成都女孩玲玲考上大学，父亲虽然有钱供她读书，却以“上大学无用”为由拒绝提供学费和生活费，这则新闻引发社会各界对于“上大学值不值？”的广泛争论。

Ling Ling (not her real name) is worried as Sept 7, the last day for her to enroll in a university in Chengdu, Sichuan province, as a first-year student, approaches.

玲玲（化名）考上了四川成都某大学，而随着9月7日，即该校新生报到日期的临近，她变得愁眉不展。

"My dad doesn`t want to pay for my university education as he believes the investment in higher education can`t be recouped," the 19-year-old told Chengdu Economic Daily.

这位19岁的女孩在接受《成都商报》采访时表示：“我爸爸不想供我上大学，因为他认为上大学是笔血本无归的投资。”

Ling was born in a small village in northern Sichuan. All her relatives are farmers. Upon completion of their primary school education, her parents started a small business.

玲玲生于四川北部的一个小村庄。她的亲戚都是农民。小学毕业后，她的父母便开始做起了小生意。

Five years ago, they moved to Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, with Ling and her younger brother. They have purchased an apartment and a small shop there.

五年前，玲玲和弟弟同家人一起搬到了四川省会成都。他们在当地买了房并兑下一家小店。

"My family isn`t short of money. My father doesn`t want me to pursue university education because he thinks it not worthwhile going to university," Ling said.

玲玲说：“我家里并不缺钱。我爸不想让我上大学，因为他觉得上大学没用。”

Her father estimates it will cost a total of 80,000 yuan in tuition fees and living expenses to finish a four-year university education. If his daughter works for four years instead, she can earn at least 80,000 yuan in four years. With that money, she can start a small business.

玲玲的父亲心里有笔“经济账”：大学四年的学费加生活费需要8万元。而如果她女儿利用这段时间来打工的话，四年至少可以赚8万元。用这笔钱，她可以做点小生意。

"In my neighborhood, at least 10 university graduates cannot find jobs and stay at home," her father told Chengdu Economic Daily.

这位父亲对《成都商报》的记者说：“我的街坊四邻里，至少有10个大学毕业生待业在家。”

He said as a primary school graduate, he earned more than many university graduates with his small business. He said his view that attending a university is not worthwhile is not groundless, citing that nearly 7 million students graduated from institutions of higher learning nationwide this year and their employment situation is grim.

他说，自己虽然只有小学文凭，但凭借小本生意赚得比许多大学生要多。他认为自己的“大学无用论”并非毫无根据，并指出今年全国高校毕业生人数逼近700万人，就业形势十分严峻。

To persuade her father to support her higher education financially, Ling has pestered him every day for a month. But her efforts have been in vain.

为了说服父亲资助自己上大学，玲玲同他展开了长达一个月的“拉锯战”，却毫无成效。

After her story spread online at a local news portal, a survey was launched on the website to solicit netizens` opinions.

成都当地一家新闻门户网站对玲玲的遭遇作了报道，她的故事很快在网上传播开来。该网站同时发起了一项网络民意调查。

More than 10,000 netizens replied and 71 percent supported her father`s view. About 50 percent thought society was a good university and about 20 percent thought a person could improve himself or herself anywhere.

该调查共有1万多名网友参与，71%的人支持玲玲父亲的看法。约半数人认为社会就是一所好大学，而约20%的人认为无论在哪，我们都能够获得自我提升。

Despite strong opposition from survey respondents, 55 readers of Chengdu Economic Daily said higher education could broaden one`s horizons. They want to help Ling financially since she cannot borrow money from her relatives who share her father`s view.

尽管在参与调查者中，赞同“大学无用”的呼声很高，但《成都商报》的55位读者表示大学能够开阔一个人的视野。玲玲曾试着向亲戚借钱，却因为他们都站在父亲那一边而求助无果，因此，来自《成都商报》的这55位热心读者们愿意资助她上学。