Why education is important?
This sample argumentative essay provides an analysis of why education is essential for personal and societal advancement. Structured with body paragraphs that follow the Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link (PEEL) format, this essay example offers clear, evidence-based arguments on education’s role in fostering critical thinking, promoting social cohesion, and driving economic growth. Additionally, the argumentative essay writer includes a counterclaim acknowledging critiques around education's accessibility and relevance in today’s economy, with a rebuttal that emphasizes recent reforms to make education more adaptive and inclusive. Essentially, this essay serves as an apt example of an effective argumentative essay, showcasing how to present a balanced and well-supported argument on a critical issue.
November 13, 2024
* The sample essays are for browsing purposes only and are not to be submitted as original work to avoid issues with plagiarism.
Education 1
WHY EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT
by (Name)
The Name of the Class (Course)
Professor (Tutor)
The Name of the School (University)
The City and State where it is located
The Date
Education 2
Why Education is Important
Education acts as the backbone of personal and social development; it lays the bedrock
for stability in coherence within societies. More than being a way to get employment or a pass
toward academic knowledge, education is a strong engine for critical thinking, innovation, and
social responsibility. It lays the proper groundwork so that individuals can grow to become
well-versed citizens who take up problem-solving and caring for others in service. Education can
therefore act as an important catalyst in personal and group resilience, adaptability, and growth.
As new shifts and changes continuously take place in the global economic environment,
education prepares individuals with the attitude and aptitude to respond to the new imperatives
and seize fresh opportunities (Sato, et al., 2023). Education instills the values of empathy,
cultural sensitivity, and commitment to justice that help make society more equitable and just.
This essay will, therefore, contend that with regard to fostering critical thinking, maintaining
social cohesion, and promoting economic development, education remains the critical driver for
an individual's empowerment and social development.
Perhaps the most important function of education is developing in an individual the
critical ability of thinking and problem-solving. Education through structured and varied learning
processes builds cognitive skills in ways far beyond academic achievement itself, touching every
aspect of life. In fact, research also has consistently shown that individuals with formal education
develop a greater capacity for analysis, synthesis, and judgment concerning information (Takala,
2023). According to the World Bank, one extra year of schooling results in a rise of 9% in
individual earnings, partly due to the fact that education bears very tangible fruits (World Bank,
2024). Critical thinking in a world bombarded with information assists the individual in making
informed decisions. This set of skills could be developed in individuals through appropriate
Education 3
frameworks and methods provided by education that mold them into questioning, assessing, and
contributing to society through discussion, innovation, and problem-solving. It is indeed the way
of education to empower one to become informed, developing intellectual tools for
understanding complex issues and cultivating a spirit of inquiry and reason so essential to
individual and social development.
Beyond individual cognitive development, education broadly contributes to social
cohesion and to combating various manifestations of inequality. UNDP further comments that
quality education directly breaks the cycle of poverty, crimes, and further marginalization in
society (UNDP, 2023). For example, increased literacy in young people and adults has been
related to lower unemployment rates and reduced poverty levels, further contributing to societal
well-being. It is education that has opened pathways for the marginalized and underprivileged
sections of society to break the vicious circle of poverty into the mainstream of social and
economic upliftment. In large parts of the world, educational opportunities are distributed based
on systems of gender and class discrimination; however, where they have been made available,
more or less equally and impartially, they have acted as a connecting bridge that closes gaps in
society (Kuteesa & Akpuokwe, 2024). It educates people on empathy, cultural competence, and
shared values that constitute the basis of social harmony and understanding in pluralist cultural
settings. Education in multi-cultural and multi-ethnic societies can engender respect for
differences, appreciation of diversity, and a commitment to shared goals.
Education is also one of the driving forces behind economic growth and innovation.
There is tremendous evidence to prove the strong correlation between educational attainment and
economic development. For example, studies conducted by the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development reveal that each additional year of schooling is positively
Education 4
associated with an increase in a country's Gross Domestic Product per capita and social
outcomes (OECD, 2016). It is expected that the more highly educated a country is, the more
productive the economy will be, since the skilled labor force enhances innovation and research,
thereby increasing productivity. In today's knowledge-based economy, technologies, health,
engineering, and financial careers demand higher-order skills, critical thinking, and flexibility, all
qualities provided by education. A very educated workforce, on the one hand, makes the country
innovative, resistant to the economic problems of the world, and competitive enough to attract
international investments by creating homegrown industries. Education, therefore, is not merely
a personal capital but rather an important national and global necessity in driving progress and
competitiveness by equipping the workforce with the capacity to tackle challenges yet to be
faced or impending shifts in the demands of industry.
