"
Introduce a national public university, with online lectures from all the best professors, free, with online testing accepted by every college that takes public money. You could knock out a 4 year degree in 6months-1year of labwork and in person verification of the online material. This is possible right now, today, with resources that already exist, it lacks only an official recognition and a cultural acceptance.
"
I think we are steering into general education discussion separate from OP question. I do agree with you on lending rules and also believe strongly in right and wrong, and not paying back what I owe when I have the means to do so is wrong to me.
on the general education, my perspectives were that of the foreigner
- I found US high school to be ridiculously easy , even for 16 year old foreign boy with very limited English to graduate with honors as senior. it was just 2-4 years behind Russian education in almost everything, and exact science in particular. We studied geometry in multiple dimensions in 6 grade when math split into geometry and calculus, botany and chemistry started in 6 grades as well. for bio science you had 2 years of botany, 1 year of zoology, 1 year of anatomy, and 1 general bio science (genetics, etc) by the time you graduated. for physics , you had mechanics , dynamic forces, electrodynamics (Omhs law, etc), general physics (nuclear, elemental particles,etc). for chemistry - 2 years of non organic chemistry, 1 year of organics, and 1 of general. and this for each and every person, no exceptions, no 'I will pick my classes'. in US all of this was condenced like crazy and augmented by large amount of either performing arts (chorus, band) and other non exact sciences..
- for national universities, it is complex . US universities are among the most expensive in the world, they are also among the best of the world by far. Russia had free university system and is now operating in hybrid mode before likely switching to full US model as that shown itself to be very efficient.