A FEW WORDS ABOUT HIGHER EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN (part two)

Besides universities in Great Britain there are at present about three hundred technical colleges providing part-time and full-time education. Technical colleges give special instruction in certain subjects. They give diplomas, not degrees, to their students. The course for training specialists at such colleges is shorter as a rule than at the universities. It usually lasts three or four years, while at the universities it lasts as a rule more than four years.

British universities greatly differ from each other in date of foundation, history, tradition, size, methods of teaching, way of student life, etc. The two oldest and bestknown universities are Oxford and Cambridge. They are some centuries old. They have a tutorial system of education which brings a student into close and personal contact with his tutor. Each student has a tutor who helps the student to plan his work.

The academic year in England has three terms. Each term lasts about eight-ten weeks. Between the terms the students have their holidays - a month in winter, a month in spring and three or four months in summer.

There is a large number of students' societies and clubs at English universities- political, dramatic, film, sporting and other societies.