ASSIGNMENT NO.

1
HIGHER EDUCATION
CODE – 828
SUBMITTED TO:
MAM WAHEEDAH SAHAR
SUBMITTED BY:
LARAIB FATIMA
ID # 0000255128
M.A TEACH. EDUCATION
SEMESTER 2ND
AUTUMN – 2022

ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

 QUESTION NO. 1
Evaluate the contribution of higher education in socio-economic
development. Support your answer with the help of relevant data?
Ans: Higher education is perceived today as a capital venture and is of central
significance for monetary and social improvement of the nation. Institutions of
higher education have the essential duty for preparing people with new
information and aptitudes necessary for places of duties in government, business,
and different professions. Quality higher education is a cause of incredible potential
for the financial and social advancement of the country. The country can be
changed into an advanced nation through higher education.
Factors, for example, the particular idea of higher education institutions,
worldwide portability of students, and instructors, openness of PC based learning
quest for examination and grant, globalization of economy, and rising difficulties of
the 21s t century have direct effect on the future improvement of higher education.
Higher education is the contributions of higher secondary students to produce the
graduates and post graduates and to make them go into the practical world and
join the positions of their specialization.
The need for higher education is not just to grant information in specific parts of
information; it has further significance and goals.the need is multi-dimensional and
might be termed as social, affordable, and social.
The structure of studies is dictated by the reasoning, points and aspirations of its
resources, by the objectives of its benefactors, to be specific the general public and
the administration, by the requirements of its purchaser, by its own protection
from change and by the inward requirement for consistency in its educational
programs and projects.
Institutions resemble green houses where different sorts of students develop into
professionals and are conveyed all through the world. Higher education can’t
develop in a general public wherein there is no profound inclination for the
essentials of its greatness in higher education for the advancement of the general
public.
Higher education can be viewed as a basic source of knowledge and information,
an organization which makes an incredible commitment to the financial
development and advancement through cultivating development and expanding
higher abilities. It is looked as an approach to improve the personal satisfaction and
address significant social and worldwide difficulties. Higher education is
comprehensively characterized as one of key drivers of development execution,
flourishing and competitiveness.
Role of Higher Education in Socio-Economic development
The role of higher education is helpful in the development of society and economics
in many ways which are overviewed in the form of following points:
 Creating a Quality Workforce
Higher education gives a person an opportunity to succeed in today’s global
economy. Modern universities provide their students with various programmes
aimed at preparing them for different economic sectors, helping them to stay and
progress in the labour market for long programmes that make a difference for
labour market outcomes and keep pace with changes in the global economy and
changes in the innovation process. Universities promote lifelong learning; they
offer opportunities to engage and attract professionals into training and
professional development.
 Supporting Business and Industry
Business has changed over the last decade, the dynamic processes take place in a
range of contexts and landscapes. There are a lot of jobs today that failed to exist
several decades ago. Technology is changing the nature of work. The requirements
on employee’s skills have also changed. Higher education institutions assure the
relevance of their knowledge, identify skills gaps, create special programmes and
build the right skills that can help countries improve economic prosperity and social
cohesion, adapt workforce development to the economy and changing demand for
for the new skills, develop relevant skills and activate skill supply, and thus support
improvement in productivity and growth.
 Carrying out Research and Promoting Technology
Higher education is a technology and innovation driver. One of the missions of the
modern universities is finding solutions to big challenges and conducting research
within global priority areas, contributing to social outcomes such as health and
social engagement. Often it is aimed at designing technologies that result in new
products and supplying advanced technology for use.
 Achieve Globalization
Due to rising advancement in information technology, the development of
individuals, merchandise, cash and data has become a lot simpler and the
globalization of the economy has been quickened. This additionally adds to the
creation of new wealth and administrations. The advancement of data innovation
has differentiated the types of higher education, and from one viewpoint is
associated with improved quality and extension to a more extensive objective of
students.
 Improvement in Quality of Life
It is a way to accomplish self-acknowledgment for people. Individuals can improve
their salary and personal satisfaction through expanding information or abilities
and afterward develop their own decisions accessible throughout everyday life,
including those identified with work life. Likewise, deep rooted education, which
continually reestablishes singular information and aptitudes, should be ensured all
through the lifetime to react to singular adapting needs. Accordingly, one should
ensure open doors for higher education in light of people’s expectations and
capacities.
 Development of New Resources
In the creation and transmission of knowledge and information in a society, higher
education is requested to assume a focal job. Specifically, the capacity to apply
information and specialized abilities is critical to financial development. Thus,
higher education must not only show new innovation, however should create
resources which can assess the requirement for these advancements and apply
them.
Kayani et al. (2017) examined the social as well as economic benefits of education
by focusing on developing countries. Particular emphasis is given to Pakistan as a
case study. An ex-post-facto investigation, this research was solely based on
secondary data. Findings of the reveal divulged that education is a purposeful
undertaking and thus has implications not only for individuals but also societies at
large. On the role of HE in shaping socio-economic growth, the study found that
education bestows society numerous monetary and non-monetary benefits that
are central in driving economic growth and development. Some of these benefits
include, among others, (1) employment, (2) poverty alleviation, (3) earnings, and
(4) boosted exports (Kayani et al., 2017). On the social front, HE and education, in
general, are further found to play central roles in influencing social responsibility,
increasing political awareness, and bolstering the sense of civic responsibility. The
state and society at large should therefore invest in education in order to reap such
benefits.

