Should higher education stop being treated like a business?

It's not that black or white.

Should a country publicly fund higher education for its best and brightest? Of course. It might be direct funding or government sponsored long-term loans repaid from future earnings after an income threshold is reached, or even something else.

What about students from other countries or degrees such as MBA's? Probably not.

In the second case, university income from full fee paying students shouldn't be instead of other government funding as this can have other perverse effects such as forcing growth and degree's that do not help further the aims of higher education.

It is not a business, nor is it a charity - it is a racket!!

As an European, this question doesn't even deserved to be asked, of course it should. Not just higher education, but at all level. More educated population is always better for any country, so education should be accessible for anyone and not hidden behind paywalls. Education and Healthcare should be where most of the tax money goes.