3. Discuss the following questions.

1. Does education still remain a national value as it used to be in Russia? Does it always suggest a prestigious and well-paid job? 2. What’s your purpose of getting higher education? In what way do you think you could benefit society on graduating from the University? 3. Do you think education will help you reach a higher standard of living in the future? 4. Does the system of education in modern Russia encourage a competitive type of personality? 5. Are there any Open Universities in Russia? What is (are) their function (s)? 6. Do you think that admission to institutions of higher learning in Russia should be based on scholastic achievement in secondary school? Why or why not? 7. Do secondary schools in Russia offer any practical courses like driver’s education, health education, etc? Is practical education important for those who are leaving a secondary school? Why?

4. Read the text below. Speak about the modern concept of ‘Lifelong Learning’.

Lifelong learning is one of the most important concepts in modern society, being central not only to competitiveness and employability but also to social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development.

The latest successful practices suggest that lifelong learning is more than just education and training beyond formal schooling.  A lifelong learning framework encompasses learning throughout the life cycle (for personal, civic and employment-related purposes), from birth to grave and in different learning environments, formal, non-formal and informal. 

The aim of lifelong learning strategy is to provide people of all ages with equal access to high-quality learning opportunities and to a variety of learning experiences and thus implies:

• raising investment in people and knowledge;

• promoting the acquisition of basic skills, including digital literacy;

• broadening opportunities for innovative, more flexible forms of learning.

Today, there also exists such an essential element of lifelong learning as good-quality school programmes designed by the “Education For All” (EFA) initiative to introduce the new concept to children of primary school age.

5. Use the information from the text below to speak about academic degrees in Great Britain.

After a course of studies lasting from three to four years the undergraduate students sit for a final examination which, if they pass it, entitles them to a first degree. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the most usual titles for a first degree are Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.).

After taking a first degree the graduates who are interested in research work follow the postgraduate or advanced studies. The postgraduate studies lead to higher degrees most of which are Master’s or Doctor’s degrees. Postgraduate students are granted the Master’s degree by thesis or examination after a minimum of one or two years of advanced studies. The doctorate generally requires an outstanding proficiency in some specialized branch of research. (In Scotland Master is usually used for a first degree).

The present first-degree system varies in both length and nomenclature. First-degree courses in Arts and Science are of two main kinds: those in which the student specializes with some intensity, and those which allow him or her to spread his or her studies over a wider field but less intensively. Universities use different names to describe the degrees to which these two types of course lead. The degree obtained at the end of a specialized course in a single subject is usually called a degree with Honours, although in some universities it may be called a Special degree. In addition, many universities offer specialized courses leading to degrees in two subjects, and the term Joint (or Combined) degree is sometimes used to distinguish them from single-subject degrees (here again the word Honours is sometimes also included in the description of the degree). The degree obtained at the end of the more general course is usually called either an Ordinary or a General degree (in some universities General degrees may be awarded with Honours).

Some variation in degree classes is found among the universities, but most award their undergraduate degrees in five categories: First Class Honours, Upper Second, Lower Second, Third Class, and Pass or Ordinary.