Oprah apparently has gotten so frustrated with this culture of underachievement that she has decided to invest her money someplace else. Clarence Page writes:
Oprah Winfrey’s poke at the short-sighted materialism of some low-income students has delighted conservative commentators, but that doesn’t mean she’s wrong.
Liberals love to “speak truth to power,” but the powerless need to hear the truth, too. Knowledge, after all, is power. Don’t keep it to yourself, I say. Spread it around.
“I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools (in America) that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn’t there,” she said. “If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don’t ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school.”
Having reported from South Africa at various times since the 1970s and as the parent of a black American teenager, I agree with Winfrey. She’s not blaming the victims. Our kids don’t know anything except that which they are taught by parents, peers, teachers and other role models. My folks didn’t need college degrees to know that - as they let me know on a daily basis.
Yet, those sentiments sound so politically incorrect these days that it’s easy to understand why Fox News Channel’s John Gibson sounded shocked - Shocked! -at Winfrey’s quote. “Uhh, just asking, but can anybody else in America say that and get away with it?,” he opined.
Latinos don’t go unscathed here
A similar “Cosby-esque” frenzy has swirled up in recent days around Herman Badillo, the first native-born Puerto Rican elected to Congress, for writing in his new book, “One Nation, One Standard,” that too many of his fellow Hispanic-Americans are stuck in poverty because they don’t value education enough.
“Education is not a high priority in the Hispanic community,” wrote Badillo, 77, a Democrat-turned-Republican and former mayoral candidate. “Hispanic parents rarely get involved with their children’s schools. They seldom attend parent-teacher conferences, ensure that children do their homework, or inspire their children to dream of attending college.”
Unfortunately, Badillo is right and not only about Hispanics. Indifference to education is unfortunately epidemic across racial and ethnic lines, but it is particularly damaging to the poor. For earlier waves of immigrants to America, unskilled jobs were much more plentiful. Upward mobility for most of today’s kids already requires at least a couple of years of schooling beyond high school.
Yet, instead of discussing the worthy points Badillo raises, many will try to shout him down. Bronx Democratic leader José Rivera already has blasted Badillo in a New York Post interview as a “total insult” to Latino parent-advocates. That’s OK, Badillo says. He wanted to stir up a dialogue. The controversy will help him sell a few more books, too. Puerto Ricans certainly are not the only Americans who need to read it.
With that in mind, I don’t mind the lavishness of Oprah’s academy, although it has come under fire from other critics on the right and the left. Sure, the $40 million could have serviced 10 times more students in more modest surroundings. But, why shouldn’t bright and promising future African leaders have a learning environment at least as nice as that enjoyed by the Ivy League elites who populate America’s leadership class?
Besides, if we really want our kids to appreciate education, we should follow Oprah’s example: Fix up the old, crumbling structures into which we herd too many of our students here at home. If we want our kids to appreciate education, we have to show some respect for it, too.
Many Black American Muslim parents seem to think that Islam is going to ‘magically’ make their children grow up into fully functional adults without any effort on their part. No, they don’t have to actually teach them and make sure that that happens. As long as they say “I’m following Qur’an and Sunnah” on the tongue…everything will be ok. In other words, invest your children’s future in a canned slogan.
As I said before, the lack of emphasis on education by Black American Muslims is a direct byproduct of the larger Black American culture of underachievement. Pretending that this is not so is not helping. One brother (A Black American Muslim) screamed that this is not true to me, and that it is only the media that wants us to see it that way. He gave me a few exceptions (one Black American doctor that he knew of) to prove his point that there are no more problems in the Black American Muslim community (or the Black American community at large) than in any other community. The media just wants to magnify the black problems more because of racism in his opinion. Therefore the solution, in his mind, is to continue to deny the problem.
