Education in Great Britain

      The Cambridge Folk Festival. Every year, in summer, one of the biggest

festivals of folk music in arrive in Cambridge for  the  Festival.  Many  of

the fans put up their tents to stay overnight. The Cambridge  Folk  Festival

is always very well organized and there is always good order. However,  some

people who live nearby do not like Festival. They  say  that  there  is  too

much noise, that too much rubbish is left on the ground, and  that  many  of

the fans take drugs. On the other hand, local shopkeepers are glad,  because

for them the Festival means a big increase in the number of customers.

      The second group of universities  comprises  various  institutions  of

higher education, usually with technical study, that by 1900 had  sprang  up

in  new  industrial  towns  and  cities  such  as  Birmingham,   Manchester,

Sheffield  and  Leeds.  They  got  to  be  know  as  civic   or   ‘redbrick’

universities. Their buildings were made of local material, often  brick,  in

contrast to the stone of older universities,  hence  the  name,  ‘redbrick’.

These universities catered mostly for local people. At first  they  prepared

students for London University degree, but later they were given  the  right

to award their own degrees, and so became universities  themselves.  In  the

mid-20th century they started to accept students from all over the country.

      The third group consists of new universities founded after the  Second

World War and later in the 1960s, which saw considerable  expansion  in  new

universities.  These  are  purpose-built   institutions   located   in   the

countryside but close  to  towns.  Examples  are  East  Anglia,  Sussex  and

Warwick. From their beginning they attracted  students  from  all  over  the

country, and provided accommodation for  most  of  their  students  in  site

(hence their  name,  ‘campus’  universities).  They   tend   to   emphasise

relatively ‘new’ academic  disciplines  such  as  social  science  and  make

greater use than other universities  of  teaching  in  small  groups,  often

known as ‘seminars’.

      Among this group there  are  also  universities  often  called  ‘never

civic’ universities. These were originally  technical  colleges  set  up  by

local authorities in the first half of  this  century.  Their  upgrading  to

university status took place in two waves. The first wave  occurred  in  the

mid-1960s, when ten of them were promoted in this way.

      Another thirty became ‘polytechnics’, in the early 1970s, which  meant

that along with their former courses  they  were  allowed  to  teach  degree

courses (the degrees being awarded by a national  body).  Polytechnics  were

originally expected to offer a broader-based, more practical and  vocational

education  than  the  universities.  In  the  early  1990s   most   of   the

polytechnics became universities. So there are now  80  universities  and  a

further 19 colleges and institutions of higher  education  in  the  UK.  The

country has moved rapidly from a rather elitist system to one which is  much

more open, if not yet a mass system of higher education.

      Higher education in  England  and  Wales  is  highly  selective;  i.e.

entrance to British universities is via a strict selection process is  based

on an interview. Applications for first  degree  courses  are  usually  made

through  the  Universities  and  Colleges  Admission  Service   (UCAS),   in

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. After the  interview  a  potential  student  is

offered a place on the basis of GCE A-level exam  results.  If  the  student

does not get the grades specified in the offer, a place  can  not  be  taken

up. Some universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge, have an  entrance  exam

before the interview stage.

      This kind of selection procedure means that not  everyone  in  Britain

with A-level qualifications will be  offered  the  chance  of  a  university

education. Critics argue that  this  creates  an  elitist  system  with  the

academic minority in society whilst supporters  of  the  system  argue  that

this enables Britain to get  high-quality  graduates  who  have  specialized

skills. The current system will be modified by the late  90s  and  into  the

21st century, since secondary  system  is  moving  towards  a  broader-based

education to replace the specialized ‘A’ level  approach.  The  reasons  for

this lie in Britain’s need to have a highly skilled and educated  workforce,

not just an elite few, to meet the needs of the technological era.

