The phrase “education is a right, not a privilege” is one not many people disagree with. It is also not true for many people after welfare reform laws were introduced in 1996. That year, many people lost their right to higher education because they were allowed to use only a few educational services, and even those were restricted in one way or another. Now, six years after Congress “fixed” welfare, the time has come to correct the mistake.
Since 1996, many people who receive welfare checks have not had access to education. According to the federal welfare law known as Welfare Reform, recipients may only participate in vocational and technical training lasting for less than 12 months. Furthermore, no more than 30 percent of recipients in any state may participate in training, while those who do participate must still meet an additional work requirement.
With all these barriers, a lot of people have had to leave school and find jobs. An example of this is the City University of New York, where over 12,500 students have been forced to give up college in exchange for low-wage jobs. This is not an exception — it is an epidemic. At many other universities enrollment dropped, and the number of student welfare recipients declined.
It is not only that they were denied their right to education. These students were also left without any chance to find a way out of poverty-level living conditions.
As statistics show, education is the one important thing that can make a difference. Prior to 1996 it was possible for welfare recipients to pursue a college degree, or other educational programs such as English as a Second Language and GED classes, while receiving welfare. 88 percent of former welfare recipients who earn an associate’s degree remain economically independent. Those who obtain a bachelor’s degree remain economically independent nearly 100 percent of the time.
Left without a chance to succeed, welfare recipients are now prisoners of the cycle of poverty. Without adequate education, and often without sufficient language knowledge, they are left with minimum-wage jobs. Hardly sufficient for bare existence, the salary they earn cannot raise them from poverty. It only allows people to live day to day, with few benefits and little job security. This low economic status affects further access to education for future generations, and it affects political power as well. This is where the two ends of the cycle join together, creating the cycle of poverty in which hundreds of thousands of individuals, families and generations live and fight to survive.
It was thought the 1996 federal welfare law would fight to end poverty. Unfortunately, at the same time it fought against education. The time for welfare reauthorization is getting closer. Congress will revisit welfare this year, and the experiences of the past six years prove the only way to fight against poverty is to fight for access to education for all people.
Carl Camacho, Pabitra Benjamin, Rebecca Wasserman and Rebecca Pifer are on the USSA Board of Directors.
