Answer the following questions.

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1. Should all children have to learn maths?

2. Should all children have to learn a second language?

3. Should all education be free?

4. Should teachers be paid more?

5. Who should be paid more – the teachers of small children or the teachers of older children?

6. Should school classes be smaller?

7. Should children have more freedom at home and at school? Or do children have too much freedom these days?

8. At what age should children be free to leave school?

9. At what age should children be free to make their own decisions about smoking, drinking, drugs, sex etc.?

10. Is it ever right to smack a child?

11. Should parents let small children watch violent films and cartoons on TV?

12. Should boys have more freedom than girls?

13. Which is more important – a good upbringing or a good education?

14. In what way does the school education system in your country differ from that in England?

Higher Education in Britain

There are forty-seven universities in Britain and thirty polytechnics, plus350 colleges and institutes of higher education (some of which train teachers). The oldest and the best-known universities are located in Oxford, Cambridge, London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham.

Undergraduate courses normally take three years of full-time study, although a number of subjects take longer, including medicine, architecture and foreign languages (where courses include a year abroad). They lead in most cases to a Bachelor's degree in Arts or Science (B.A. or B.Sc.). Some students continue to study for degrees of Master (of Arts, Science, etc.) which often need two further years of study, with examination papers and substantional dissertations. A minority go on further for a Doctor's degree preparing theses which must make original contribution to knowledge. Higher-degree study is more common among 4 students of natural or applied sciences than among those studying the arts – that is, philosophy, history, English or foreign languages – or the social sciences such as economics, sociology, political science or law. But many people who gain first degrees in these subjects often go on to more practical courses which lead to various kinds of professional qualifications.

Degrees are awarded either by the institution itself, or by the Council for National Academic Awards, particularly in vocational areas.

Undergraduates go to large formal lectures, but most of the work takes place in tutorials: lessons in groups of ten or more when the students discuss their work with the lecturer.

At present, students who have been accepted by universities or other institutions of higher education receive a grant from their local authority, which covers the cost of the course, and may cover living expenses, books and travel, although parents with higher incomes are expected to make a contribution. Until 1990 the grant did not have to be paid back, but now a system of loans has been introduced.

Universities accept students mainly on the basis of their 'A' level results, although they may interview them as well.

Most students live away from home, in shared flats or halls of residence. Students don't usually have a job during term time because the lessons are full time. However, many students now have to work in the evenings to supplement their grants.

Holidays are longer than school holidays – from two to three months in the summer. Students do a wide range of summer jobs and holiday jobs at Christmas and Easter

Students cannot usually repeat a year. Failing exams is very serious. The social life is excellent with a lot of clubs, parties, concerts, bars...

The two intellectual eyes of Britain – Oxford and Cambridge Universities – date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The college system at Oxford and Cambridge is unlike that of any other university, whether in Britain or America. In order tо enter the university, a student must first apply to a college and become a member of the university through the college. The colleges are not connected with any particular study and are governed by twenty to thirty 'Fellows'. Fellows of a college are 'tutors' (teachers, often called dons). They teach their own subject to those students in the college who are studying it, and they are responsible for their progress.

The university is like a federation of colleges. The university arranges the courses, the lectures, and the examinations, and awards the degrees. Most dons give one or two lectures a week which students from any college may attend. No lectures are compulsory and tutors usually advise their students which lectures they should go to.

Each college has its own completely separate living quarters, its own dining hall and its own chapel. Cambridge and Oxford both have two women's colleges. Today most of the colleges are co-educational.

The University of London could also be called a kind of federation of colleges, but the system is entirely different. The largest of the London colleges are like universities in themselves, having many different faculties and departments. Others specialise in certain subjects, for example the London School of Economics and Political Science or the Imperial College of Science and Technology. All arrange their own lectures and classes, but the university organises the examinations and awards degrees.

