. Middletown, Conn: Wesleyan University Press, 2003. Print.