Computers in my life

Computer studies is a subject in many schools. Many young people have personal computers. Ninety-six per cent of them are males of all ages. All of them spend an average of twenty hours per week on home computers. The majority of the adults also use computers at work. About one in three hundred computerowners, so-called computer addicts, spends almost all his time using computers. All the computer addicts are very educated. They have been interested in science and technology from a very early age and they are usually very shy people who like being alone.

A survey in a school showed that fewer girls are interested in computers because girls are less likely to have a computer. Even if they have one, they use them less frequently than boys. Possibly it is because we think of computers as something to do with maths and science, which are traditionally "male" subjects. Possibly it is because most of the computer teachers are men, who give the girls less attention. Possibly parents think it is less important for girls to have computer skills.

Computer addicts love debugging, develop programs and love learning programming languages. They learnt to communicate with other users through computer networks and the people they met in school and work think of them as experts who could help and advise when they had problems with their machines. A few spend their time "hacking" and one addict left a message on a computer of Buckingham House. Very few computer addicts play computer games, but many people use a computer exclusively for games.

Some parents worry about computer games because they think their children won't be able to communicate with real people in the real world. But parents do not need to worry. According to research computer addicts usually do well after they have left school. Parents also do not need to worry that computer addiction will make their children become unfriendly and unable to communicate with people. It is not the computer that makes them shy. In fact, what they know about computers improves their social lives. They become experts and others come to them for help and advice.

For most children computer games are a craze. Like any other craze, such as skate-boarding, the craze is short-lived. It provides harmless fun and a chance to escape.

If we didn't have these computer addicts, we wouldn't have modern technology. They are the inventors of tomorrow.

Education in Ukraine 

The system of secondary education in Ukraine includes primary forms and junior and senior secondary forms.

Children usually go to school at the age of 6 or 7.

There are some preschool institutions, like nursery schools or kindergartens, but they are not obligatory.

Primary forms comprise 1 to 4 forms.

Junior secondary forms comprise 5 to 9 forms.

After the 9th form children can enter technical schools of different types.

Those who want to enter higher educational institutions should complete 10—11 forms.

Students can also enter higher educational institutions after graduating from specialized colleges or lyceums.

They prepare students in different fields, whether the humanities or the sciences.

Some of them are organized under the authorities of higher educational establishments.

The system of higher education is presented by universities, polytechnic institutes or specialized institutes.

Universities offer a five-year course of study and usually have from six to twelve departments.

Institutes train specialists for industry, agriculture and economy.

Most of them have been conferred the status of Academy or University recently.

Students are also offered post-graduate education and scientific research work.

Nowadays due to the state of our national economy not many young people are engaged in the research work.

But still in some fields of science there are outstanding discoveries and re-search papers.

Some universities and institutes have refresher courses.

Recently a great number of private educational establishments have appeared.

Some institutions have fee-paying groups or departments.

The students may get education there at the same high level as in the state institutions.

Education in Great Britain

In Great Britain children begin to go to school at the age of five.

First they study at infant schools.

In these schools they learn to draw with coloured pencils and paints.

They also make figures out of plasticine and work with paper and glue.

They play much because they are very young.

Later they begin to learn letters and read, write and count.

At the age of seven English schoolchildren go to junior schools.

They do many subjects: English and Maths, History and Music, Natural History and Drawing, Handicrafts, French and Latin.

They do not go to school as early as we do, but they stay there longer.

The first lesson usually starts at 9 o’clock.

There are 3 lessons with short breaks of 10 minutes between them and then an hour break for lunch.

After lunch they have two more lessons which are over by half past three.

If you have a look at an English pupil’s school record, you will see that the marks in it differ from the marks we have.

Our schoolchildren get marks from 1 to 12.

At English school there are marks from 1 up to 10 and at some schools from 1 up to 100.

Junior school ends at the age of 11 when pupils take the Eleven Plus examination and then secondary school begins.

At the age of 16 schoolchildren take their exams.

Only 45 per cent continue with full-time education after 16.

The rest go to work or join employment training schemes.