Universities and rural areas (short)

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Mr Writefix

Shorter version – 241 words – of the essay at http://writefix.com/blog/?p=213!

Not many young people living in rural areas have access to university education. Universities should make it easier for people from rural areas. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Most top universities are located in big cities. However, millions of people still live in villages and small towns, far from the city. How can they get a good university education? In this essay, I will say why I think universities must serve rural as well as urban students.

We don’t need to build big colleges in every rural area. First of all, it would be too expensive. It’s better and more efficient to locate universities in cities because thousands of students can use them. Secondly, small campuses would lack resources and would be boring. They would not offer many courses, and the staff might not be the best available. A third point is that rural students and urban students should mix and learn from each other. They should not be separate.

In fact, there are many better ways to help rural students. First of all, they may need money. People working on farms may be poor and unable to afford fees and accommodation. The college can help by reducing fees and housing costs. Second, using technology can really help. Even in rural areas, many people have internet or email, and can take courses this way. Thirdly, first or second year courses can be given in the countryside, and students can then transfer to finish.

In conclusion, since universities are usually funded by the government, they should serve all the people, not just the city students. Everybody deserves access to education.

Universities and rural areas (long)

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Mr Writefix

Not many young people living in rural areas have access to university education. Universities should make it easier for people from rural areas. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Now that the majority of the world’s population live in cities, it’s easy to forget that millions still live in the countryside, far from most of the world’s prestigious schools and colleges. In this essay, I will suggest how universities can make it easier for students living far from cities to receive a good education.

It’s not necessarily a good thing for colleges to open physical campuses in rural areas. First of all, land costs money, and building labs, libraries and research units is eye-wateringly expensive. Secondly there is the problem of staff. Not all university staff will be able or will want to relocate to small towns or villages far from their colleagues. A third issue is inefficiency. A tiny campus in a rural area may only serve a few hundred students, compared to extensive facilities for thousands of students in a city. In addition, students in a small campus may miss the interaction and atmosphere of a larger city university.

However, there are many ways to facilitate third level education outside the cities. For one thing, there are many technological solutions. Radio and television have long been used to extend the reach of education, and now almost all bricks-and-mortar universities offer some form of distance education via email or the internet. These are not perfect solutions, but they can work well. Another approach is to offer beginner-level courses in rural campuses and then require students to transfer for their final years. Yet another approach is specialization, where particular departments or faculties disperse across the country, perhaps with agriculture in one province and engineering in another. However, a very important point is to offer scholarships and to have special entry requirements or quotas for students from rural areas. Many people in the countryside may lack the financial resources to live in cities and pay high tuition fees.

In conclusion, many universities nowadays welcome diversity and equality in their policies and student bodies. It’s important for them to also make sure that students from rural areas also get the best education they can.

You can find a shorter version of this essay (241 words, compared to 343 for this one) here.

Are we becoming more independent?

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Mr Writefix

People in the past used to be more dependent on one another, whereas nowadays they lead a more independent life. Do you agree or disagree?

Some people fear that modern life is damaging our relationships with friends and family and resulting in more loneliness and isolation. However, others believe that we are now more interdependent than ever. In this essay, I will examine whether our lives are really more independent than in the past.

It’s easy to see a trend towards increasing independence. First of all, traditional families are in decline. People increasingly do not live in large, extended families, and more and more people live alone. Secondly, people move more, for work or other opportunities, and change jobs more frequently. As a result, friendships and links with family may not last. A third issue is that traditional values of consensus, obedience to authority and respect for elders are changing. They are being replaced by individualism, materialism and self-help philosophies.

However, there are also many things which haven’t changed. Deep down, human nature still seeks affection, advice and support from others. Even if people are physically separated because of work or other commitments, they still seek out the help and companionship of others. A second point is that new methods of communication allow us to keep in touch easily. Facebook, Skype, email, mobile phones and messaging allow very quick and inexpensive communication and feedback. Furthermore, although people may not depend on family as much as in the past, colleagues and professional and social networks can provide even better interaction.

