To some people schools only focus on making their students fit for works, whereas others believe that the primary aim of schools is holistic development of the individual. Give your opinion and cite any relevant examples.

 Q. To some people schools only focus on making their students fit for works, whereas others believe that the primary aim of schools is holistic development of the individual. Give your opinion and cite any relevant examples. 

Schools are considered as temples of learning and play an immense role in the life and future of every individual. In the formative stage of life, every human being spends maximum time at school. Teaching of skills, manners, etiquettes along with shaping of an individual’s personality in many ways is done in school. Some people opine that the main aim of schools is to train individuals to become suitable for a profession, whereas others deem that schools are responsible for the overall development of individuals. I support the latter view which has been explained in the subsequent essay. 

To initiate with, a child at the age of four enters school for formal education and these days even 2 to 3 years old go to play school. Often parents are seen trying to secure admission for their wards in the best possible and reputed schools, this explains that schools are not aiming only at teaching skills and making one fit for work but also at making one a completely responsible and well developed citizen. First of all, there is no doubt that schools not only teach the skills to read, write and do arithmetic but people also learn about places, nature, interaction, friendship, team work, respect, cooperation, etcetera in the school. Also, a school makes individuals ready to be future caretakers of this planet. It is a privilege to study in a good school and understand the roles one has to play as a member of the society in which he lives, grows and ultimately dies. Moreover, schools teach important things which are the building blocks and necessary to do much in life like critically analyze, read, perform mathematical functions etcetera. I agree that these are important to make individuals fit for work but the same time, they make people develop attributes essential to live.

Furthermore, it is sure that schools do not impart education to produce robotic citizens but human beings who are fully grown, developed, learned and skillful. Therefore, I do not find it appropriate to call schools, centres are producing trained workers. Besides this, schools provide exposure to activities, ideas and fields of knowledge that one may never otherwise encounter. They also help learners to learn discipline, patience, preservance and hard work. To add to this, man is a social animal and cannot survive by knowing how to work only, there are several other important traits which are necessary for his existence and learning or imbibing these is to a large extent, done in a school.

To conclude, I would say that different people have different opinions but I strongly believe that schools play a role in producing asset-like individuals who are perfect workers and dutiful members of the society in which they live and grow.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Schools are temple of learning // Aim of schools is overall development // schools produce properly shaped individuals // They do not aim at producing machine like humans, only fit to work // All important traits like patience, cooperation, punctuality etcetera are learnt in schools // Apart from basic reading, writing, valuable exposure is provided // schools primarily aim at producing asset-like individuals in society.

VOCABULARY:

Attributes: properties, characteristics // traits: attributes // holistic: complete, overall // Perservance: persistence // privilege: fortunate right // imbibing: inculcating, assimilating 

Related Question:

To some people going to schools is a majorly important aspect of life, whereas, others think basic skills can be learnt otherwise also. What do you think is more appropriate viewpoint? Substantiate your answer with any relevant details and examples.

Eating a balanced diet is the most important step towards a healthy life. To what extent do you agree ?

 Q. Eating a balanced diet is the most important step towards a healthy life. To what extent do you agree ?

Food is one of the basic needs of man. Clothing and shelter being the other two. A balanced diet is the one which consists of all nutrients in the right proportion. Eating a balanced diet is an important factor to live a healthy life. I totally agree with this statement and I will discuss this in the subsequent paragraphs.

To begin with, there are various advantages of eating a balanced diet which reflect its Importance for a healthy living. The first major benefit is that it contains all nutrients in the required amount, that is, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals which are of paramount importance for the body’s growth and development. Another benefit is the strong immunity provided by the balanced diet. Many diseases commonly seen to affect people of various agencies groups can be prevented by sufficient intake of required foods, thus enabling people to have a healthy lifestyle.

Moving further, a balanced diet also ensures proper mental growth and development and hence, sufficient productivity. Moreover, research has proven that people who eat a healthy diet, live longer. For instance, the Japanese ensure intake of healthy food and they are usually healthier and live long.

Another factor which proves the importance of eating a balanced diet is that absence of certain nutrients, can cause serious health issues. For example, a disorder called scurvy is the outcome of a prolonged deprivation of vitamin C. Hence, every nutrient has its own place and importance for the body and should be taken to avoid complications.

To wrap up, I would say that a balanced diet is undeniably an indispensable step towards a healthy life and everyone should eat proper meals to remain fit and dosease free.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

Food is the basic need // balanced diet consists of all nutrients in the right amount // has many advantages // keeps one healthier, helps live longer // improves immunity // ensures proper physical and mental growth // absence of nutrients causes diseases.

