Topic: Some people believe that a college or university education should be available to all students. Others believe that higher education should be available only to good students. Discuss these views. Which view do you agree with? Explain why?
Every year, millions of people attend college or university. Some people say that higher education should be made equally accessible to all students while others argue that higher education should only be limited to those who are academically able. I will discuss both points of view and give my preferred viewpoint.
On the one hand, those who believe that college or university education should be available to all students have their firm arguments. First, they argue that everyone has the right to access to education, including college education. Hence, installing barriers to people studying higher education is contrary to human rights. Moreover, the number of people who want to participate in higher education has been increasing in modern society. This trend has become popular not only in developed countries but also in developing countries. Last but not least, determining which ones have ability to learn in college or university is really challenging. For example, Thomas Edison was ever described “addled” by educators and expelled from school but he ended up a great inventor in the world.
On the other hand, those who believe that only academically able students are permitted to enter higher education also have their persuasive reasons. First, studying in higher education is more difficult than learning in secondary schools, requiring learners to have certain academic capability. Mass recruitment of colleges or universities can lead to high dropout rate as well as poor quality education. Furthermore, growing enrolment in colleges would cause huge pressure on the infrastructure of these institutions. Students have to study in deprived conditions with lack of facilities such as laboratories, classrooms, and necessary teaching equipment.
From my perspective, although the right of access to education is equal to everyone and the demand to learn higher education has increased, I agree that college or university education should only be accessible to those who have appropriate academic ability. The reason is that this will ensure the quality of education in colleges and universities. It is the fact that in Vietnam after the government decided to expand the number of colleges and universities, the proportion of people entering higher education increased sharply. However, quite a few students then cannot complete their curricula and waste lots of time in their colleges.