Has the government failed on its university policy?

导读

英国政府最近就是否应该提升大学学费一事拿出来讨论,两派观点争论不休。有人认为保守党原先表达允许高校根据通胀和教学表现适当提高学费,而日前则被控诉,新任大臣DG出尔反尔。该党的竞选誓词中明确提到过若干教育方面的改革思路。其中大学部负责人Johnson表示,给学生学费贷款的政策有助于减轻教育资源配置不公平的现象,让不富裕家庭的学生也能获得优质的教育资源。然而反对意见则称,这个制度已经让目前的退学生数量创五年来的新高了。因为这个政策的实行过程中,人们发现,贷款利率是复利计算的,低收入家庭的孩子,几乎永远还不完这笔钱。那么是不是我们取消这个政策就好了呢?政策制定者则表示,其实即便取消学费,低收入家庭的学生也获得不了太多好处。同时,对于教育的公平性而言,大学坦言,他们已经在近年来削减了很多开支,可是一些糟糕的管理和过度消费还是没有杜绝。如果没有学费来源,大学将要依靠国家划拨教育基金,而这将体现在税收的提高上,这同样会增加低收入家庭的压力,甚至减少大学入学人数,而这些结果,本身也有违保守党的政策制定初衷。

更多剧透

第一步:解决高频单词

hike up 

vt. 拉升,提高

inflation [ɪn'fleɪʃn]

n. 通货膨胀

hasty ['heɪsti]

adj. 匆忙的

cap [kæp]

vt. 设限

manifesto [ˈmænɪfestəʊ]

n. 宣言

powerhouse ['paʊəhaʊs]

n. 动力站,动力源泉

premium [ˈpriːmɪəm]

n. 额外费用,溢价

compound [ˈkɒmpaʊnd]

vt. 以复利计算

affluent ['æfluənt]

adj. 富裕的

60p

第二步:精读重点段落

(Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦)

第八段:
Mr Johnson and his colleagues argue paying a sum through the student loan system is crucial to reducing inequality in higher education, allowing pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds equal access to a degree qualification.

第九段:
Funding from tuition fees allows institutions to teach at a high quality level, crucial to maintaining the UK’s reputation as a teaching and research powerhouse, he says.

  • powerhouse动力站,动力源泉

第十二段:
Responding to Mr Johnson’s defence of tuition fees, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner cited statistics from the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) showing the number of disadvantaged pupils dropping out of university was at a five-year high.

第十七段:
The problem with this argument is that interest becomes compounded, and the majority of graduates will never end up paying it off.

  • compound 以复利计算

第十九段:
The IFS concluded that “graduates from the bottom 30 per cent are no better off than they would have been had they faced the 2011 systems.”

85p

第三步:攻克必学语法

虚拟语气之表示过去情况:

从句:had + 过去分词
主句: would have + 过去分词

1. She would have come if we had invited her.

2. If they hadn’t saved us, we would have been drowned in the river.

如果条件句当中包含有 were, had, should, could, 有时可把if 省略掉,但是要把were, had, should, could, 放在主语前面。

3. Had we made adequate preparations, we might have succeeded.

4. Were it not for their assistance, we would be in serious difficulty.

100p

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(Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦)

Has the government failed on its university policy?

第一段:
University tuition fees have come centre stage in the past few days, with much debate around whether or not raising tuition fees has or could result in a “fairer system” for students, as claimed by the government.

  • tuition fees学费

第二段
Having once been so clear on their policy to allow institutions to hike up fees in line with inflation, and eventually performance, the Conservatives were accused of making a hasty U-turn last week, when the newly appointed minister Damian Green suggested a “national debate” was needed around fees.

  • hike up 拉升,提高
  • inflation 通货膨胀
  • hasty 匆忙的

第三段
Universities Minister, Jo Johnson, was quick to ensure there would be no such thing, that the fees – currently capped at £9,250 per year - would not be scrapped because “we know they work”.

  • cap  设限
  • scrap 废弃;取消

第四段:
What are the Tories’ university policies?

第五段:
In their election manifesto, the party announced a series of reforms to education.

  • manifesto 宣言

第六段:
Universities were granted permission to raise fees above the £9,000 “in line with inflation”, but will be subject to new regulatory measures under the Teaching Excellence Framework.

