The value of higher education is facing unprecedented scrutiny—when online courses can deliver the same knowledge at a fraction of the cost, and even make graduates more competitive in the job market, has the four-year immersive experience of a traditional university campus been reduced to an expensive ritual? Discuss: Does the core value of a university education lie in imparting measurable vocational skills, or in cultivating unquantifiable critical thinking and character development? Using examples from countries you know or your own experience, argue your position.