Filed under: Black American Muslims, Children's Issues, The Culture of Denial and Pretense
Tariq, everytime you mention college or education it upsets me because I was talked into quitting by the wise brothers and now all these years later I realize how much I need it and am desperately trying to get skills at a late age with kids
Ashamed,
I feel your pain because I could have easily ended up in the same situation as you. I remember when I first got married to my now ex-husband he told me he didn’t want me to work (because he didn’t want to look bad in front of the other brothers) and at the time I was working on my bachelor’s degree so I figured since my husband doesn’t want me to work, there’s no point in finishing up with school. When my mother heard, she threw a fit. She said that just because I was a changed woman, meaning that I had just started wearing hijab and making salaat regularly, it doesn’t mean that I need to sit at home making babies and gaining weight. I can still be a pious sister and go out there and work. Alhamdulillah I took her advice and finished with my Bachelor’s. After a year she started hinting at getting a Master’s degree. Again, I was like what, for I’m married, my husband’s taking care of me, but Alhamdulillah, again I took her advice…..Fast forward to 2 years later and I’m no longer married.
Alhamdulillah, I’m so thankful I listened to my mother and that I have my education to fall back on to take care of myself and my two boys.
This is one thing I really admire about the immigrant Muslim community here in the USA, their value of education.
Education, to Muslim immigrants, is everything. It is the paramount goal for their children and of the youth. I do believe they focus to much on becoming doctors and engineers, but if you over look that, their emphasis on education is huge.
Without an education in this country you are more than likely going to struggle your whole life and live paycheck to paycheck. An education is not a guarantee out of this, but it certain helps your odds.
Oprah should have asked these kids who wanted iPods if they wanted to use the iPod on the way to their job at 7-11 or at McDonalds, or would they rather have help getting them an education and a job where they can buy the iPod for themselves?
At the end of the day this isnt even about things, materialism, it is about having a safe and comfortable way of life for you and your children.
Shattered I take it your mother is muslim. Even if my mother said the same as your to me I would not have listened because she is not muslim and I was on the haqq
Very thought provoking post, brother.
I would like to suggest something else that may be at work here and that is how the value of education is viewed is severely under-privileged societies as the only means of changing one’s circumstances. While I do not mean to diminish the extreme poverty in which some African-Americans live, I would venture to say that in general it does not equate in severity to that experienced in South Africa, where there are also no government programs to maintain at least a minimum standard of living (like government assisted housing, public education, food stamps, etc.). I am not making excuses for institutionalized racism and it’s impact on the limited opportunities for socio-economic mobility, but simply saying that societies without even these meager attempts to “even the playing field” may result in more highly motivated students.
I will never forget the vast number of people I saw crowded into cardboard shanties on a hillside overlooking a river on the edge of Guatemala City in the mid 1990s. I was so amazed to see their sons and daughters in school uniforms making their way up that steep hillside to start the long walk to school. I cannot help but think there is some connection between the dreadful life of hardship these kids faced and their willingness to walk several miles to school. As an educator in the Arabian Gulf, where there is a ridiculous degree of excess wealth and conspicuous consumption, I have witnessed firsthand the lack of interest in education and academic success by a populace that has no fear of not being able to keep a roof over their heads, food on their tables and employ at least one maid and a driver. Hunger is a great motivator and without it, sometimes there is no hunger for knowledge.
Many whites share Oprah’s frustrations with blacks but can not say it. We have integrated our schools and spent billions but succeeded only in destroying our educational system. We have created a system of spoils for blacks based on fomenting and exploiting ‘white guilt’. Some high schools in our biggest cities have less than 2% of their black students living in a married household with their biological parents.
And quite frankly, who is Oprah to talk on this subject? Sure she is educated and made good money, but this ‘black Rosie’ openly lives in adultery. What kind of role model is she for black girls?
The last thing blacks want is criticism. If one can’t inspire themselves to get an education than all is lost
Dear Ashamed,
It is never too late. I didn’t start university until I was 30 (and a divorced full-time mother of 2). Over the next 10 years I pursued my BA, MA and PhD. Whatever you do at one point does not have to define you at a later point in life. If I could work 3 part-time jobs simultaneously, attend school fulltime and be a responsible single mother to 2 school age children, anyone with faith and desire can do it, too.
All the best to you.
Salaam Alaikum,
PM
Ashamed,
Yes, she is Muslim and is an immigrant as well. And Abu Sinan is correct in that immigrants focus too much on being doctors and engineers but overall they value education because they want their kids to have a better life than they did. My dad retired 6 months ago, he’ll be 65 in a few months Insha Allah, but for the most part, he worked two jobs for almost 30 years and then could only handle one job towards the end when he retired because he has diabetes and he couldn’t handle it anymore. I have so much respect for all the sacrifices that he has made to take care of his family WITHOUT ever having to go on public assistance or beg at the Masjid for handouts. My parents pushed education so that none of my siblings and I would have to go through the hard times that they went through. Now that I have kids, I truly appreciate the sacrifices that they made and I will make sure that I instill the same values of education into my kids as was instilled into me, Insha Allah.
