Sample argumentative essay: A University in Every Town

The Turkish government is planning on opening 15 new universities in developing provinces of Turkey. This is a

response to pressure coming from local Members of Parliament who in turn have voiced the demands of their

constituencies. Admittedly, education is essential and to educate or provide opportunity to educate is indeed a noble

mission. However, as the already existing 85 universities in Turkey wrestle with recruitment and financial

difficulties, it does not seem to be a good idea to add new universities to the system of higher education.

Thesis
First of all, the new universities will very likely experience staffing problems. That is, they will have difficulty Statement

finding faculty members that are qualified to teach in these budding universities. The truth cannot be put aside that

in Turkey, the number of academicians who meet international academic requirements is limited. New universities
Topic Sentence 1

will have two choices: either to draw from the existing pool or to employ under-qualified people. The existing

instructors may be sufficiently qualified but they are also employed by other universities. To draw them over would

mean that vacant spots are being left at their original positions. This is bound to affect the general quality of

education in Turkey. Should the new universities choose instead to employ local professionals or new and under

qualified instructors, then the same end result can be expected.

In addition to recruitment problems, small town universities are almost destined to have financial difficulties. The

funds allocated to them by the state governments will not be enough to build from scratch all the facilities that are

required to establish a university of professional academic and international standard. A university involves more

than just a few classrooms. Students will need dorms, gyms, cafeterias, sports facilities, labs and computers for their
Topic Sentence 2
academic and social development. How many new universities will be able to equip themselves with all or even

most of these facilities on their campuses? The answer is obvious. The result, in turn, will be small town institutions,
Opposing
which consist of a sole building that houses classrooms and offices, and very likely nothing more. Sentence

Some insist that the establishment of a university in a developing town will contribute to the development of local
Concession
economy. There is truth to this claim and indeed, Turkey, like many other countries at present, would benefit from

any form of economic boost. However, if a university is wrestling with staff recruitment problems, or if it cannot

solve its financial difficulties, we must admit that this also means that it cannot be of any help to the local
Refutation

Adapted from http://www.buowl.boun.edu.tr

community or economy either. It will only employ a few locals, provide substandard education to a few local youth,

and it will not fulfill the aim for which it was initially established. In the long run, the boosted economy would still

be likely to falter.

Universities are institutions of higher education and they need to provide education to satisfy certain standards. In

order to provide such quality education they need to have qualified teachers and must provide minimum social and

academic facilities. Since funds are limited, raising the standard of existing universities should be first priority. Only

after that, should local governments in Turkey invest in establishing new ones. 

Adapted from http://www.buowl.boun.edu.tr