43. Find the answers in the text above:
1. What is the main idea of the article?
2. How many Russian students are currently enrolled at German Universities?
3. What are the signed declarations aimed at?
4. Is there the Goethe Institute in your city? Have you or your friends been there?
5. Do you have friends studying in Germany?
44. Work in two teams. One team will represent a German university, the other one will stand for the Russian university. Try to attract foreign students. The words below can help you:
culture language friends equipment experience independence
45. Use these words to complete the text:
higher education qualifications cutting-edge
2010 Competitive graduate schools Bologna
In the course of the “1) ______________ process” institutions of 2) _________________will be replacing their Magister and Diplom courses with programmes leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees by 3) _____________. Almost half of all the study programmes at German institutions of higher education have already been restructured. As a result, students’ 4) __________________ can be more easily compared with those from other countries. The universities themselves are also taking up the 5) _______________ challenge. The Federal Government and the individual Länder are making available 1.9 billion euros for the current Initiative for Excellence. This money will be used to support 6) ______________ for young researchers, excellence clusters for 7) __________________ research and the research profiles of up to ten selected elite universities.
46. What do you know about daad?
Look at the chart below and say what DAAD programmes are aimed at.
DAAD
(The German Academic Exchange Service)
The great number and variety of DAAD programmes can be arranged into five strategic goals:
What programmes are best funded?
Which programme would you choose? Why?
47. Look at the map below (pic.18) and say what countries and cities have regional offices and information centres of DAAD? What cities have you been to?
Pic. 18
48. Read the information about the German Academic Exchange Service then ask and answer questions using the following words:
Pronouns: what, where, how many;
Nouns: representation, language;
Verbs: perform, choose.
DAAD Head Office in Bonn is the "home" of the executive management and, so, is the hub for all national and international activities of the DAAD. Its representation in Berlin (DAAD’s second home base) performs important cultural, science, education and research policy functions.
The DAAD also has an extensive presence abroad. Its Regional Offices around the world maintain contacts with partners and create efficient communications channels, perform programme management responsibilities and provide support at local level: Beijing, Cairo, Hanoi, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Moscow, Nairobi, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, and Warsaw.
A number of activities serve the goal of making the legislative frameworks governing study and research stays in Germany more hospitable. The desired improvements range from comprehensive information and changes to the legislation on foreigners (status and work permits) through to admissions procedures at German higher education institutions and the guidance and supervision programmes.
The removal of language barriers deserves particular attention. This goal is served by the worldwide use of a centrally-set and corrected German as a foreign language test called “TestDaF”, which students can currently take at 300 test centres in 80 countries; moreover, Germany’s universities are increasingly choosing TestDaF as an alternative to the standard DSH German language proficiency test known as "Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studienbewerber" which they generally used before.