Prompt: 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. Ċ What, in your opinion, should be the main function of a University?

Recently, an educational issue related to the main function of a university has been widely discussed among people the world over. Some argue that universities should only provide students with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. I disagree with this viewpoint almost entirely. As far as effectiveness, technology development, and finance are concerned, I strongly hold that university should teach all kinds of technology regardless of whether the course is useful to the work. Ċ To begin with, there are complex relativities among different subjects. It is hard for students to learn the knowledge without learning pre-courses. For instance, To study physics, we must learn mathematics first. Secondly, it is universally acknowledged that some of the state-of-the-art knowledge is hardly used in the workplace. If universities do not teach them may stop the technology from developing. Ċ Last but important, it is undeniable that reducing the teaching items would benefit the economy in the short term. However, It is at the expense of preventing technology and labour development. For example, my neighbour Yu Qian has learned the repairment of pager, which was eliminated to lose his jobs and live in poverty. Therefore, the wrong teaching orient of universities is harmful to technological progress and economic development. Ċ In conclusion, the teaching contexts of universities should not be at the orient of employment. On the opposite, they should give access to knowledge for their sake. And students also should be well-advised to pay more attention to those which basis but important knowledge.