Here in England for example we pay far, far less for education than in USA and I don't see it being of worse quality, quite the opposite.
Here in the USA we have many public Universities which will provide a quality education to anyone who has met the academic requirements. As an example, there is a state University near me which costs $6,000 per year. And you could easily go to college for less than that; you could go to city college and then transfer, in which case you would pay $14,000 for your entire University education. These prices are the maximum amount you could pay, if you didn't qualify for any scholarships and if your parents are wealthy and you don't qualify for any financial aid.
However those schools aren't good enough for anyone anymore. Instead everyone goes to these little "luxury Universities" which have sprung up everywhere recently and which charge $60,000 per YEAR. These luxury Universities have become extremely common over the last 20 years; in fact, they're practically the norm now. They offer things like manicured lawns, and beautiful buildings, and one instructor for every five students. Unfortunately, some of them have only mediocre academic reputations.
The people who have $150,000 in debt for their undergraduate education (!!) went to those expensive luxury schools.
These facts are not mentioned by the protesters, or by the debtors seeking forgiveness. Instead, those people act as if they had to pay $200,000 for their undergraduate education; as if they had no other options.
By omitting these facts, the protesters have given an extremely misleading impression. I'm not at all surprised you were under the mistaken impression that education is terribly expensive in the USA. In fact, it is not. Each student pays whatever he wants, depending upon the degree of luxury and attention which he requires.
When I first saw schools charging $60,000 per year, while there are perfectly adequate schools charging 1/10th that amount, I was shocked by it. But now I'm even more shocked, because now I see the attendants of those schools demanding, as a matter of "justice", that others should pay for their luxury excursion.
I don't mean to seem uncaring. I actually sympathize, a lot, for the young kids that went to those luxury schools. They had no idea what they were getting into, and they probably didn't even realize how much money that is, and how hard it would be to pay it back (with interest). They got stuck in a trap.
I do not, however, wish to pay for the luxury schools when I don't attend them and to continue paying for such schools. If there is to be a bailout, and I must pay, then I have a right to demand restrictions and to set limits. I demand a law which prevents 18-year-olds from taking out more than $35,000 in debt for their entire undergraduate education. If that means that they must forgo a luxury school and go to cheaper school instead, then so be it.