On another note, as much as brothers like to talk about Pakistani men, take heed because that’s what you call a real man.
Salaam
From the day blacks are born, they are constantly told that nothing is their fault it’s all whitey’s fault and that because their ancestors were slaves or lived under Jim Crow, whitey owes them everything. Blacks can go out, smoke crack, have 10 out-of-wedlock kids by 5 different baby-daddies who promptly dump their kids, drop out of school, commit crimes but that’s not their fault, it’s all “cause whitey be keeping them down”. So why shouldn’t black kids expect ipods and nikes and not value education when they’ve been told all their lives everyone owes them something just cause they be black?
Peaceful Muslimah,
You are an inspiration. May Allah (swt) continue to shower His blessings on you.
Shattered, Pakistani men don’t act like black men for the simple fact that they are not black
Thanks Peaceful Muslimah. ditto to Shattered’s comments
Oh dear, it seems the wacko Aryan nation types have shown up. How about coming into the 21st century CSA and Tim Peterson ;-)))
PM, you mind pointing out specifics of what you disagree with instead of throwing out labels?
Unfortunately the racists will come on attact but who cares. We have got to get past having sensitive feelings and deal with the truth. The only way to find solutions is deal with the truth and there is definitely a pervasive attitutude of victimhood in our community. It is crippling and needs to be addressed.
Peaceful Muslim,
you are so correct. In John McWorther’s book ‘Winning the Race’ he points to the onset of massive welfare entitlements as the start of the drastic decline in the Black community. It really bothers me that so many Muslims expect to take welfare payments as a rule. It definitely has its place but it is more of a detriment in many cases especially for those under 50 because it takes away that drive to work, specifically in men. Sometimes it takes the fear of starving or eviction to go out there and do some hard work and hustle (halal of course) to provide for your family. If the goverment is going to just give you the money, its real easy to just sit back and let the government provide for you.
The problem with things like this is that racists look at legitimate problems within black and Hispanic communities and justify their racism without having to change themselves or racist feelings in any way
I agree with Oprah on this one even though I do not like her show and she makes me wanna throw up every time I see her. The kids in the American schools in the hood wanna watch videos, buy sneakers, get an I-pod, and have sex like there is no tomorrow while smokin weed and drinkin. Give the money to some kids who will put it to good use.
the truth of the statement of disinterest in education, is not only true for middle-class or lower-class youth in America, but comfortable kids throughout the ‘first world’ and also in many ‘muslim’ countries. Having taught (or tried to teach) the children of the wealthy, i tell you, i prefer ten times over having reasonable labour, where you see the work of your hands, than having some parent who refuses to discipline his kids and sees ‘muslim teachers’ as the solution to his ill-educated child’s errant ways shouting at you.
I remember the manager of the Jeddah “Islamic ports” shouting at me, when I told him frankly that I’d only been teaching his son for two weeks, expecting his son to speak English (with an ‘American’ accent) was unreasonable - that: “My workers never speak to me like that” - I just looked back at him, and nodded in agreement. Some of these wealthy self-indulgent parents have the children they deserve, as the Turkish saying goes “the child is the shadow of their parents”
the point not being the individual, may Allah protect me from ghiba - but the general type, of which this was certainly an example - wanting a child to speak with an ‘American accent’, not having basic adab, abusing teachers, and rejecting muslim principles of behaviour and schooling for an ‘appearance’… Islam isn’t the short thawb and beard (or mustache, in many Saudi or Turkish cases) - what about akhlaq, character, respect for knowledge and those who teach it, compassion and mercy
I am with Umar, I cannot stand Oprah. Her own personal life is not one to held up for a role model. As someone pointed out she cannot find it in herself to marry her partner, and that is hardly the type of example that needs to be set.
I think it is clear that holding up people like this, the one in 300 million chances of becoming like her, is unreasonable, as is holding up football or basketball players.
The people that need to be the role models out there are the Peaceful Muslimahs of the world. Those who work really hard, over come hurdles and succede. They dont usually become millionaires, but they become successful, they make careers, and they are a positive force for the community.