In conclusion, I would say that although it appears that some traditional patterns of support have diminished, people are still intensely social and we are learning new ways to live in groups. Who knows? Some of these may serve us better!

Do foreign workers benefit the host country? (short)

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Mr Writefix

In many countries, foreign labour is an important part of the economy. What are some of the benefits and disadvantages for the economy of having workers from outside the country?

In many countries such as the USA, Singapore and many Gulf countries, foreign workers make up a large part of the labour force. However, there is some debate about the advantages of this for the economy of the country. In this essay, I will look at some of the arguments in favour of foreign labour and discuss some of the negative effects it can have.

There are several advantages to foreign labour. First of all, foreign labour is almost always cheap. Workers and economic migrants are attracted to countries with strong economies because they gcan earn higher salaries than at home. This means that the host country can get a good supply of cheap labour and this will make it more competitive and increase profits. Second, foreign workers are already trained. There is no need to wait years to train them in college or on the job. This also saves a lot of money and means that projects can be completed rapidly. A third point is that foreign workers are prepared to do jobs that local people do not want to do, such as work in remote areas or do dangerous or dirty jobs. These often include jobs in construction or in jobs with anti-social hours such as hotels. All of these mean that companies can provide a wide range of services at lower costs.

However, there are also hidden costs to hiring foreign labour. First of all, foreign workers may not be loyal to a company. This means they may change job often or leave the country quickly if there is a problem, such as happened recently in Libya. Secondly, they may create a lack of employment opportunities among locals. Employers may not want to give locals high salaries if they can employ expatriates more cheaply. A third problem is that they lower wages for certain jobs. Jobs which are attractive in some countries such as construction become very lowly paid if they employ mostly foreign workers. These factors may cause serious problems and imbalances in the host economy, such as too many locals in the government or public sector. A further point is that some expatriate labour is not really cheap, since it may be less effective or their skills may not transfer well to the new country.

In conclusion, it’s a difficult balance between finding workers at the right price and developing a strong and diversified economy with good employment opportunities for all. Countries have to decide between protecting their own workforce and creating a competitive environment for business.

Do foreign workers benefit the host country? (long)

Posted on April 10, 2011 by Mr Writefix

In many countries, foreign labor is an important part of the economy. Using migrant labor can contribute to the development of a country, but it can also cause economic problems. What are some of the advantages and drawbacks of expatriate labor for a country’s economy?

The development of countries such as Singapore, Brunei, the Gulf countries, and even the US has been helped greatly by millions of foreign workers. While foreign workers are cheap and quick, they can also cause problems for the economy of the country. In this essay I will look at some of the problems caused by an expatriate workforce and suggest that we need a balanced approach to employing foreign workers.

There are many obvious advantages to using foreign labor. First of all, they are usually cheap. Workers from Bangladesh, India or the Philippines are happy to work for salaries which are high in comparison to their home countries but low in the host country. Foreign workers are also ready to work in remote places or at times when local workers would not. A second point is that foreign workers are usually job-ready. They do not need expensive college education or training. They may have skills not available in the new country. A third point is that many migrant workers are ready to work in jobs that are too dirty or dangerous for nationals such as construction or cleaning. All these advantages mean that the economy is boosted by cheap labor and low production costs.

However, there are hidden costs to the economy of the country. One major drawback is that the workers are sending a lot of money home, instead of spending it. This results in a loss of foreign exchange for the country. Another point is that they may take jobs from locals. More importantly, they reduce the salaries for some jobs. For example, employers will pay very low salaries for some jobs which some locals might like to do but could not survive on. Security is another issue. Foreign workers can leave at any time if there is a political or other problem, and this can mean a sudden loss of skills and experience. An additional point is that the influx of foreign workers can put pressure on services such as hospitals or housing, and these costs have to be paid by the state, not the employers who are getting rich. All these factors can result in economic problems for the government.

In conclusion it’s important to have some control over the use of foreign workers, and to make sure that using them does not disrupt the labor market for local workers. One way is to pay them higher salaries and give them full protection. Countries should seek to employ their own citizens first before turning outside and depending on foreign labor.

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Tag: migration

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