Topic: Some people think that universities should not provide so much theoretical knowledge but give practical training throughout their courses. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this?
Even though
the tertiary-level education is of vital importance to individual development,
people still doubt the knowledge that has been taught in universities. Some
people insist that theoretical knowledge should not be taught in colleges; instead practical training should
become the principal purpose of education. .
On the one
hand, the reason is that increasing
number of young graduates cannot find jobs because universities spend too much attention to
students’ theoretical education, rather than practical work skills.
Consequently, it is not surprising to see that what young students have learnt
in their higher education is not likely
to satisfy the requirements of business.
Another
contributing factor is that youths lack social communication experience. That is to
say learning academic knowledge occupies
a large proportion of time; as a result, students have no chance to develop
their skills in terms of speaking and cooperating with others. Therefore, young
graduates are less competent to
compete with other candidates. Finally, it is unnecessary for tertiary
education institutes to focus content
that can be gained by students
themselves from textbooks..
On the other hand, I do not think that turning
universities into practical training schools is an appropriate solution. If a student wants to learn only
work skills, he can attend vocational schools, in which he not only can receive
professional training, but also is more likely to have chances to practice. In addition, theoretical knowledge benefits the
students who plan to be experts in specific areas. Thus, without sufficient
academic background, it is impossible for young students to research something
deeply, which will endanger balanced development among different fields. 1
In summary,
imparting theoretical knowledge should be the primary task of universities, while tertiary education should
create opportunities and encourage
students to engage in various types of work in
communication or neighborhood, thereby developing work skills and
collecting work experiences. Only with that condition, can university students be
cultivated to be well-qualified graduates.
