1. British Universities.

There are more than forty universities in Britain, of which 36 are in England, 8 in Scotland, 2 in Northern Ireland and 1 in Wales. The two oldest universities in England are Oxford and Cambridge. These date from the Middle Ages. Oxford is the oldest of these two universities, it is more philosophical, classical, theological. The history of Oxford began in 1249, that of Cambridge - in 1348. Among the English universities Oxford and Cambridge have a special eminence, and they are different from the others.

England had no other universities, apart from Oxford and Cambridge, until the nineteenth century. The universities which were founded between 1850 and 1930, including London Universities, are known as redbrick universities (they were called so because that was the favorable building material of the time).They are in London, Durham, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Nottingham, etc. The University of London is the largest of them. Redbrick Universities were built to provide a liberal education for the poorer boys and to give technological Training.

The universities which were founded after the Second World War are “the new universities”. They are in Staffordshire, Kent,Essex, Lancaster, Sussex, York. Some of them quickly became popular because of their modern approach to university courses.

All British Universities are private institutions. Every university is independed, autonomous and responsible only to own governing council. Although they all receive financial support from the state, the Department of Education and Sience has no control over the way they spend money. Each university desides each year how many students it supposes to admit. The admission to universities is by examination or selection (interviews).

The British government does not think to build more new universities. There is a tendency to expand the oldest ones. The most interesting innovation is Open University.

5. Higher aducation in the Republic of Belarus.

A national higher school system plays an important role in the development of our country. Only highly qualified specialists can solve the most complex problems facing our society. Now Belarus is a country with a high educational level. There are 38 state higher educational institutions and the Academy of Sciences which was founded in 1929 to carry out research in different fields of science. The basic principle of the organization of national education in our country is an equal opportunity for all its citizens.

Specialized secondary and higher education is available for everyone according to one’s abilities. Every citizen can get free education in state institutions if he passes the entrance examinations successfully. One of the necessary qualifications for higher school is complete secondary education. Entrance examinations differ depending on the choice of a higher school. People can get a higher education through the full-time, evening and correspondent courses.

Along with the state higher schools existing in the Republic many non-state institutes of higher learning have been opened in different towns of late. Tuition in non-state institutes is not free of charge, it is rather expensive. But everybody knows that money spent on the brain is never spent in vain.

The academic year is divided into two terms, each ending in examinations.