individual decision in education
Education is an integral part of life. There is a diverse range of learning methods, and different levels of education. And to many cultures, education at universities is often considered a great, if not the highest, honor to achieve, yields to its difficulties and the large commitments required. Despite its obvious advantages, I believe attending university should be left as an individual decision, rather than made compulsory.
There is no doubt of the knowledge and wisdom one can acquire during the years at university. Students get to examine concepts they may or may not have encountered at lower grades, but now with more in-depth, with broader coverage, and perhaps at different perspectives. For instance, high-school students get to see certain chemical substances react to change color and form precipitates, but few will truly understand how the chemical reaction occurs, why, and what happens to each atomic bonding. Above all, university education expose students to the meta-cognitive strategies. This strategy underlies within each lessons, assignments and projects. Students are encouraged to 'think about their thinking', and this skill is such crucial and practical for students when they need to make any decisions further in their lives, and at the same time become prudent citizens.
On the other hand, there are many reasons to not making university education compulsory, namely time and effort commitment, and financial hardship from the scholars. These components should never be weighed lightly, taking in account of each person's background and their interests. By attending universities, scholars commit themselves to four more years after high-school, to study hard, write exams, many even endures stress and anxiety just to keep up with the immense workload. That being said, the most common reason to not studying at universities is the financial factor. Tuition fees and related expenses increase from year to year. And unfortunately, some families couldn't afford it, and instead let their children join trade programs, which is the shortest way to earn money. Regarding this issue, governments should willingly offer financial aids, or no-interest loans to encourage people to pursue the studies, considering all the benefits mentioned above.
To summarize, university undoubtedly brings many values beyond theoretical lessons. However, each person should be left to their own choices whether to attend these high-level educational institutions or not, based upon their personal circumstances and interests. In other words, university education should not be compulsory for everyone. And, I strongly believe that all governments have a responsibility to make sure that no citizens give up on universities because they cannot afford one.