What role does higher education play in the life of our society? Is it important to have a Diploma to make a successful career? Or is it possible to succeed without higher education?
Read this passage, then choose one of the suggested roles and express your opinion.
Durability of higher education
Occasionally, it is argued that higher education is no longer necessary as it becomes obsolete soon after graduation. This observation is raised of a couple of reasons:
* Industry changes are so fast these days that a particular know-how is only relevant for a short time before it becomes obsolete by the next fad.
* The Internet has made information so pervasive that one can understand and undertake most jobs that previously required training after a short on line search.
* Globalization has led to a decreased emphasis on research as both governments and industries have pursued cost cutting policy. Employers therefore value employees who can provide narrow immediate skills more than those who have broad knowledge. This is ironic that most government leaders are trying to move their governments to information economy.
* Higher education no longer guarantees employment as it used to do in the past.
* As governments have cut back on education spending, some higher education institutions have based their teaching material to a specific vendor in an attempt to secure funding. This however reduces the durability of awarded diploma as its validity is rigidly tied to a particular vendor.
Despite these observations, higher education especially in universities is still important. Higher education, when well delivered, is supposed to educate the candidate how to acquire a necessary skill and why a specific way of dealing with a problem is superior to an alternative. This is possible as higher education allows one to face a problem from a holistic point of view. Higher education also helps to fill the information gap, which is very pervasive in skilled but uneducated employees.
Some relevant facts:
– Britian, Canada and the USA have cut their education budget substantially in the last 15 years.
– China, on the other hand, has increased its education spending to a ridiculous level. BBC claimed that China has over 700,000 government sponsored students in western universities. That's on top of those who are trained locally.
| A host | Announce the theme of discussion and introduce the participants. You must follow the ideas of each participant, ask questions if necessary and carry on the role play. |
| A first-year student | You've just entered the university and want to become a well-qualified specialist to apply for a well-paid job in future. |
| A graduate | You are not satisfied with the received education. You work is not connected with the received speciality. |
| A student who wants to enter the post-graduate course | You are sure that even basic higher education is not enough to reach success in modern world. You want to continue education after the graduation from the university. |
| A part-time student | It's difficult for you to combine work and study, but you are sure that Diploma will help to make a career and earn good money. |
| A businessman | You don't have higher education but you've made a fortune. You think that personal qualities and business connections are more important than a Diploma. |
| Parents | You worry about your 16 y.o. son. You don't want him to join the army but you are scared that he won't be able to get free higher education and you can't afford to cover his tuition fees. |
| A housewife | You have graduated from the university but you haven't worked a day – you are too busy running the house and bringing up children. You believe that family is more important than career. |
| A professor | You have been teaching students for 20 years and think that 'present day' students are greatly different from the 'old' ones. |
| A girl | You want to marry money because you think that it's impossible for a girl to make a career in a 'men's world'. |
| An unemployed | You have two diplomas but don't have a job. You think that higher education is important but we must also take into account personal qualities and business connections. |
Write an essay and express your thoughts about the role of higher education in modern world.
Appendix
СПИСОК ИСПОЛЬЗОВАННОЙ ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ
1. Арбаева, Е.И. Сборник иностранных текстов для изучения английского языка по теме «Наш университет» / Е.И. Арбаева. – Мурманск : МГТУ, 2000.
2. Бурлак, А.И. Знакомьтесь: Америка! / А.И. Бурлак, Л.И. Кравцова. – М. : Высшая школа, 2005.
3. Истомина, Е.А. Profiles of the United States / Е.А. Истомина, Ю.Е. Ваулина. – М. : Астрель, АСТ, 2003.
4. Левашова, В.А. Britain today: life and institutions / В.А. Левашова. – М. : Инфра-М, 2001.
5. Токарева, Н.Д. What is it like in the USA? / Н.Д. Токарева. – М. : Гриф, МОРФ, 2005.
6. McDowall, D. Britain in Close-Up / D. McDowall. – London : Longman Group, 2003.
7. Garton-Sprenger, J. Flying Colours / J. Garton-Sprenger, S. Greenall. – Heinemann, 1992.
8. Universities in the USA [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа: http://www.america.com. – Заглавие с экрана.
9. Universities in the USA [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа: http://www.studyusa.com – Заглавие с экрана.
10. Admissions and Financial Aid [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа: http://www.harvard.edu. – Заглавие с экрана.
11. Higher Education [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа: http://www.en.wikipedia.org. – Заглавие с экрана.
12. World Declaration on Higher Education for the twenty first century: Vision and Action [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа: http://www.unesco.org. – Заглавие с экрана.
13. American Education [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа: http://www.madrassas.com. – Заглавие с экрана.
14. Learning Russian in Moscow / Education system in Russia [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа: http://www.studyrussian.com. – Заглавие с экрана.
15. System of Russian Education [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа: http://www.useic.ru. – Заглавие с экрана.
16. Europe / the Russian Federation / A brief description of Russian Higher Education [Электронный ресурс] – Режим доступа: http://www.gse.buffalo.edu. – Заглавие с экрана.
[*] United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
[†] Alma mater – лат. "Кормящая мать" – почтительное наименование студентами своего университета.