  • regulatory 监管的
  • Teaching Excellence Framework教学卓越框架

第七段:
It has been said that those institutions scoring “Gold” will be able to increase fees accordingly, as an incentive for good quality teaching and perceived value for money for students.

  • incentive 诱因;动机
  • perceived value 感知价值

第八段:
Mr Johnson and his colleagues argue paying a sum through the student loan system is crucial to reducing inequality in higher education, allowing pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds equal access to a degree qualification.

第九段:
Funding from tuition fees allows institutions to teach at a high quality level, crucial to maintaining the UK’s reputation as a teaching and research powerhouse, he says.

  • powerhouse动力站,动力源泉

第十段:
Finally, the cost of higher education is shared out “fairly between the individual student benefiting from a graduate earnings premium and taxpayers in general, most of whom will not have attended university.”

  • premium 额外费用,溢价

第十一段:
What do critics say?

第十二段:
Responding to Mr Johnson’s defence of tuition fees, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner cited statistics from the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) showing the number of disadvantaged pupils dropping out of university was at a five-year high.

第十三段:
"Jo Johnson wants Labour to look “at the facts” on higher education… I’m sure the minister accidentally overlooked these “actual facts” when talking about his party’s record,” she wrote in the New Statesman.

  • overlook 忽视

第十四段:
So do tuition fees help to reduce inequality?

第十五段:
A recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggests students from the wealthiest 30 per cent of families will graduate with an average debt of £47,000, while those from the poorest 40 percent leave with an average of £57,000.

第十六段:
The Government argues that the repayments are progressive – meaning graduates only pay back a percentage once they start earning salaries higher than £21,000.

  • progressive 渐进的

第十七段:
The problem with this argument is that interest becomes compounded, and the majority of graduates will never end up paying it off.

  • compound 以复利计算

第十八段:
Students from poorer backgrounds are statistically more likely to be saddled with more debt, and on top of this they’re less likely to jump straight into a high-paying job than their more affluent, well-connected peers.

  • saddle with使肩负重担
  • affluent 富裕的

第十九段:
The IFS concluded that “graduates from the bottom 30 per cent are no better off than they would have been had they faced the 2011 systems.”

第二十段:
Would the system be fairer if we scrapped fees altogether?

第二十一段:
It’s difficult to say.

第二十二段:
Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds would likely be more willing and able to go on to further and higher education without the added financial pressures of fees, or psychological barrier of gathering debt –even if it doesn’t get paid off.

  • psychological barrier 心理障碍

第二十三段:
Many labour supporters argue the charges faced by the younger generation are especially unfair, given that their parents’ generation rode for free.

  • charge 费用

第二十四段:
But analysis from policy makers at Universities UK suggests removing fees will make no difference to low-earning graduates.

第二十五段:
“Under fees and loans, they will not earn enough for repayments to be triggered, and their loans are forgiven,” explains Assistant Director of Policy, Julie Tam.

  • trigger 引发,触发

第二十六段:
“High-earning graduates benefit enormously from no fees – while under tuition fees they would repay their entire student loans, under no fees they do not make any repayments.

第二十七段:
Scrapping fees altogether, therefore, only benefits the top quarter of graduates who go on to earn the most – who are more often than not from affluent families in the first place.

第二十八段:
What about the quality of education?

第二十九段:
Universities argue they’ve suffered under spending cuts in recent years, but at the same time others have pointed to poor business management and overspending, for instance by paying vice chancellors top-rate salaries.

  • vice chancellors 副校长

第三十段:
Either way, it’s vital universities are properly funded in order for them to provide the best teaching, research and resources.

第三十一段:
Without direct income from tuition fees, universities will receive funding through government grants, according to Universities UK.

第三十二段:
This would be twice as costly for the Government, however, and without the help of a magic money tree, it’s likely the cost will be reflected in higher taxes and/or restrictions to overall student numbers – which contradicts Mr Johnson’s aim to get half of school leavers into higher education.

200p

hike up 

vt. 拉升,提高

inflation [ɪn'fleɪʃn]

n. 通货膨胀

hasty ['heɪsti]

adj. 匆忙的

cap [kæp]

vt. 设限

manifesto [ˈmænɪfestəʊ]

n. 宣言

powerhouse ['paʊəhaʊs]

n. 动力站,动力源泉

premium [ˈpriːmɪəm]

n. 额外费用,溢价

compound [ˈkɒmpaʊnd]

vt. 以复利计算

affluent ['æfluənt]

adj. 富裕的

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Has the government failed on its university policy?

