At this time of year, every school and university in Japan has a graduation ceremony and then an entrance ceremony. These ceremonies always make me think "What is the purpose of education? Why do children and young people need to go to school and university?" Here are a few reasons.
1. Children and young people need to learn basic skills which are necessary for getting a job and living in society, such as reading, writing, mathematics, English, how to use a computer, etc.
2. They need to learn basic social rules such as "You must obey teachers and people in authority", "You must cooperate with others",
"You must not be late", etc.
3. They need to learn about important topics such as environmental problems, global warming, how to make babies, AIDS, etc.
4. They need to think about important questions such as "What do I want in my life?", "What is really important in life?", "What is happiness?", "How can we find happiness?", "Why are some people rich and unhappy?", "Why are human beings destroying the environment?", "Is it OK to work for a company which is destroying the environment?", "Is it OK to kill animals and eat meat?", "What is the purpose of education?", etc.
All of the above are important and necessary, in my opinion.