Some people think that the main purpose of school and university education should be to prepare people for work. Others, however, think that the true role of education is to make us better citizens. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

It's important that young
people
become knowledgeable citizens who understand different cultures and complex media debates. Some argue that in schools and
universities
Add a comma
,universities
show examples
we should
therefore
encourage students to study
subjects
like religious education, languages and literature. Others suggest that the proper role of education systems is to prepare young
people
for the job market, training them in
subjects
like business studies, statistics or computer science.
This
essay will discuss both views There are many convincing reasons why training young
people
to become good citizens should be a higher priority for educational institutions.
Firstly
, having the ability to contribute to public discussion is becoming more important
due to
new media.
For instance
, social media sites, like Twitter and Facebook, often include complex discussions on International trade or human rights, which we should try to make useful contributions to. Teaching young
people
about other cultures will increase understanding and trust in society.
For instance
, if Europeans learned about celebrations like Eid, they might become more understanding of these traditions.
On the other hand
, there are good arguments for investing in
work
-related courses.
Firstly
, gaining a
work
qualification at university helps individuals become successful in their careers.
For example
, in the United States,
people
with a professional degree are 30 per cent less likely to be out of
work
than
people
who have a general degree.
Also
, some professions desperately need graduates with
work
qualifications from university.
For example
, in the UK, the most popular degree
subjects
include academic
subjects
like history and philosophy and there aren't enough graduates in medicine and engineering. In conclusion, how we answer the question depends very much on whether we want to prioritise the interests of society, individuals or businesses. Personally, I believe economic strength is at the root of a successful society and so the purpose of education should be to prepare students for
work
.
Submitted by zahraasmi2001 on

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