WASHINGTON, January 10 (Sputnik) – US President Barack Obama wants to lower the cost of community college tuition to zero for those students willing to work for it, the president stated in a speech in Tennessee, which could become the first US state to offer free community college in decades.
"I'm announcing a new plan to bring down the cost of community college tuition in the United States of America. I want to bring it down to zero. I want to make it free," Obama said in his Friday speech.
"Community colleges should be free for those willing to work for it," the US president added, stressing that quality education cannot be a "privilege that is reserved for a few".
However, Obama emphasized that there cannot be any "free rides" in US higher educational institutions.
"Students would have to do their part by keeping their grades up. Colleges would have to do their part by offering high-quality academics and helping students actually graduate," Obama explained. "This isn't a blank check or a free lunch," he added.
Obama praised Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam for working with Democrats in instituting a program that would make Tennessee the first state in decades to offer free community college to its students.
The Tennessee Promise program, due to begin in the fall of 2015, will cover tuition and fees for all students at any of the state's 13 community colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology.
The US president expressed hope that the US Congress could also reach bipartisan consensus when considering a similar plan the White House intends to send to Capitol Hill in the coming weeks.
The Obama administration posted a video outlining its free-tuition plan on Thursday night. The initiative, titled America's College Promise and announced by Obama on Friday, would build upon programs at the state level to waive community college tuition for students.
