The whole higher education "problem" is one of those amazing self-inflicted wounds (like the interminable wrangling over brothers with beards) that has absolutely no foundation in scripture but has been concocted into some huge controversial challenge and test of conscience, obedience, faith and integrity over which pages of commentary and hours of talks and videos have been needlessly produced (and of course, as a consequence, untold anxiety, anger and distress caused to many brothers and sisters).
If the GB took a step back and looked more objectively at those kind of "self-inflicted wound" issues, they'd see that they are causing far more "reproach on Jehovah's name" and damage to the congregations by using the sledgehammer of congregational discipline to constantly slam down on them.
If they simply made higher education a matter of personal choice and conscience, perhaps just with an occasional talk about being careful to be balanced in one's future choices, and only involve elders in 'extreme' cases - like, I dunno, if someone was studying Wiccan studies with an optional module of Porneia or something! I jest, but you get the point. There are some options around higher education which may not be wise for a Christian, but to pretty much outlaw it all and to punish the parents for their teen's educational choices, is unreasonable, in the same way that trying to restrict all entertainment just because some entertainment choices might be bad would also be crazy. The org has rolled back over the years on the subject of entertainment, to be much less proscriptive and rules-based - they really need to take the same position on these other issues.
They would save members of the congregations a lot of stress (being 'disciplined' for entirely understandable life choices).
They would save bodies of elders a lot of stress (being expected to 'enforce' unreasonable rules).
In the longer term, they would even benefit the org (happier members of the congregations able to exercise their choice, and having the potential for better income and knowledge, which could feed back into the org itself, as with other religious groups who do encourage education)And more importantly from a spiritual viewpoint, they would stop going "beyond what is written" in the bible and bringing dishonour on God by creating this unnecessary "stumbling block" that has caused a lot of people to quit or be discouraged.
However, I suspect this will be another one of those areas where the stubbornness of the GB will end up being more damaging, to the organisation's cost.