Some people think that universities should provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace in the future. Others think the true function of a university is to provide access to knowledge for its own sake. What do you think are the main functions of a university?

As university education is the last stage before the starting of career, many people believe that it prepares students for employment only, but the fact is that it serves a lot many purposes. In this essay I shall discuss the various functions of a university. Universities provide specialised education in fields such as medical, engineering, commerce etc. They provide library facilities, which support the curriculum. They provide laboratory facilities for science and technology related subjects. They send students to factories and industries so that they get practical experience. This job-oriented training helps them to understand the working conditions and also gives them an idea about competition in the market. They also create job opportunities for the students by arranging campus interviews. On the other hand, universities also perform other functions, which help the students in their personal life. They organise co-curricular activities such as cultural programmes, sports, debates, fairs etc. Students gain many qualities such as self-confidence and positive attitude, which help them in their future life. Moreover, some people just go to university for gaining knowledge just out of interest for the subject. For example, a doctor may want to learn French language just for interest in the language. Furthermore, a university is a place to know more about the world because there are students from across the globe in a university. For many, who may never travel abroad, this may be a chance of a lifetime for them to broaden their horizons and know more about the different cultures of the world. For example, in LPU (Lovely Professional University), there are 200 students from Malaysia, Korea and other parts of the world. To conclude, universities do not simply prepare a person for employment, but also have many other functions.