In addition, education, especially at the tertiary or university level, can also

increase the overall efficiency with which productive elements or inputs are used,
thus play a part in increasing TFT (total factor productivity). It is, however, critical
to note and, as observed in such studies as Hall and Jones (1999) as well as Gyimah-
Brempong et al. (2006), that technological 10 progress is determined by HE and
not education at the lower primary or secondary levels. Still, HE may be an essential
but not adequate condition for economic growth. Regardless, education has been
found to improve the amount and overall quality of other inputs and to enhance
the institutional settings within which economic growth occurs. For instance,
education is shown even in such earlier studies as Nelson and Phelps (1966) to
improve human heal and formation of physical capital (labor), which collectively
vital determinants of economic growth.

QUESTION NO. 2
Explain different functions of universities. Explain importance of each
function. How, in your opinion, universities in Pakistan are performing
these functions?
Ans: The university has many different functions in the community. It is generally
recognised as a symbol and respository of civilizations. A university is a home for
research. The products search are a public good in the strict economic sense, that
once produced they can be used by anyone without precluding use by others.
An important function of the university is information storage. The popular
recognised function of the university, at present, is teaching young adults. This
includes professional training, preparing a map for career he has already decided
to embark on, and general education, preparing a man for a future position in the
upper-rank society.
Harry G. Johnson, in his study on “The University and the Social Welfare: A
Technoeconomic Exercise” has summarized various functions of a university, but
we are more concerned with the four functions, that is: Research, Advisory,
Leadership, and Centre of Excellence.
The functions primarily consist of curriculum, training and appointment of
teachers, instructions, and research activities, assessment of the students,
awarding degrees and outreach programs. They are considered as core functions
of the departments. Another important role of the universities is to provide well
trained and skilled professionals for the newly developed occupations like
cyber/robotics engineering and emergency medical service.
FUNCTIONS OF UNIVERSITIES
 Leadership
Academic leadership is typically the most prestigious function within universities.
But it also occur quite rarely – even in the developed world. If the situation is
defined by what is done rather than what is claimed. The function involves what
scholars usually identify with quality – highly prepared faculty; sophisticated
original research published in rigorously reviewed, internationally recognised
outlets; graduate education; and selective undergraduate education.
Fulfillment of this function requires ample resources. Research, graduate
education, and overall academic quality are costly in both human and physical
resources. Academic leadership also usually requires substantial autonomy. In an
age in which demands for accountibility run ramoant, it may seem outmoded to
defend the idea that some higher education needs to be lavished with resources
and left free from most forms of responsiveness to government ot the marketplace.
Intellectual activity requires protection. This is not to argue against all controls. It
is to emphasize that most appropriate controls are either internal, based on
vigorous peer review, or operate in a broad international sphere.
But the tandem need is to identify true academic leadership from among the many
pretenders. Otherwise precious resources are dissipated, and autonomy becomes
an unwarranted defense against needed accountability. Too many international
higher education policy papers for the developing world offer general system
prescriptions that commit a twin error: true academic leadership is denied the
chance to survive and grow because its needs are not met, while the great bulk of
higher education is treated incorrectly as if it conformed, or should conform, to the
academic leadership function.
 Professional Development
This function refers mostly to the preparation of students for specific job markets
requiring advanced, extensive formal education. The classic professions like law are
