I agree that there are gross inequalities in access to tertiary education. I note that many will agree that there are many challenges. I also note that while some of the solutions may be "obvious", implementation is another question.
The biggest thing that sticks out for me is "proprietary"-ness of knowledge transfer, which this course highlights and foreshadows as a main barrier. That is, knowledge is seen as being held in central locations (i.e. seats of knowledge, universities) behind paywalls and firewalls. It cannot be denied higher education has certainly become seats of commerce and competition, so how does one get over this main barrier? I don't have an answer.
Also, I have been mulling over the idea of MOOCs (massive online open courses) and how knowledge and skills are being offered for free, but in reality, a MOOC completion certificate is not as highly prized as a testamur from a university or any other higher education institution.
Which leads me to the question, why does one look for a higher degree qualification? An interesting perspective can be found in this article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2015.1107883