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Sharon Turner

EAP Teacher (English for Academic Purposes), Sabanci University

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What is the value of gaining a higher education?

I was reading an article today in the Guardian about the consequences of higher education. The writer's premise was that if graduates could not be guaranteed entry to the job market, higher education was meaningless. Does higher education have value beyond economic/ business needs?

Topics: education university
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    Salim Solaiman 50+

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    Sep 1 2011: You might be talking about certification. It's a misnomer to call the current "Certification System' as education system. The success of this system is defintely bound with business / economic needs , while education not.

    For education one defintely doesn't need to go through any so called system.

    From where people like Socretes, Plato, Pythagorus etc etc got certified ?
    Were not they educated ?
    Were they educated enough to be called higher educated?
    Did their education added any value to mankind?
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      Sharon Turner 500+

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      Sep 3 2011: Yes, I know many people who are extremely educated but not certified. It is a shame that we need to jump hoops to be considered educated. Great questions Salim.)
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        Salim Solaiman 50+

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        Sep 7 2011: Thanks Sharon for your compliments.
        Are we not all getting here educated as well through exchange of our thoughts as you opened this discussion ?
        To me eduction is day to day learning process and it's not specific to any subject, while current certification system is opposite to that.
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          Paul van Zoggel

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          Sep 7 2011: I was told government funded education exists because groups of people creating products and services need skilled workers to create and invent new for society demands.

          The transparency that the government forms this bridge between generations is diffuse at the moment. It is education because of the sake of education, too little learnings have implicit or explicit value for a community.

          I believe we need to rethink all together what education is useful for you and us, has meaning and value for 21th century communities.

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