joined today by fields like computer science. In many fields, pertinent research,
often applied, exists alongside training.
Like the academic leadership function, the professional development function is
less common than claimed, and it is too often the proclaimed model for parts of
higher education that are not well suited to it. In many countries outside the United
states, students enter professional faculties with specific curricula. However, many
graduates do not wind up finding jobs that correspond directly to their studies. This
often leads to charges of underemployment and of failure.
 Research
Successful research, whether in the sciences, humanities or social sciences,
depends upon a culture and individual attitudes that value curiosity, scepticism,
serendipity, creativity and genius. They are values that are crucial to the university
educational process at its most profound, and are most readily acquired in an
environment of free-ranging speculation and research that is permeated by them.
Their transfer into society by graduates who embody them is an essential
contribution to an innovative culture and a spirit of informed civic responsibility.
Not only does its research create the frame for a university’s educational role, but
universities have also proved to be highly cost effective settings for basic research
in particular. The reasons may lie in their non-hierarchical nature, the pervasive
presence of the irreverent young, whose minds are not so full of the means of
refutation that original ideas are denied entry, and the highly competitive nature
of most funding for university research, in contrast to specialist research institutes,
where the peace and quiet to focus on a mission, undistracted by teaching or other
responsibilities, and with relatively assured funding, may be a questionable
blessing. By the same token, the excitabel and dynamic nature of universities suits
them much less well to the pursuit of long term, strategic research objectives. This
university inclination towards basic research, which seeks to explore the
fundamentals of phenomena, also chimes well with their educational role,in
stimulating the flexible modes of thought and creativity that are adaptable to a
wide range of circumstances, and the deeply personal ownership of the basis for
lifelong learning.
UNIVERSITIES IN PAKISTAN
Pakistan is an emerging country consisting of more than 200 million people. The
higher education in Pakistan has been consistently facing numerous problems and
issues which are affecting its quality. In this regard, it is admitted that declining
trend of students’s admission, low proficiency and aptitude level of teaching staff,
and outdated curriculum are the reasons which are mostly quoted for this malaise.
Recent letters of the Punjab Public Service Commission and Higher Education
Commission about poor performance of graduates leave serious concerns to be
pondered upon by the authorities for academic functioning of the departments of
the universities. Academic quality of the universities directly impacts the
reputation and employment of their graduates. However, this merely depends
upon the strength of academic functioning and quality practices in the universities.
Academic functioning is always influenced by the individual culture of a university
and higher education system of the country. Rao (2003) states that the academic
functions range from prescribed courses of studies, appointments and training of
the staff, organized instruction, conducting researc, preparation of leadership for
different strata, conducting examination and awarding degrees. These are the
primary functions of the university done at the level of departments and they cover
almost 65% of the university working.
There are two broad functions of university education in the world. One is the
manifest function, which can be termed as to produce students for the competitive
market economy to compete in society. The other is the latest function, which
means teaching the norms, mores, critical thinking, and long-term sustainability of
knowledge and wisdom. The former is functioning well in pakistan’s university
education while the later is deficient in coping with the flexibility in society. The
spirit to compete is ubiquitous due to a capitalist economy, while social ethics is
still persistent to continually absent from the university set-up. Education without
philosophy is blind; the spirit of philosophy in university culture is diminishing day
by day due to technological advancement.