For those people who missed the opportunity for higher education at the age of eighteen or thereabouts, a major innovation in the academic world now provides a second chance. The Open University was founded in 1971; it offers tuition to degree standard to anyone who chooses to register – there are no formal academic qualifications required for entry. The courses are taught through radio and television programmes and by correspondence with Open University tutors. By 1976 there were more than 90, 000 students enrolled for Open University courses and there are several thousand people who are the proud holders of a B.A. degree from the Open University.

A. Write 25 questions on the text. Ask your groupmates to answer them. Summarize what you have learnt, about higher education in Britain.

В. Practice.

Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct space in the passage below.

state	terms	seminar	degree	co-educational
private	primary	tutorial	graduate	nursery school
grant	secondary	lecture	break up	compulsory
fees	academic

When children are two or three years old, they sometimes go to a ….., where they learn simple games and songs. Their first real school is called a ….. school. In Britain children start this school at the age of five. The ___ year in Britain begins in September and is divided into three …... Schools ……. for the summer holiday in July. ……. education begins at the age of about eleven, and most schools at this level are ………, which means boys and girls study together in the same classes. In Britain education is ……… from five to 16 years of age, but many children choose to remain at school for another two or three years after 16 to take higher exams. Most children go to ……… schools, which are maintained by the government or local education authorities, but some children go to _______ schools, which can be very expensive.

University courses normally last three years and then students ….., which means they receive their …... At university, teaching is by …… (an individual lesson between a teacher and one or two students), ………. (a class of students discussing a subject with a teacher), …………. (when a teacher gives a prepared talk to a number of students) and of course private study. Most people who receive a university place are given a ……….._ by the government to help pay their ….. and living expenses.

Conversation Practice

Read, translate and practise.

What's the Problem?

Ann: Hello, Steve. Have you got a minute?

Steve: Sure, yes. What can I do for you?

Ann: I've read a number of books on the British system of higher education but I can't make head or tail of it.

Steve: Mm... no wonder. What's the problem?

Ann: Quite a lot of problems. What I want to discuss is the difference between a university and a college.

Steve: It's like this, you see... The programme is different. At a university it is much wider. Great attention is paid to scientific subjects.

Ann: It sounds as though most people prefer a university.

Steve: Well... that rather depends.

Ann: Speaking about universities I'm not quite clear about tutorials there. What is a tutorial exactly?

Steve: Oh, it's when students discuss topics with a tutor in very small groups – usually there are not more than three or four students and sometimes only one.

Ann: I see... And coming back to colleges... I'm still not terribly sure what a residential college is.

Steve: Erm... It's a college with a hall of residence (hostel) on the same grounds as the principal building. In fact all the students live in hall.

Ann: Really? And what about the teaching staff?

Steve: Actually the majority of the teaching staff live there too. But there are also quite a lot of non-residential colleges.

Ann: And you studied at university?

Steve: Yes...

Ann: I'd like to find myself in that university. What was it like?

Steve: Well... a big grey building surrounded by trees.

Ann: Beautiful?

Steve: Nothing very remarkable. Of course there were lecture halls, classrooms and a number of laboratories.

Ann: Any facilities for sport and P.E.?

Steve: Let me see... Yes... A gymnasium with changing rooms and showers, a tennis court and football...

Ann: I believe students spend a lot of time together, don't they?

Steve: Definitely. We had students' societies and clubs.

Am I right to believe that they are for those interested in drama and music?

Steve: Quite... and also politics, modern languages, literature, science and athletics.

Ann: Ah... that's worth knowing.

Steve: And what I'd like to add is that students themselves organize all those clubs and societies. There is usually a Students' Council or Union.

Ann: Well Steve. Thanks very much. You've been most helpful.

A. Questions.

1. What is the difference between a university and a college?

2. What is a tutorial?

3. What is a residential college?

4. Are all colleges residential?

5. What did Steve tell Ann about the university he studied at?

B. Give English equivalents of the following words and phrases:

система высшего образования, практические занятия, колледж с общежитием, колледж без общежития, общежитие (студенческое), территория колледжа (университета), жить в общежитии (о студентах), педагогический состав, лекционный зал, гимнастический зал, раздевалка, студенческое общество, студенческий совет

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