Return to Apathy

VETERANS Viet Nam veterans are showing markedly less interest in continuing their education than did their World War II and Korean War predecessors. Of the 6.3 million eligible for schooling under the present G.I. Bill, which covers men who served after Jan. 31, 1955, only 1.3 million, or about 20%, are now taking advantage of the benefits. This compares with 50% participation for World War II veterans and 42% after Korea. The apparent apathy of today's G.I.s toward education is stirring concern in Congress and the White House.

Senator Ralph Yarborough has called the situation "a tragedy," and charged that the Veterans Administration is not doing enough to encourage the men to return to school. President Nixon was so upset that he appointed a President's Committee on the Viet Nam Veteran. At their first meeting last month in the White House, members of the committee (which includes the Secretaries of Defense, Labor, Health, Education and Welfare) were particularly concerned about one segment of the 2.7 million veterans who have been discharged in the Viet Nam era. Among the 500,000 vets who are high school dropouts, only about 4% are heading back to class.

Lack of Motivation. One obvious explanation is that the current G.I. Bill's benefits are relatively small. Today's unmarried veteran receives $130 a month to cover all expenses, including tuition. World War II veterans received tuition, fees and book costs (up to $500 a school year) plus a $75 living allowance, which went a lot farther in the '40s. Another reason is that highly paid jobs are plentiful in an overheated economy. Still another is the educational background of the soldier returning from Viet Nam. Because of college-draft deferments, service ranks were filled with less educated youths who now have little motivation to return to school.

The VA points out that the current G.I. Bill has been in operation less than three years; thus it may be too soon to compare it with the two previous programs. But the question remains whether the Bill is as well attuned as it might be to the educational needs of contemporary American society. Beyond more attractive financial aid to veterans, a more realistic G.I. Bill would spur interest in higher education while men are still in the service, and emphasize skill training to meet the economy's present needs.

One promising effort to overcome G.I. indifference to higher education is an experiment by the City University of New York in cooperation with nearby Fort Dix, N.J. Counselors picked 22 men for survey courses in English and math to prepare them for college entry in the fall. The experiment is limited, but all of those in the Fort Dix project are either now in college or expected to enroll this September.

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