QUESTION NO. 3
Discuss the role of various organizations in development and growth of
higher education in Pakistan.
Ans: In today’s competitve world, organizational performance has become
extremely important for sustainability. Globalization has brought in extensive
competition between organizations, coupled with budgetary constraints and rising
cost of operations. The greater realization of public towards organizational
performance has added new dimension to this environment.
In recent years, the concept of new public management has become the corner
stone of government policies and public sector institutions are expected to pursue
good governance, transparency, accountibility and self-sustainability through
efficient and effective performance. In Pakistan, the need for good performance in
educational institutions has become extremely critical for their sustainability.
It is clear that the higher education environment has changed considerably over
the last couple of decades and with more business like attitude prevailing in the
sector; a new style of leadership is in demand. The competencies that were once
characteristics of the business world are now becoming important prerequisites for
educational leaders as well.
Now, we will discuss in details the vital role of various organization in the
development and growth of higher education in pakistan.
 HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION (HEC)
The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan is an independent, autonomous, and
constitutionally established institution of primary funding, overseing, regulating,
and accrediting the higher education efforts in Pakistan.
Preceded by the University Grant Commission (UGC) in 2002 by a constitutional
amendment, the universities were formely accredited by the UGC established in
1947; the institution was revised 1974 and came its modern form in 2002 with
additional executive reforms granted by the constitution. Under a new and a
revised reforms, the HEC is made responsible for formulating higher education
policy and quality assurance to meet the international standards as well as
providing accrediting academic degrees, development of new institutions, and
uplift of existing institutions in Pakistan.
The HEC also facilitates the development of higher educational system in the
country with main purpose of upgrading the universities and colleges in the country
to be focal point of the high learning of education, research and development. Over
the several years, the HEC plays an important and leading role towards building a
knowledge based economy in Pakistan by giving out hundreds of doctoral
scholarships for eduaction abroad every year.
HEC aims at motivating and facilitating the Higher Education Institutions to make
research a top priority for a sustainable economic growth and future knowledge
economy. For this purpose, a centre is being established in universities to serve as
a pivotal point, encompassing all the research activities – from development of
research proposal to the commercialization of research products under a single
umbrella. These centres will be called “Offices of Research, Innovation and
Commercialization (ORICs)”. HEC has started working to organize the research
activities of universities ensuring availability of well-established and fully functional
ORICs.
 MINISTRY OF FEDERAL EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
OF PAKISTAN
The Ministry of Federal education and Professional Training is a federal ministry of
the Government of Pakistan. The department’s main responibilities include
creating policies, plans and programs to ensure the accessibility and availability of
education in Pakistan. It is also a provider of many technical, vocational and
professional skills and training that are needed to satisfy the national and
international standards of the employment market. It works in collaboration with
other ministries and organizations by sponsoring students, distributing
scholarships and conducting multiple training sessions. Sub-departments under the
ministry of Education and Training include national Vocational and Technical
Training Commission, National Commission for Human Development, National
Education Founding and National Education Assessment System.
 PAKISTAN ENGINEERING COUNCIL
Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) was constituted through an Act of Parliament in
1976 as autonomous body, to regulate the engineering profession and education
in the country. Presently, PEC maintains the secretariat at Islamabad with branch
offices at all the provincial capitals including Gilgit Baltistan and Iiaison offices at
Sukkur, Multan, Hyderabad and Muzaffarabad. The major objectives of PEC are as
follows:
 Maintenance of a register of persons qualified to work as registered engineers,
professional engineers, consulting engineers, constructors and operators.
 Accreditation of engineering qualifications for the purpose of registration of
registered engineers, professional engineers, consulting engineers.
 Promotion of engineering education and review of course of studies in
consultation with the universities.
 Ensuring and managing of continued professional development.
 Establishing standards for engineering contracts, cost and services.
 Assistance to the Federal Government as a Think Tank.
 Providing forum for arbitrations, pertaining to dispute in construction and
consultancy contracts.
 Facilitating engineering sector industries.
 Promotion of engineering profession in totality.
PEC is deeply motivated for the development and progression of engineering
profession and quality of engineering education leading towards international
recognition and cross border opportunities.
 PAKISTAN MEDICAL AND DENTAL COUNCIL
Pakistan Medical and Dental Council is a statutory regulatory authority that
maintains the official register of medical practitioners in Pakistan. Its chief function
is to establish uniform minimum standards of basic and higher qualifications in
medicine and dentistry throughtout Pakistan. It also sets the educations standards
for medical colleges in Pakistan along with the Higher Education Commission.

