Each week our two teenagers debate a hot topic. This week ... Matthew Murchie, 14, St Joseph's College The speed at which not only technology but the whole of society is changing is increasing all the time. A thorough education has become not only useful, but essential. A hundred years ago, education was only for the rich. The majority of the population were forced to send their children to work from a young age. Those people would be amazed to find that today, every single child in the city receives nine years of free schooling. Nowadays, people's expectations have risen so much that a university degree is now seen as a basic requirement for job applications. So making university education compulsory is hardly a far-fetched idea at all. Of course, university fees would have to drop and the government would have to provide subsidies for families who are unable to support their children during their degree course. But this financial assistance would benefit all students. Many people, now employed as industrial workers or in manual jobs, might find they have the talent and potential to become successful businessmen or doctors. Many people have been labelled failures just because they never had the opportunity to flourish. And even if these new students don't achieve great success in their careers, they will still have benefited from their time at university. The ability to work in a team and the social skills they will have developed will be of tremendous use whatever they go on to do. Cheryl Wong, 17, Shun Lee Catholic Secondary School I don't think it is a good idea to force every young person to go to university. While students can get huge benefits from going to university, we shouldn't deny people of this age the right to choose. Not everybody loves their time spent at school. This may be because they don't do well academically or because they find the method of learning unsuitable for them. These young people may be eager to start work rather than go to university. And, after nine or 12 years of compulsory education, they should be able to judge what is best for them. A lot of the skills that are needed at work can be learned both at university and while working in a job. Both students and those in employment have to learn how to cooperate with their colleagues, for example. In fact, the motivation for workers is much greater than for students, as they can be fired if they don't quickly pick up the skills they need. Also, making university education compulsory would put a big additional burden onto both the government and the universities. As not all families in Hong Kong can afford university tuition fees, the government would have to find a large sum of money to support poorer students. The universities would struggle to take on so many extra students while continuing to provide all their undergraduates with a high standard of education. All in all, making university education compulsory is not in the best interests of school-leavers and might not benefit society as a whole.