VOCABULARY 

Consists of: includes, comprises // Paramount: predominant // Prevented: kept // Sufficient: adequate // Indispensable: vital, essential 

RELATED QUESTION: Do you think eating a balanced diet is important for an individual’s health? How far do you agree or disagree?

Trend of Nuclear family.

 Q. In this era, the primary ties are loosening, families are not as close as they used to be and a lot of people have become habitual to this. Explain the reasons for this and discuss any possible effects, it may have on the society.

A family is the basic unit of social structure. With the passage of time, it has been observed that relationships at all levels have become tensed as compared to earlier times. This distance can be attributed to diverse contributing factors and can have several social effects. I will shed light on this in the writing that follows.

To commence with, the major reason is the growing trend of nuclear family replacing the extending or joint family system due to which family bonds are weakening. Also, according to needs of society, life is very competitive and demanding due to which youngsters have to move away from their parents at an early age to work or study. For example, some children live in hostels to ensure proper grooming, education and upbringing. This may lead to emotional estrangement of children from parents. Even in cases when parents are close to their children or stay together, they are mostly away from home as people now work for long hours to make ends meet. This means that parents spend less time with their children and it results in a gap between parents and kids. Another factor is, the use of gadgets and interaction with friends using various forms of social media leads to a drop in the frequency of face to face interactions.

This distance has obvious effects on the society. The first impact is that it weakens family bonding and this makes the family lose its meaning as a social institution. People are less fond of their family members and this brings lack of unity. Children become indisciplined and careless because they lack supervision. Children develop psychological issues due to loneliness. It also contributes to the widening of generation gap because parents do not know about the problems of children as they are unable to spend proper time with them.

To conclude, I would like to say that the present day families are becoming distanced from each other due to a plethora of causes and it has some implications on the society due to which it should be should be avoided and efforts should be made on all levels to keep the family as closely knit as possible.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Family is the basic unit of society // Changing times are causing the family divide // long working hours, trend of nuclear families, technology, drifting away for work or study // suitable steps should be taken since it has serious consequences // loneliness, personality issues, growing generation gap

VOCABULARY:

Observed: witnessed, seen // attributed: imputed, ascribed // diverse: myraid, various // weakening: breaking // estrangement: alienation, disaffection 

RELATED QUESTION:

People, these days, are more concerned about themselves only. What are the several factors leading to the family divide and how does it impact the social structure?

Problems of growing population.

Q. The ever-growing population of urban areas has led to numerous problems. Identify one or two serious ones and suggest ways in which the government and individuals can tackle these problems.

Over-population, also termed as population boom or population explosion refers to the unexpected growth in the number of people. There are several countries across the globe which are bearing the burnt of this rapid rise in the number of people. I will discuss a few serious issues being caused by this and the possible measures which can be taken by the authorities as well as the individuals.

To begin with, overpopulation leads to overcrowding which means poor quality of life. There is an increased pressure exerted on the resources because of which the standard of housing is not up to the mark. Poorly heated or damp conditions prevail in accomodations which cause many health problems such as bronchitis and the like. Another problem is increase in criminal activities as those who lack basic necessities like housing may resort to theft. In addition, the environment also gets degraded as due to the pressure of providing food to so many people, forests are cleared and converted into agricultural fields. Absence of appropriate sanitation to support the increased population causes diseases. 

However, there are certain steps which can be taken by both the government and individuals to tackle the problems posed by overpopulation. First of all, the government should make strict laws to control population. This can be done by providing incentives to people with a single child. Also, if possible, adequate housing facilities should be provided with proper sanitation by the government. Citizens should also actively with responsibility. People should only give birth to children keeping in mind their resources and financial conditions.

To conclude, government and citizens can both come together and join hands to combat this problem and minimize its negative effects on society before it grows to massive proportions and is tough to handle.

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Overpopulation: excessive growth in number of people // Causes: low standard of living, poor housing, improper sanitation, stress on civic amenities // Government can frame laws // Incentives should be given to people with a single child // Adequate housing, sanitation should be ensured for all // Citizens should also behave responsibly to handle this problem.

VOCABULARY:

Overpopulation: population boom, population explosion // incentives: bonuses // amenities: comforts, conveniences // government: authorities, regulatory body // control: curb, tackle // degraded: lowered in value // measures: steps

RELATED QUESTION:

The activities of man have impacted the environment deeply. What are the results of man’s activities and what measures can be taken by the government and citizens.