      The  independence  of  Britain’s  educational  institutions  is   most

noticeable in universities. They make their own choices of who to accept  on

their courses and normally do this on  the  basis  of  a  student’s  A-level

results and an interview. Those with better exam grades are more  likely  to

be accepted. Virtually all degree courses last three  years,  however  there

are some four-year courses and medical and veterinary courses last  five  or

six years. The British University year is divided into three terms,  roughly

eight to ten weeks each.  The  terms  are  crowded  with  activity  and  the

vacations between the terms – a month at Christmas, a month at  Easter,  and

three or four  months  in  summer  –  are  mainly  periods  of  intellectual

digestion and private study.

      The courses are also ‘full-time’ which  really  means  full-time:  the

students are not supposed to take a  lob  during  term  time.  Unless  their

parents are rich, they receive a state grant of money, which covers most  of

their expenses including the cost of accommodation.  Grants  and  loans  are

intended to create opportunities for equality in education. A grants  system

was set up to support students through university. Grants are  paid  by  the

LEA on the basis of parental income. In  the  late  80s  (the  Conservative)

government decided to stop to increase these grants, which  were  previously

linked to inflation. Instead, students were able  to  borrow  money  in  the

form of a low-interest loan, which then had to  be  paid  back  after  their

course  had  finished.  Critics  argue  that  students  from  less  affluent

families had to think twice  before  entering  the  course,  and  that  this

worsened the trend which saw a 33% drop in working-class student numbers  in

the 1980s.

Students studying for the first degree are  called  undergraduates.  At  the

end of the third year of study undergraduates  sit  for  their  examinations

and take the bachelor’s degree. Those engaged in  the  study  of  arts  such

subjects as history, languages, economics  or  law  take  Bachelor  of  Arts

(BA).  Students  studying  pure  or  applied  sciences  such  as   medicine,

dentistry, technology or agriculture get Bachelor  of  Science  (BSc).  When

they have been awarded the degree, they are known as graduates. Most  people

get honours degrees, awarded  in  different  classes.  These  are:  Class  I

(known as ‘a first’), Class II, I (or ‘an upper second’), Class II,  II  (or

‘a lower second’), Class III (‘a third’). A student  who  is  below  one  of

these gets a pass degree (i.e. not an honours degree).

      Students who obtain their Bachelor degree can apply to take a  further

degree course, usually involving a mixture of  exam  courses  and  research.

There are two different  types  of  post-graduate  courses  –  the  Master’s

Degree (MA or MSc), which takes one or two years, and the higher  degree  of

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which takes two  or  three  years.  Funding  for

post-graduate courses is very limited, and even students  with  first  class

degrees may be unable to get a grant. Consequently many post-graduates  have

heavy bank loans or are working to pay their way to a higher degree.

The university system also provides a national  network  of  extra-mural  or

‘Continuing Education’ Departments which offer academic courses  for  adults

who wish to study – often for the sheer pleasure of study – after they  have

left schools of higher education.

      One development in education in which Britain can claim  to  lead  the

world is the Open University. It was  founded  in  1969  in  Milton  Keynes,

Buckinghamshire and  is  so  called  because  it  is  open  to  all  –  this

university does not require any formal academic qualifications to study  for

a degree, and many people who do not have an opportunity  to  be  ‘ordinary’

students enroll. The university is non-residential and  courses  are  mainly

taught by special written course books and by programmes on state radio  and

television. There are, however, short summer courses of about  a  week  that

the students have to attend and special part-time study centers  where  they

can meet their tutors when they have problems.

      As mentioned above, the British higher education system was  added  to

in the 1970s, which saw the creation of colleges and institutions of  higher

education, often  by  merging  existing  colleges  or  by  establishing  new

institutions. They now  offer  a  wide  range  of  degree,  certificate  and

diploma  courses  in  both  science  and  art,  and  in  some   cases   have

specifically taken over the role of training teachers for the schools.

