Essay 36 (Are universities producting more graduates?)

Some people believe that universities are producing more graduates than needed, and that less emphasis should be placed on university education. Others are of a different opinion. Discuss both views and include your own opinion.

University education does equip students with wider perspective about life and better general knowledge.  However, increasing number of university graduates find it hard to find employment and this raises the question whether university education should be given less importance.

On the one hand, many graduates from universities are not employable, yet skilled labour is in shortage in today’s growing industrial and business sectors.  This indicates the wrong emphasis given to tertiary education, whereas sufficient number of school graduates do not opt for technical education, as required by the job market.  This tendency would lead to further unemployment of the educated youth, which is already being experience in many parts of the world.  Evidences in many industrialised countries like Australia show that increasing number of graduates are forced to choose jobs that do not match their qualifications.  Moreover, as their knowledge is often not used, the huge investment that government makes for their education can go waste.

In contrast, there are those who believe that the purpose of education is not just to teach a trade.  Hence, university graduates, with their superior knowledge have a greater role to play for the development of the nation.  They are better equipped to take up leadership in many areas of social life.  Hence, they believe, the importance given to university education is justified. 

Nonetheless, viewing from a practical point of view, and the difficulties experienced by university degree holders in finding jobs, one needs to admit that universities churn out more graduates than required.  There are evidences that suitable job openings are scarce for large number of graduates and postgraduates in subjects like history, philosophy, language and even science.

In conclusion, although an excess in the number of university students may reflect the level of education in the country, it would create certain practical problems like unemployment among the educated youth and scarcity of skilled labour.

Words and phrases to study

equip

perspective

tertiary education

employable

scarce

job openings

excess

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