Text 4 Quality of education

In 1988 a new funding body, the University Funding Council, was established, with power to require universities to produce a certain number of qualified people in specific fields. It is under the UFC's watchful eye that the universities have been forced to double their student intake, and each university department is assessed on its performance and quality. The fear, of course, is that the greatly increased quantity of students that universities must now take might lead to a loss of academic quality.

Expansion has led to a growing funding gap. Universities have been forced to seek sponsorship from the commercial world, wealthy patrons and also from their alumni.

In spite of the high fees, Britain's universities, FE colleges and English language schools host a large number of foreign students. Today many university science and technology departments, for example at Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester, Imperial College London, and Strathclyde, are among the best in Europe. The concern is whether they will continue to be so in the future. Academics' pay has fallen so far behind other professions and behind academic salaries else where, that many of the best brains have gone abroad. Adequate pay and sufficient research funding to keep the best in Britain remains a major challenge.

As with the schools system, so also with higher education: there is a real problem about the exclusivity of Britain's two oldest universities. While Oxbridge is no longer the preserve of a social elite, it retains its exclusive, narrow and spell-binding culture. Together with the public school system, it creates a narrow social and intellectual channel from which the nation's leaders are almost exclusively drawn. Few people are in top jobs in the Civil Service, the armed forces, the law or finance, who have not been either to a public school or Oxbridge, or to both.

The problem is not the quality of education offered either in the independent schools or Oxbridge. The problem is cultural. Can the products of such exclusive establishments remain closely in touch with the remaining 95 per cent of the population? If the expectation is that Oxbridge, particularly, will continue to dominate the controlling positions in the state and economy, is the country ignoring equal talent which does not have the Oxbridge label?

(adapted from David McDowall Britain in Close-up. New edition. An In-depth Study of Contemporary Britain, pp. 156-157)

Task 13. Answer the questions

1. What is the function of the UFC?

2. What negative effect may the increased quality of students have?

3. How do universities raise money for their needs?

4. Are scientists motivated to stay in Britain?

5. What educational background is considered to be appropriate for the nation’s leaders?

6. What is the percentage of population receiving education at Oxbridge?

7. What problems can the exclusivity of Oxbridge lead to?

Task 14. Read the following information about University College London and fill in university profile given below

University College London (UCL) is one of the leading universities in the UK, serving some 21,000 students through its more than 70 academic and research departments. The university also boasts the highest number of professors in the UK, having more than 650 established and chaired professors. It offers a broad range of studies, from the arts and humanities to medicine, engineering, and science. UCL was established in 1826 as the country's third university (after Oxford and Cambridge) and the first to admit students who are not members of the Church of England. Today the university is part of the University of London, a federation of about 50 institutions.

(adapted from www.ucl.ac.uk)

University profile

Date of foundation ___________________

Number of students __________________

Departments and faculties _____________

Courses offered _____________________

Task 15. Read the text

The University of Zagreb (1669) is the oldest and biggest university in South-Eastern Europe. It is a comprehensive public university located in the capital of Croatia - Zagreb. Ever since its foundation the University has been continually growing and developing and now consists of 29 faculties, 3 art academies and the Centre for Croatian Studies.

With its study programmes and over 50,000 full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students the University is the strongest teaching institution in Croatia. It offers a wide range of academic degree courses leading to Bachelor's, Master's and PhD degrees in the following fields: Arts, Biomedicine, Biotechnology, Engineering, Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences.

It is also a strongly research-oriented institution, contributing with over 50% to the total research output of the country.

(adapted from www.unizg.hr)

Task 16. Fill in the gaps using information from previous text

Since its foundation in _______________ the University has been the strongest teaching institution in _____________________. The University consists of ________________ and ____________ academies providing study programmes for more than _____________________. It offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees in ____________________________. The University is also strongly research-oriented. More than 50% of the total research output of the country is ______________________

Task 17. Search the Net, find information about any university you like and present it to your fellow students.