People like Michael Jordan, Oprah and the like are not realistic role models, and I would argue, actually make the situation worse. Sooner or later everyone realises that no matter what they do they will not be Oprah or Jordan, but they could be the guy or girl down the road who works hard to put themselves through school and then gives back to the community.
For me Oprah is nothing more than a sign of how material driven this society is. She was an accident, the right person, at the right time. People talk about how much she does, but when you consider the hundreds of millions she has, most of us who give a grand or so a year in charity probably give a much larger percentage of their earnings out, never mind people like me work 7 days a week to make the money.
the truth hurts. we do aspire to underacheive and then blaim the “man” when we do not and can not acheive greatness. we put so much emphasis on sports for our young men it’s no wonder that so many turn to a life of crime. we made them that way. we have told them that sports are the only ticket out of poverty. why? because we still have a slave mentality ————those who can entertain masstah reap more benefit.
we teach our children that material possessions are of paramount importance. don’t think so? what did the victims of katrina buy with their fema checks? they bought ps2, fancy sneakers, burke and doone purses, louis vitoun, etc. some of the victims were sent to greenville, sc where i was last year, and thay looked like they had just stepped out of magazines. the older kids all had cell phones and those ipod things. here’s an example. i and members of my honors program at my college held a school supply drive because these kids didn’t have the basics for school, but they had the “right” clothes though. and we wonder why other ethnic groups don’t take us seriously.
look at your local masjid, whose there with their had out? the majority of masjid officials will say that its black american converts. we claim we value islaamic education for our children so why don’t we pay the tuition? why don’t we pay the bus fees? and why do we ship our children from school-to-school, we homeschool a few months, then we vacation for a few months. some of the aspiring to be salafi parents keep their daughters out of school for months at a time because they claim all girls need is the knowledge of the deen. so what happens to her if her husband leaves her or dies? easy: she can depend on welfare from the government. but its kafer right?
as for hispanics, i really don’t understand how/why a people who are majority staunch catholics are becoming so flip about sexual promiscuity. there a time when you never saw an unwed catholic hispanic girl or woman. but now is so common that it’s near epidemic. is it because they are more interested in claiming the welfare benefits as a single person know full-well that “pappy” lives with them? black women and girls have done this so it’s not some foreign concept.
Interesting concept. There is some truth that the plight of the entire community is often blamed on “the man”. I wont deny there is truth in this statement, but it is blown out of proportion, just like Middle Easterners like to blame their plight on Americans, Jews and other unseen conspiracy theories.
Subhanallah, I step away from the pc for a few hours, to go to a party, and come back to a new post with already 23 comments! I think you hit a nerve Br Tariq.
I really have nothing to add, but would like to give thumbs up to Peaceful Muslimah. I’m in awe!
abu sinan
the truth about our plight as blacks,or africans, or whatever we’re we decide to call ourseslves can never be “blown out proportion”. you cannot deny that when you compare us to immigrant africans we lag far behind them in education, in males guarding and protecting their families, etc. what’s the diffence we’re all brown. the difference is the focus we place on unimportant things, i.e. trendy clothes, shoes, computer gadgets, blah blah blah. they, however, understand how far education can carry a person. they, by-and-large, come here and run circles around our children in school. and even larger circles around us as adults.
as for immigrants, they have legitimate reasons to say things against our government. for example, why are jews in palestine in-mass? because the usa, britain, and france divided the ottoman empire and took possession of palestine. there were a few jews and christians there who were free to practice their religion as they chose. the ottoman empire gave them refuge and protection. but who caused the current situation? the west did. by evacuating european jews to palestine. who carved up the fallen ottoman empire and created the majority of the “islamic/muslim” nations we have today?
the “west” did these things… sometimes even forcing enemy tribes to live together within the same national borders. so who set the stage? instead, of blaiming muslims, we the ummah need to learn our deen and follow our sunnah. armed with these things no army on earth can defeat us…. why or when did the ottoman empire begin to fall: when they began to move away from the deen. the result is this mess we have today.
Um Abdullah and Peaceful Muslimah…really I wish there were more people like you guys in the world. People like the both of you would make this world alot more tolerable and a better place. At least there is still some hope.