With all its recognized value, some critics still hold the view that traditional education is
growing irrelevant and out of reach, especially in a job market that is constantly evolving. Many
formal education, critics say, falls short of keeping pace with the ever-changing demands within
today's modern economy, making their graduates less relevant for the current job market. That is
evidenced by reports showing that, in line with the research of ManpowerGroup, almost 40% of
employers have been experiencing difficulties in finding adequately skilled workers even within
highly educated labor markets (ManpowerGroup, 2019). Added to this challenge of
misalignment is a growing financial barrier to education in many countries, making higher
education well out of reach for people from low-income communities. It hence often further
exacerbates existing socio-economic disparities and begs the question whether traditional
education systems are, in fact, able to deliver against the promise of social mobility or, in other
words, equal opportunity.
Education 5
While there are valid concerns over accessibility and even relevance of certain models,
these represent reasons for reform, not dismissal of the value of education itself. Many of the
world's education systems are increasingly striving to recognize and work toward betterment in
these issues through initiatives such as vocational training, digital literacy, and interdisciplinary
curricula that more closely match current and future requirements of job markets. The
innovations of online learning platforms have made education more available, thus enabling
millions of people all around the world to access courses and training not accessible earlier (Sato,
et al., 2023). Many governments, nonprofit organizations, and private institutions have also
introduced scholarship and financial aid initiatives aimed at affordability and inclusiveness in
education. Thus, while restrictive, the traditional model of education through ongoing reforms
does hint that in the process of evolution, modern challenges that lie ahead are calling for
reforms within education systems for education to become adaptable, relevant, and accessible.
Indeed, if continuously upgraded and innovatively delivered, education remains one of the most
effective tools for individual empowerment, social equity, and economic resilience.
Education is an asset that benefits individuals and society at large. It fosters critical
thinking, social cohesion, and economic growth and will in the future be an equipping force for
people with the necessary skills, values, and perspectives for personal success and collective
progress. Challenges such as accessibility and relevance of curriculum are there, but they in no
way diminish the basic value of education. These challenges do not downplay the role of
education but rather present an avenue through which education must be reformed to make it
relevant, inclusive, and able to meet the demands of a changing world. Innovation and policy
reforms in addressing these challenges will ensure that education remains transformational in
building a society that is resilient, adaptable, and prosperous. It is for this reason that education is
Education 6
an investment in the future because it gives paths to personal fulfillment, economic resilience,
and shared advancement that no resource has yet given toward the betterment of all mankind.
Education 7
References
Kuteesa, K. N. & Akpuokwe, C. U., 2024. Gender Equity In Education: Addressing Challenges
And Promoting Opportunities For Social Empowerment. International Journal of Applied
Research in Social Sciences, 6(4), pp. 631-641.
ManPowerGroup, 2019. Talent Shortages at Record High: 45% of Employers Around the World
Report Difficulty Filling Roles. [Online]
Available at:
https://investor.manpowergroup.com/news-releases/news-release-details/talent-shortages-
record-high-45-employers-around-world-report
[Accessed 8 November 2024].
OECD, 2016. The Returns To Education: Links Between Education, Economic Growth, s.l.:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Sato, S., Condes-Moreno, E., Rubio-Zarapuz, A. & Dalamitros, A., 2023. Navigating the New
Normal: Adapting Online and Distance Learning in the Post-Pandemic Era. Education
Sciences, 14(1), pp. 19-31.
Takala, T., 2023. Contributions of Formal Education to Social Development – What Do We
Know on the Basis of Research Evidence? Journal of Education and Research, 2(1), pp.
12-24.
UNDP, 2023. The transformative power of education in the fight against poverty. [Online]
Available at: https://www.undp.org/blog/transformative-power-education-fight-against-poverty
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[Accessed 8 November 2024].
World Bank, 2024. Education: Development news, research, data. [Online]
Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/education/overview
[Accessed 8 November 2024].
November 13, 2024
24/7 custom essay writing by real academic writers
WPH
Academic level:
Graduate
Type of paper:
Argumentative essay
Discipline:
Education
Citation:
Harvard
Pages:
4 (1224 words)
Spacing:
Double
* The sample essays are for browsing purposes only and are not to be submitted as original work to avoid issues with plagiarism.