QUESTION NO. 4
Analyze the programs and provisions of Higher Education as envisaged
in recent education policies of Pakistan.
Ans: Pakistan being a developing country renders education as a survival tool of
this millennium. The identity of Pakistan comprises its social, economic and political
make up. In this context, it becomes imperative to equip its youth with the skills,
expertise and knowledge necessary to make sure the nation achieves its challenges.
Thus, there is a need for credible and quality institutions of higher education so
that students are equipped with the quality of education which would lead to
gainful employment in the future.
Coming down to brass tacks, the education sector of Pakistan has been in a state
of neglect since independence with a mere 2% of the GNP allocated for education
in spite of the UNESCO recommendation of 4%. However, in 2003, this budgetary
allocation rose to nearly 3%. In regard to higher education, the exponential growth
of the budget went upto about Rs. 9 bilion by 2005 which constitutes an increase
by 15%. This increase has not proved beneficial since the rise in expenditure and
inflationary costs have proved detrimental in the quest for improvement in this
sector.
Higher education in Pakistan functions at three levels. First of all, there are degree
colleges which are affiliated with universities for the awarding of degrees.
Secondly, there are institutes with a degree awarding status and finally, there are
universities in both the public and private sectors. The numbers of students in
institutions of higher education constitute a mere 3% in comparison to the 50-75%
in developed countries and fall in the age bracket of 17-24 years. Of these 75% of
graduates are from the public sector and mainly in science and technology. The
quality of these institutes is hardly commendable since quality education emerges
from the private sector institutions which are operating for profit and the fee
structure is beyond the reach of the common man. Only the upper class youth have
access to this education.
Turning to the education policies and plans since independence, it cannot be
denied that efforts were made at different periods to give direction to education.
The founder of Pakistan envisioned character building through education wherein
students would delevop honor, a sense of integrity and responsibility to tender
selfless service to the country. Thus, initially education plans were made on a five
year basis.
The basic startegy in higher education continues to hinge on consolidation and
improvements. A key element in this strategy is faculty development. During the
sixth plan, training facilities for the university teachers have been expanded.
Institutional linkages with foreign universities have been initiated. Equippment has
been augmented. These measures have , however, largely by-passed the college
level. No major project was launched in college education.
The award of B.A degree after 14 years of education is no more in foreign countries.
Generally, it takes 16 years to graduate. As a step in that direction, the Ministry of
Education has initiated a proposal to institute a B.A/B.Sc (Hons) stream overlaying
the existing B.A/B.Sc. this would require three years after intermediate and would
be a pre-condition for admission to M.a/M.sc, which will continue to be a two-year
course.
National Educational Policy 2009-2015
This particular policy was introduced by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). The
preparation of this educational policy had already begun before the party came
into power. Moreover, the policy may be differentiated on the basis of in-depth
discussions and multiple reviews of the policy. The purpose of review was to
prepare an educational policy that could serve to achieve national goals and
interests. The policy’s focus remains “Early Childhood Education-ECE” which was
ignored in almost all the previous educational policies. Under this policy it was
proposed that the children from age 3-5 must receive early education before
starting formal education from class-1 and enable them for their primary
education. Moreover, the non-formal education was deemed necessary for all the
adults so that the literacy rate of the country could be improved. In addition to this,
the policy also aims at the uplift of educational quality and the target of educational
policy could be achieved with the help of six pillars namely teacher, curriculum,
textbooks, assessment, learning environment and taking education as important
element in their life.

