IELTS Essay question –

The function of a university?

Some people think that universities should provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. Others think that the true function of a university should be to give access to knowledge for its own sake, regardless of whether the course is useful to an employer. What, in your opinion, should be the main function of a university?

Sample essay : 300 words, 8-9 band

Education and literacy may seem to be similar, but they stand poles apart. Today’s universities face a challenge and are entwined between providing job oriented courses and academic courses. An extension of this thought may lead one to ponder over the functions of such institutes, in the present scenario. Being a millennial, I had to face this dilemma while selecting a course of study after high school.

Colleges have transcended into cash cows, forgoing its real purpose. A few decades back this was not the case. This change of role may be attributed to the overall change in society and the advancements in technology. However, the functions of a university are not just limited here but extend to providing a means of livelihood to its students. Also, the holistic development of a pupil is very much under the purview of educational institutes. These learning schools now face the challenge of balancing academic courses along with job-oriented courses and need to come out of this predicament at large.

Nowadays, colleges in developing countries promote technical courses that have a greater chance of employability. Thus, subjects like arts and humanities are effectively ignored and pushed under the carpet. A developing nation needs to improve its infrastructure and this would push a large section of youngsters towards education, which rewards them with a job. Moreover, sponsors of educational institutes would want to spend their investment in developing human resource in accordance with their requirements. These sponsors or future employers would only see such learning establishments as a place to pick the right candidate. Consequently, the lack of interest in non-essential subjects is justified for them.

Although, it is a consensus that universities should provide both, academic and employable courses. Nevertheless, I would opine that schools of education should strive to amalgamate these two sides of the same coin.

Asklearning team