“Learning for learning’s sake is an outdated concept. Today, education must serve an ulterior purpose and be directed toward clear goals.”

Education has a purpose. It helps in the development of the all around personality of a person. Along with helping a person to achieve his goals in life it prepares him to adjust in the world. For this purpose, the curriculum includes a number of subjects that may not find any direct place in the path of fulfilling the goals of a person’s life. However, it is important to widen one’s knowledge. I hold the view that learning for learning’s sake may be an outdated concept due to its non-practicality, but it is the only way a person remains an all-rounder. Education should not be directed towards just a particular goal but it should impart knowledge to develop a person’s mind and personality as a whole.

The concept of learning for learning’s sake does not hold a lot of meaning in today’s world because of the attitude of people. Learning is not looked upon as a means of increasing one’s knowledge and awareness. It is instead sought as a means of advancing one’s career and future prospects. However, according to me, the primary function of education is to make a person capable of understanding what he sees around him and identifying what is right and what is wrong, while preparing him for a career and specific goal can be seen as its secondary function.

For anyone it is very important to be self sufficient and satisfied in life. This comes from being independent and having a sound source of income. For this, a person must acquire some skills or competence, which is valued in the world. That is why education imparts the knowledge of a specific subject in order to train a person to use this knowledge for his future. However, at the same time, a person will be able to lead a balanced and active social life only if he is aware of the world around him. That is why it should be the endeavor of everyone to gain as much knowledge as possible along with acquiring professional proficiency.

Many students can be seen cribbing when they have to study a wide range of subjects. It is felt that a lot of subjects are useless and are not going to help in any way in the future. However, every subject you learn bears an imprint on your intellect. It may be true that this learning is of no direct use in achieving your goals, but what one does not realize is that indirectly a person is increasing his skills. It is learning for learning’s sake that indirectly helps in building up confidence, problem-solving skills, experience, awareness and knowledge, besides making a person learned. It may not help in achieving your goals directly but it is the learning that is put to use in the course of work and in dealing and handling a number of related issues. It provides you an extra edge over others to have the experience and awareness that this leaning provides. This is the age of competition and one has to exhibit his learning along with his skills to prove himself. While skills can be acquired by the required training, learning is a continuous process. Apart from the education system that must impart this learning, it should be the attitude of a person to learn about anything new that a person comes across. This attitude and habit of learning comes only when the education system takes up the responsibility of imparting a wide range of knowledge amongst students.

Hence, it can be concluded that learning for learning’s sake is what contributes in making a person cosmopolitan and adjusting in different situations. The more learned a person is, the more he is sought by others. Education should, therefore, not only be directed to clear goals but must impart general knowledge as well.