National Educational Policy 2017-2025

This policy was introduced and implemented by then regime of Pakistan Muslim
League, Nawaz (PML-N). The aim of the policy was to increase public sector colleges
and universities in Pakistan. Moreover, it was also suggested to support the private
sector universities to uplift their educational standards and increase virtual
education across Pakistan. It was also agreed that more sub-campuses of colleges
and universities should be established across Pakistan. This particular policy also
paid attention towards special education and agreed upon enrollment of 50%
special children by 2025 and also allocated 5% separate budget for special
education across Pakistan.

The government has formulated a long-term roadmap as the Vision 2025 for a
developed and prosperous Pakistan addressing key sector of the country. The
Vision 2025 stands on 7 Pillars. Pillar-I emphasized developing human and social
capital. It seeks to bring human resource development to the top of national
agenda by substantial expansion in levels of education as well as improvements in
the quality of education. A larger share of the GDP, at least four per cent to
education, would have to be allocated. Key goals under this pillar are; i) universal
primary education with 100 per cent net primary enrolment, ii) increase higher
education coverage from seven per cent to 12 per cent, and increase number of
PhDs from 7,000 to 15,000. To realize the Vision, the 11th Five Year Plan presents
a comprehensive approach for addressing human and social development gaps
with an emphasis on developing human and social capital to take full advantage of
Pakistan’s youth bulge. Pakistan has been projected to become the 5 th populous
country by 2030, with a population ranging between 230 and 260 million people.

Large portion will be the youth. This dividend can be gained through higher
productivity and a faster economic growth by providing quality education
throughout the population. In line with the Government of Pakistan’s development
Vision, the Higher Education Commission has taken numerous measures to address
the above mentioned human resources needs by providing access to higher
education to masses, providing opportunities to the youth to seek higher studies in
the top world class university, provision of research and academic conducive
environment to student and faculty.

The HEC has taken up the target as envisaged in Vision 2025 to enhance the
enrolment in higher education institutions 12 per cent of the youth aged between
17-23 years. A comparison over the last one decade is given below:

Year-wise increase in universities and students enrolment

Year Degree Awarding Institutions Student

Public Private Total Enrollment
2004-2005 57 53 110 471,964
2008-2009 70 57 127 803,507
2012-2013 87 66 153 1,080,000
2013-2014 87 69 156 1,230,000
2014-2015 94 69 163 1,400,000

