Education

As long as we live we continue to study, and the education we receive when we are young helps us to continue studying.

September the 1st is an important day in Russia. It is the first day of a school year. Russia has a unified system of public education. Characteristic features of our public educa­tion are:

1. The equal right to education for all citizens, as guaranteed by the Russian Constitution.

2. Co-education. But in some places pupils attend separate men's and women's schools.

3. Generally, the tuition is free throughout the system. But now in some educational institutions people pay for the education.

4. Almost all the schools belong to the state, and also we have private and church schools.

The unified system of public education in Russia consists of the following chief types:

1. Secondary education.

2. Specialized secondary education.

3. Technical vocational education.

4. Higher education.

Russian higher educational institutions are divided into two basic groups: the universities and specialized institutes. Entrance to the university or the institute is by competitive examinations, which are open to anyone between the age of 17 to 35, who has finished secondary school. The complete course at the institutes usually lasts 5 years, in some it may be a little longer or shorter.

In July applicants take examinations to different institutes and universities of the country. Some pass them, some fail in this or that subject. Those who pass them become first year students. The universities train highly qualified specialists in sciences and humanities. The specialized institutes train specialists for one of the fields of culture or national economy. The characteristic features of Russian higher education is that it trains specialists in a variety of subjects and graduates from our higher schools are specialists in a wide field.

I. Проверьте по словарю и прочитайте следующие слова:

education, educational, unify, unified, character, characteristic, school, technical, church, chief, machinery, right, high, higher, institute, institution, institutional, tuition, variety, special, specialize, specialized, specialist, course, sciences, qualify, qualified, qualification.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы по тексту:

1) What is the first day of a school year in Russia?

2) What are characteristic features of our public education ?

3) Do people pay for their education?

4) Are there private schools in Russia?

5) What chief types does the system of education in Russia consist of?

6) How many groups are higher schools divided into? What are they?

7) Who can enter the higher school ?

8) How many years does the course of education last ?

9) When do applicants take exams ?

10) What specialists do the higher schools train ?

11) What is the characteristic feature of Russian higher education ?

III. Прочитайте следующие предложения, вставив вместо точек нужные предлоги, дан­ные под чертой:

1) The Russian Constitution guarantees the equal right ... education ... all citizens.

2) The tuition is free ... the system.

3) Almost all the schools belong ... the state.

4) The system ... public education ... Russia consists ... several chief types.

5) Russian higher schools are divided ... two basic groups.

6) Entrance ... the University is ... competitive examinations.

7) The complete course ... the university usually lasts five years.

8) Some applicants fail ... this or that subject.

in, for, of, to, throughout, at, into, by

IV. Прочитайте текст и составьте краткий пересказ: