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The Value of Higher Education

3 Pages 636 Words February 2015

Higher education is an essential part of societal development. Unlike schooling, it helps to teach students how to think critically, and to form views based on the best available evidence. While it is essential to have university educated people in a range of fields, it is not the only place one should go to learn. Instead, our views should be formed by a range of experience. Although university is not the be all and end all of education, academia should always be treated with respect, as it is an essential source of knowledge that should shape our future. Higher education encourages diverse learning in a way no other education does. A plethora of research has gone into the high school curricula of various countries, finding overwhelmingly that high school education is suited for the scientific mind far more that for the artistic. English and arithmetic are glorified whilst drama is discredited and marked down. Where then, does an artistically gifted person go to perfect their trade? University is the best form of education as it allows people to think for themselves, and aims to teach a wide variety of skills rather than attempting to fit a "one size fits all" approach to education.
Critical thinking is one of the most valuable skills in life, and it is taught more at university that other education platforms. In high school, one can get away with making claims referenced only by google or wikipedia. University teaches the pursuit of the best evidence to validate one's views and opinions. Tim Minchin, in his commencement speech at UWA, encourages students to "be hard on your opinions", stating that while "opinions are like arseholes, because everybody has one [...], opinions differ significantly in that yours should be constantly and thoroughly examined". It is only higher education that truly encourages this level of critical thinking, which is a valuable skill for all life pursuits. While university teaches us how to think, it s...

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