EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN

The oldest and the most celebrated Universities of Great Britain are those in Oxford and Cambridge. There are also universities in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and other cities.

There are no state universities in Britain, each of the universities has its own government. It is the state however that defines their status and gives them the power to grant degrees to students. The form of examination and the standards of knowledge and intelligence required for a first degree (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science) are about the same at all the universities. Students still have to pay fees. Most students now do some paid work during their vacations, such as helping at the Post Office and doing some seasonal jobs in summer but practically none do paid work during the term-time. The first postgraduate degree is Master, given for a thesis based on one year's full-time work. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is given for a thesis which is an original contribution to knowledge.

The University is a sort of federation of colleges. The university prescribes syllabuses, arranges lectures, conducts examinations and awards degrees, but there is no single building which can be called the University. The colleges and university building are scattered about the town.

Each college is governed by its Fellows. The Fellows are responsible for teaching their own students through the tutorial system.

It is more expensive to study at Oxford and Cambridge than at any other university and it is not easy to find a place to study at Oxford or Cambridge. About half of the students are former pupils of prominent public schools. The number of applicants is several times as great as the number of places available. Colleges tend to admit young men who are good at sport, sons of former students, or sons of respectable citizens or millionaires, because they can support the university financially.

Part of the teaching at all faculties is by means of lectures arranged by the university, and any student may attend any university lecture. At the beginning of each term a list is published showing all the lectures being given during the term within each faculty. Every student can choose which lectures he will attend. Attendance at the university lectures is not compulsory.

Apart from lectures teaching is by means of the "tutorial system". This is a system of individual consultations. Each Fellow in a college is a tutor in his own subject to the undergraduates who are studding it. Each student every week has a tutorial. He reads out an essay which he has written and for an hour he and the tutor discuss the essay. Before writing an essay the student may consult his tutor. The system of teaching practiced at Oxford is supposed to encourage independent thought and judgment, opinions differ, and at some universities regular courses of lectures for each of the subjects studies are preferred. Education in Great Britain is class-divided and selective.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1021