Oh sister Sheryza that is so sweet. I dont know what I said to get such a nice compliment but trust me the world only needs one of me
Umm Abdullah,
I have to second her comments about both you and Peaceful Muslimah. I was thinking the same thing but just didn’t comment on it. Shame on me.
Salaam Alaikum Sheryza and WackyPaki (love your nick!),
You are far more kind than this tremendously imperfect Muslimah deserves. But thank you for your nice remarks. I would venture to say there are a lot o brothers out there who are thankful there is only one of me
Take care,
PM
Good points in the post. I hang-out/chill/mentor a group of young adults here who are mashallah good Muslims (parents blue-collar workers from Yemen). But unfortunately, they don’t get it about the world we are in now. Muslims are falling behind, way behind. When I scoped out a few classes in some top MBA programs, I could not find a single Muslim in the class. Forget about MBAs, just trying to make these youth understand the need for a simple Bachelors is a huge challenge. Their arguments are mind-boggling. Some have that dream-Islamic-degree-from-somewhere fantasy. When asked to chart out their path for this degree, they don’t have a clue.
What people need to realize is that whatever their manhaj, or their ideology, esp. for some who believe they are ‘upon the Haqq’… that if they don’t have a degree, they will just not be able to contribute. I remind the youth that with a high-school diploma, they would be working 12hrsx7days just to barely earn a decent living below poverty-level… how would they contribute to their community? To their societies? Don’t their own future kids deserve a future as well? Who will they talk to when they, as fathers, will be working all the time? I remind these youth of the vicious cycle of poverty this will lead into and of non-contribution to the Ummah. I remind them that being ‘ahl-hadith’ doesn’t mean that education is not for them. That this is a pure stereotype, which they need not become part and parcel of. Really, to be a good Muslim in America, you need to have a good earning…
Well, that was my little venting on this subject. The frustration that comes with trying to convince kids who CAN if they WANT really tops it all for me sometimes.
Well, I often see a lot of discussion here about what’s wrong with those decendants of kidnapped Africans, but rarely does anyone offer anything other than that. Tareq talks about how trying to breed yourself out of existance might be a reasonable answer to racism etc. And now some offer applause –or at least sympathies–for Oprah giving up on poor black youth. What is with this defeatist attitude? I wonder, do you guys feel that the situation for black people in America is hopeless? Because if people like Oprah and Cosby who have the resources to assist major change (did Oprah ever think of maybe opening up opportunities for struggling young people who WANT to get out of the ghetto like Chris Gardner who was recently on her show) have given up, and people who have the most powerful toolbox for human advancement–Islam– have given up, then what is next?
I wonder how many of you have ever been poor and black and w/o resources? I was a high achieving student, attended a very exclusive high school (on scholarship) and gained entrance into a good enough state school after graduation. The problem is that I had NO ONE to guide me with regard to financial resources and no one to pay for school. I was clueless about financial aid, where it was and how to get it. I was assigned a counselor who was supposed to specialize in ensuring that kids like me got to graduate, but when it came to funds he was no help at all. I knew that taking out a loan (interest) was haraam, so I refused. So, what did I do? I got a job and worked my tail off to pay for school until I got tired and gave up. I got married and with the help of a partner who had the financial resources and the strong belief in my ability I went back to school at 28. I have a latina friend who spent 6 years working three jobs so she could pay her way through UC Berkeley. I think it’s ridiculous to expect that of every individual. Just like everyone can’t be an Oprah or Cosby, everyone can’t work 2 or 3 jobs to get through college.
I’m much smarter now (not to mention married to someone who does everything possible to ensure that I can reach my goals) but I know how hard it was for me to get through and I had tons of privilege–thought not class or race related. I agree that there needs to be a major cultural shift in the African American community, I actually think integration hurt more than helped us in this regard, but it will never take place if we can offer black youth nothing but criticism. They get enough of that as it is.
Peace folks…
“A man with only a meager education, he early saw the
value of education and resolved if he ever had
children that thet should be educated. He kept to that
resolve as 5 of his children are graduates of the High
School and 3 are graduates of higher institutions of
learning” reads Abraham Bolin’s 1910 obituary
This is from 1910 (he was 80)… Well over 100 years since this black fellow set goals for his family. Not sure what to make of current affairs as getting an education in the 1800’s for sure had to be much harder than now (consider that black folks did not have many options).
