Governments should spend more money on education than on recreation and sports. Do you agree or disagree?

Some people believe the aim of university education is to help graduates 
get better jobs. Others believe there are much wider benefits of 
university education for both individuals and society. 
 
Discuss both views and give your opinion. 
 
It is often argued that tertiary education’s main purpose is to enhance 
students’ employment prospects, while others would say that there are 
broader advantages to society as a whole. This essay disagrees that the 
primary goal of third-level education should be to get learners on the career 
ladder and there are far more important perks to consider. 
It is clear that a degree does help someone get a better job to a certain extent, 
but it by no means guarantees one. Since the financial crisis of 2008 most 
graduates find themselves working in jobs that do not require a university 
education, such as manual labour or customer service. It is for this reason that 
this essay believes that going to university solely to improve your career 
opportunities is illogical. The Sunday Times recently reported a survey that 
found 67% of graduates in 2010 were working in jobs that required no 
qualifications beyond high school. 
The real benefits surpass individualistic considerations and help society both 
socially and economically. Areas that have world class institutions like San 
Francisco and Cambridge consistently rank as having the highest standards of 
living on the planet. This essay therefore believes that these factors trump 
increased job opportunities as the primary purpose of higher education. For 
instance, the area around Stanford University is not only home to Apple, 
Facebook and Google, but also world-leading schools, hospitals and civic 
facilities. 
To conclude, although colleges can lead to increased career prospects, this 
should not be considered the be all and end all, and instead we should 
consider the socio-economic benefits that make seats of higher learning so 
valuable to their communities. 

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