第一段:
University tuition fees have come centre stage in the past few days, with much debate around whether or not raising tuition fees has or could result in a “fairer system” for students, as claimed by the government.

第二段:
Having once been so clear on their policy to allow institutions to hike up fees in line with inflation, and eventually performance, the Conservatives were accused of making a hasty U-turn last week, when the newly appointed minister Damian Green suggested a “national debate” was needed around fees.

第三段:
Universities Minister, Jo Johnson, was quick to ensure there would be no such thing, that the fees – currently capped at £9,250 per year - would not be scrapped because “we know they work”.

第四段:
What are the Tories’ university policies?

第五段:
In their election manifesto, the party announced a series of reforms to education.

第六段:
Universities were granted permission to raise fees above the £9,000 “in line with inflation”, but will be subject to new regulatory measures under the Teaching Excellence Framework.

第七段:
It has been said that those institutions scoring “Gold” will be able to increase fees accordingly, as an incentive for good quality teaching and perceived value for money for students.

第八段:
Mr Johnson and his colleagues argue paying a sum through the student loan system is crucial to reducing inequality in higher education, allowing pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds equal access to a degree qualification.

第九段:
Funding from tuition fees allows institutions to teach at a high quality level, crucial to maintaining the UK’s reputation as a teaching and research powerhouse, he says.

第十段:
Finally, the cost of higher education is shared out “fairly between the individual student benefiting from a graduate earnings premium and taxpayers in general, most of whom will not have attended university.”

第十一段:
What do critics say?

第十二段:
Responding to Mr Johnson’s defence of tuition fees, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner cited statistics from the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) showing the number of disadvantaged pupils dropping out of university was at a five-year high.

第十三段:
"Jo Johnson wants Labour to look “at the facts” on higher education… I’m sure the minister accidentally overlooked these “actual facts” when talking about his party’s record,” she wrote in the New Statesman.

第十四段:
So do tuition fees help to reduce inequality?

第十五段:
A recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggests students from the wealthiest 30 per cent of families will graduate with an average debt of £47,000, while those from the poorest 40 percent leave with an average of £57,000.

第十六段:
The Government argues that the repayments are progressive – meaning graduates only pay back a percentage once they start earning salaries higher than £21,000.

第十七段:
The problem with this argument is that interest becomes compounded, and the majority of graduates will never end up paying it off.

第十八段:
Students from poorer backgrounds are statistically more likely to be saddled with more debt, and on top of this they’re less likely to jump straight into a high-paying job than their more affluent, well-connected peers.

第十九段:
The IFS concluded that “graduates from the bottom 30 per cent are no better off than they would have been had they faced the 2011 systems.”

第二十段:
Would the system be fairer if we scrapped fees altogether?

第二十一段:
It’s difficult to say.

第二十二段:
Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds would likely be more willing and able to go on to further and higher education without the added financial pressures of fees, or psychological barrier of gathering debt –even if it doesn’t get paid off.

第二十三段:
Many labour supporters argue the charges faced by the younger generation are especially unfair, given that their parents’ generation rode for free.

第二十四段:
But analysis from policy makers at Universities UK suggests removing fees will make no difference to low-earning graduates.

第二十五段:
“Under fees and loans, they will not earn enough for repayments to be triggered, and their loans are forgiven,” explains Assistant Director of Policy, Julie Tam.

第二十六段:
“High-earning graduates benefit enormously from no fees – while under tuition fees they would repay their entire student loans, under no fees they do not make any repayments.

第二十七段:
Scrapping fees altogether, therefore, only benefits the top quarter of graduates who go on to earn the most – who are more often than not from affluent families in the first place.

第二十八段:
What about the quality of education?

第二十九段:
Universities argue they’ve suffered under spending cuts in recent years, but at the same time others have pointed to poor business management and overspending, for instance by paying vice chancellors top-rate salaries.

第三十段:
Either way, it’s vital universities are properly funded in order for them to provide the best teaching, research and resources.

第三十一段:
Without direct income from tuition fees, universities will receive funding through government grants, according to Universities UK.

第三十二段:
This would be twice as costly for the Government, however, and without the help of a magic money tree, it’s likely the cost will be reflected in higher taxes and/or restrictions to overall student numbers – which contradicts Mr Johnson’s aim to get half of school leavers into higher education.

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