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 education.

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

There are some types of higher educational schools in our country: Institutes, Universities and Academies. Entrance to them is by competition which is open to anyone between the age of 17 to 35 who has finished secondary school and passes State Examinations successfully. A complete course at higher schools usually lasts 5 years; in some it may be a little longer or shorter.

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 are the following. First, it trains specialists in a variety of subjects and, second, graduates from our higher schools are broad specialists.

Education plays an important part in the life of any country as it provides the country with highly-qualified specialists for its future development and progress.

I. Проверьте по словарю и прочитайте следующие слова.

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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 a 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 are the characteristic features of Russian higher education?