Task VI. Answer the questions scanning the text for essential detail:

1. What does the phrase ‘the right to education’ mean? Is higher education free of charge in Belarus?

2. What are the main principles of education in the Republic of Belarus?

3. Belarusian higher educational institutions fall into four types, don’t they? What’s the difference between them?

4. What are general requirements for admission that every applicant must know to enter a higher educational establishment in Belarus?

5. What is the structure and the curriculum of an institution of higher education?

6. What degrees can be obtained at an institution of higher education? What is a two-level system of higher education?

7. What forms of tuition exist in the higher school of the Republic of Belarus?

8. Are all Belarusian graduates provided with their first workplaces?

9. In what way is the quality of higher education assured?

10. What are the reasons for the growing demand for higher education in the Republic of Belarus?

Task VII. Translate into English:

1. В Беларуси насчитывается 55 высших учебных заведений государственной и частной формы собственности, которые ведут подготовку студентов по 320 специальностям.

2. Переход к массовому высшему образованию привел к ужесточению контроля над качеством предоставления образовательных услуг.

3. Глава государства дал поручение усилить связь между вузами и промышленным сектором национальной экономики.

4. Беларусь имеет двусторонние соглашения о взаимном признании дипломов со многими странами мира.

5. Чтобы поступить в государственное высшее учебное заведение, нужно успешно пройти обязательное централизованное тестирование по трем вступительным предметам.

6. Учебные планы и программы учитывают особенности национальной системы высшего образования и необходимость ее интеграции в мировое образовательное пространство.

7. Университет готовит специалистов по различным специальностям, проводит фундаментальные и прикладные научные исследования, готовит научные кадры высшей квалификации через аспирантуру и докторантуру, является центром развития образования, науки и культуры.

8. Двухступенчатая система высшего образования предполагает подготовку квалифицированных специалистов для реального сектора экономики и социальной сферы на первой ступени, и подготовку к научно-исследовательской деятельности на второй, магистерской ступени.

9. После окончания курса аспирантуры, написания и защиты диссертации соискатель получает степень кандидата наук.

10. Высокое качество образования, хорошие условия для признания дипломов за рубежом, стабильная политическая ситуация делают обучение в Беларуси привлекательным не только для белорусских граждан.

Task VIII. Provide arguments from your life experience to prove or disprove the following statements:

1. Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.

2. The money spent on brain is never spent in vain.

3. Going to university is likely to make you richer, healthier and happier.

4. The ‘best’ institution is the one that most clearly matches the individual student’s aspirations and abilities.

5. It’s a good idea to consider higher education as a serious option. It can broaden your experience and mind as you encounter all types of ideas, people and activities.

The Belarusian State Economic University

The Belarusian State Economic University was formed in 1992 on the basis of the Belarusian State Institute of the National Economy founded in 1933 as a department of the Belarusian State University. Nowadays it is the leading higher educational establishment in Belarus training specialists in the spheres of economics, management, marketing and law. More than 60,000 of the University graduates are employed in all sectors of the national economy both in the country and abroad.

The Belarusian State Economic University has a well-developed infrastructure which provides training and research within schools of Management, Marketing, Law, Accounting and Economics, Finance and Banking, International Economic Relations, Trade Management, International Business Communications. In addition, the BSEU incorporates Higher School of Tourism, Higher School of Business and Management, Consulting Centre for Commerce, a Specialized School of Pre-university Training, and a Specialized School of Psychological and Teaching Updating. The University has a Research Centre, an International Relations Division, and a Publishing Centre.

The University has more than 27,000 internal and external students and 1,300 faculty members. 47% of the teaching staff has advanced degrees and titles and many of the University professors are noted scholars.

The priorities in the organisation of teaching are thorough training, a creative approach to mastering knowledge, as well as making conditions for the realization of individual skills and abilities. The focus is made on providing a systematic approach to studies, making connections among the subjects taught, implementing active forms of instruction and effective methods of testing, developing skills of autonomous learning. Acquiring the most up-to-date techniques of teaching combined with doing scientific research on topical issues of economic development are made possible due to fruitful contacts of the University with related educational establishments, business organisations, and enterprises including those beyond Belarus.

The University provides a high standard of theoretical and practical knowledge. Many subjects are learned here, both those providing fundamental theoretical background for future practical application (finance, banking, accounting, statistics, commodity expertise, etc.) and those that make students educated and knowledgeable people and develop their world outlook (political science, history of Belarus, economic geography, world economy, foreign languages).

The conditions for studies at the University are agreeable to the current standards. Numerous research laboratories, computer classrooms, automated PC-based training offices for specialists in management, finance, banking, and commerce are at the students’ disposal. Lecture halls and tutorial rooms have state-of-the-art audio and video facilities, slide projectors and other required educational technologies. The Internet, local computing network and satellite TV are widely used in the learning process. The University library with its spacious reading halls is one of the best supplied and equipped in the country.

The tuition is free, but about 70%, basically those who failed to get the necessary score during their entrance exams, have to pay for their studies. Many students are given state grants and most get hostel accommodation.

The academic year is divided into two terms, each ending with examinations. At the end of the five-year course of study students take state exams and prepare a graduate project in their future speciality. During their final year at the University students undergo practical training at state and private companies and organisations. Annually about 3,000 students graduate from the University with specialisation in economics, every third student graduates with distinction. Upon graduation students obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree. One-year MA course is required for the award of a Master of Arts degree. A great number of graduates are engaged in research and continue their education in a postgraduate school where they pursue a Candidate of Science’s and Doctor’s degrees.

A lot of activity is being done outside the curriculum as well. The Students’ Tutorial Board is the initiator of students’ festivals, tourist programs, sports and athletics meetings which become regular events in the life of the BSEU students. Going to the cinema, theatre, concert halls, clubs or dancing parties is also very popular. Time at the university passes very quickly, but memories about it stay for a long time.

The University continues to upgrade the quality of education and aims at high standards of contemporary university, able to meet the challenges of domestic and global economic development.