I think college is great, however, my girlfriend and husband both went to college, received their BA degree and didn’t see the financial results of a college education.
At the time, my husband received offers for many $6 an hr. jobs back when we lived up North. I would say that would be around $12 an hr. now. He couldn’t use his college degree, so he became an ACE certified personal fitness trainer making over $55 an hr now. How come his degree could barely put food on the table? He went to a state college, too! My other girlfriend who went to a very good college can barely pay her mortgage payment. I told her I wanted to go back to college to finish up and she was discouraging me.
I told her I don’t understand why? She explained to me that paying $30,000 for a college education was a lot of money that she couldn’t afford to pay back. She is trying to make her mortgage payment each and every month. She has to literally take on many jobs with a college education. She told me all her friends that make a great living never graduated college. I thought it was rather odd. I still have plans on finishing college, but honestly I don’t know many people who have a college education that really benefited, unless they were a doctor or lawyer.
Other than that, I noticed there are really good jobs that don’t even require a college education.
Ebay is #1 as far as I am concerned. I have made more money that people with college educations because of Ebay.
ACE certified personal fitness trainer. Makes at least $55 an hr in many parts of the country. No high school or college degree required.
Court Reporter. My mother makes around 2k a week with just a GED as a Court Reporter.
Real Estate Agent
Stock Broker (my grandmother never went to college but she made more money as a stock broker on Wall Street than most everybody here who went to college.) I have another friend, who wasn’t the best stock broker, but he pulled in a six figure income on Wall Street, too.
I think you have to consider how much money it costs to go to college before you actually go. If you want to do one of these careers listed above, while going to college that’s great. I know of too many people who can’t pay back the loan. Where I live, instead of trying to pay people what they are woth, they are trying to get employees into employer assisted living. These employees are college graduates. That’s a great way to spend your life. Whoever head of a college graduate that is a slave? But, if you see the trend they have planned for college graduates in Florida you find that wealthy employers are investing in real estate, then they are asking employees, who are college graduates to live in their housing complex and work for them. I think it’s sick. How will any ever achieve the American Dream when they can’t even purchase a piece of property because they are enslaved to their employee. That’s why I say your better off to work for yourself!
to: “Is College really that great?”
I hate when people do that. “I know this person who didn’t go to college and they made a million dollars” Well how many millionaires are college grads as opposed to those who are not? The numbers don’t lie. College grads make more money, but that does not that mean that every single college grad will make good money.
I believe this article supports her argument.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110009535
Um
I read the article in the link you provided by Charles Murray and I don’t think he is arguing the same thing. A skilled tradesman actually has skills. He is saying that SKILLED electricians, plumbers, carpenters and painters can make six or even seven figures. But the key is that they are skilled and very often highly educated in their skills.
This is a far cry from someone arguing that a person with a GED can make just as much as a person with a college degree. 99.999% of the time that just is not going to be the case.
If you are simply arguing against the attitude that if you are not a doctor, lawyer or some other “glam job” then you are nothing and that more young people should be directed to be craftsmen, then I will agree. But it is oversimlifying to give a few examples to young people getting their hopes up to get rich quick and easy.
At the end of the day, there is a lot of pride in saying that you’re a college graduate.
Most people can’t afford $30K for an experience. I believe that article is looking at it from an economic point of view. What is the return on your investment of thousands of dollars and years of your life? For many it just doesn’t make economic sense to go to a four year college when they can achieve a comparable or better income by attending trade school or forgoing college and working their way up the ladder.
Here is another article that seems to support this:
http://michaelrobertson.com/archive.php?minute_id=226
forgot to finish my thought. Although for many students, college basically teaches skills they never learned in high school, but again that can be gained at community college without the huge debt load.
The problem with 30,000 debt from education s why it is REALLY necessary to actually work and get good grades in highschool and not just slack off. It you do well enough you can get enough scholarships so that you don’t even need a job and if you do it is only parttime. And you’ll end up debt free. And I’m saying this from my own experiences
In Florida (which is where I live) if you get a certain GPA in highschool your tuition will be completely paid for at any public Uni in the State. AND you’ll even be able to get additional money from the Uni it self (I got 2000 a semester just for good grades)
So for all you parents out there, force your children to get good grades in highschool because it does pay off