      There are also a variety of other British higher  institutions,  which

offer higher education. Some, like the Royal College of Arts, the  Cornfield

Institute of  Technology  and  various  Business  Schools,  have  university

status, while others, such as agricultural, drama  and  arts  colleges  like

the Royal Academy of Dramatics Arts (RADA) and the Royal  college  of  Music

provide comparable courses. All these institutions  usually  have  a  strong

vocational aspect in their programmes, which fills  a  specialized  role  in

higher education. 

                                 14.Science 

      The word “science” comes from the Latin word “scientia”,  which  means

“knowledge”. Scientists make observations and collect facts  in  field  they

work in. Then they arrange facts orderly and try to express  the  connection

between the facts and try to work out theories. Then they have to prove  the

facts  or  theory  correct  and  make  sufficient  and  sound  evidence.  So

scientific knowledge is always growing and improving.

      Science has great influence on our life.  It  provides  with  base  of

modern technology, materials, sources of power and  so  on.  Modern  science

and technology have changed our life in  many  different  ways.  During  the

present century our life changed greatly. Thanks to radio and television  we

can do a great number of jobs; it was radio and TV that made it possible  to

photograph the dark side of the moon and to talk with  the  first  cosmonaut

while he was orbiting the Earth. On  of  the  wonders  of  our  age  is  the

“electronic brain”, or giant calculating machine, which can to  some  extent

duplicate human senses. The desk computer is expected to  function  as  your

personal librarian,  to  carry  out  simple  optimization  computations,  to

control your budget or  diet,  play  several  hundred  games,  etc.  further

development of the computer is believed to lead  to  a  situation  in  which

most of the knowledge accepted by mankind will be stored  in  the  computers

and made accessible to anyone with the home computers. It  is  natural  that

the advent of minicomputers with extensive memories and  possibilities  will

lead to a new higher level in information culture. Among  other  things,  we

shall be able to organize educational process in the country’s colleges  and

universities and also in the system of school  education  on  a  new  basic.

Knowledge is the most valuable wealth, and minicomputers  will  help  us  to

make it accessible for  everyone.  Agricultural  scientists  develop  better

varieties of plants. The development of  antibiotics  and  other  drugs  has

helped to control many diseases. Studies in anatomy and physiology have  let

to amazing surgical operations and the inventions  of  lifesaving  machines,

that can do the work of such organs as  heart,  lungs  and  so  on.  Nuclear

fission when  a  tremendous  amount  if  energy  is  setting  free  is  very

important discovery.

       Science  improved  the  living  standards,  communications,  promoted

contact between people  and  government,  knowledge  and  culture,  made  it

possible to discover and develop new sources of energy, made it possible  to

prolong man’s life.

      But science also has some disadvantages.  It  produces  mass  culture:

painting,  music,  literature.  Some  scientific  inventions  increase   the

ecological problems, provide with new  diseases  like  AIDS,  increased  the

danger of violent death.

      The greatest scientists were very persistent and were  sure  in  their

success. Even without any serious  education  they  made  great  inventions.

Even during times of  disappointing  experiments  and  unacknowledgement  by

other scientists, they didn’t give up and  went  on  working  out  theories.

Also they were always  ready to begin everything from  the  very  beginning.

They worked a lot, and this work wasn’t for money.

      The aim, the main object of the greatest scientists of all  times  was

always to find out the troth and no personal prejudices can be  allowed.  So

the science grows and prospers and is the engine of progress. 

      The problem  of  learning  languages  very  important  today.  Foreign

languages are socially demanded especially at  the  present  time  when  the

progress in science and technology has led to an explosion of knowledge  and

has contributed to an  overflow  of  information.  The  total  knowledge  of

mankind is known to double every seven years. Foreign languages  are  needed

as the main and the most efficient means  of  information  exchange  of  the

people of our planet.

      Today English is the language of the world. Over  300  million  people

speak it as mother tongue. The native speakers  of  English  live  in  Great

Britain, the United States of America, Australia and New  Zealand.   English

is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic,  Canada,  the  South

African Republic. As the second language it is used in  the  former  British