Year Universities/Degree Awarding Inst

QUESTION NO. 5
Compare and contrast the objectives and strategies of higher education
of USA and UK.
Ans:
HIGHER EDUCATION IN USA
Higher Education system in USA is characterized by varitey of:
 Diversity
 Flexibility
 Transfer
From European perspective, American Higher Education is successful and thriving.
Indeed, it provides the model for educational reforms in almost every developed
country. American research and scholarship make contributions to every field of
learning and dominate many of them. In applied science and technology, USA is the
envoy of the world as Servan-Schreiber has observed. The Americans have worked
out a close association between business, universities and the government, which
has never been perfected nor successful in any European country.
The universities in USA are deeply involved in the life of the society, and contribute
much to the efforts to solve its problems from social medicine to the problems of
the inner city. American colleges and universities, almost from their beginnings,
have performed two different sets of functions, i.e, “elite” and popular functions,
but perhaps more accurately, the distinction is between those for which the
university sets its own aims, and those which the university takes on in response to
external needs and demands. The line between these facts is not hard and fast;
ultimately, it can be argued, all university activities are in some sense responsive to
social interests. But the distinction is a useful one. The other function of American
universities is the creation of new knowledge through pure scholarship and basic
scientific research.
Higher education is adopting an increasingly important role in placing people in the
occupational structure, and thus in determining their adult class positions and life
chances. In USA, where extreme decentralization of the lower schools is the rule,
the university system has taken little notice of them. With 50%, and soon a still
greater proportion of the young people moving on to some form of post secondary
schooling, the universities are receiving students who might have been better
candidates for higher learning if some larger foresight had been used in teacher
education and re-education, improved assessment techniques.
HIGHER EDUCATION IN UK
In UK, there is three tier system of Higher Education with universities, polytechnics
and college of education. The universities are expensive for the government
because of heavy research commitments. Polytechnics cost less and the open
university are the cheapest, becuase so far there are no buildings and research
commitments. The universities are prestigious , polytechnics are business like, and
college of education are professionals. In addition, there are a large number of post
experience colleges for continuing education.
Given the limited resources available for British universities and given the relatively
generous over all national and local support for students through grants, these are
not administered through UGC but directly by local authorities. Any increase in
misunderstandings between the public as citizens and taxpayers and the
universities as bodies dependent for 50 percent of their income on the state could
jeopardize not only further university expansion in Britain, but the precarious
maintenance both of the system as it exists and of the traditions, particularly the
teaching tradition, which survive and in some cases, have been revitalized.
The UGC in Britain was started in 1919 to advise government about giving grants to
the universities. It was under treasury and not attached with the Ministry of
education. It acted as a buffer between the Government on the one side, and the
autonomous universities on the other. In 1946, it was asked to play a more positive
and clearer role in Higher education. However, there were tremendous increases
in grants and the public account committee wanted accountability.
The UGC in UK has carried out studies on cost effectiveness, space-utilization,
faculty time use, expenditure on teaching and research and other important
problems of Higher education.
The universities in UK are not equal. Each university has some famous departments
and some universities have more famous departments than others. The universities
may, indeed, make learned man but their best commendation is given when it can
be of them, that furnishing the material and appliances of learning, setting the
examples in their professors and graduates, breathing the spirit of scholarship in all
that pertain to them, they inspire men by the self-creative force of study and
thought, to make themselves both learned and wise, and thus ready to put their
hand on every great and good work, whether of science and religion or of the state.
Hence, the real purpose of Higher Education in UK are theoretical and practical,
public and private, personal and social, and above all, moral.

UK Vs USA EDUCATION SYSTEM

According to the world university rankings compiled by the Times Higher Education,
more than half of the world’s top 200 universities are located in either the US or
the UK. Both countries share a rich tradition of quality higher education, excellent
research facilities, and a culture that promotes intellectualism as well as academic
freedom. However, while both certainly provide an excellent environment for
learning, there are many differences between the two countries regarding the
structure of the university as well as student life. Now, we will explore the primary
differences between the American and British systems of education.

 Length of Time
Perhaps the most important difference between the education system in the US,
and the UK, is the amount of time it takes to finish your degree (except in Scotland,
where a bachelor’s degree also lasts four years). In general, degree programs in the
US take about one year longer than programs in the UK, although this varies
depending upon whether you receive a Master’s degree prior to a Ph.D. Courses of
study are shorter in the UK because the course programs are generally much more
focused than in the US.

 Academic Term

Most universities in the US begin their terms in mid to late August, although smaller
liberal arts colleges may start later. Most take a rather lengthy break beginning in
mid-December and begin the second semester in early to mid-January. However,
universities that are on different calendars, such as a trimester or quarter-based
system, may begin their winter break at the Thanksgiving holiday, which falls at the
end of November. The academic term in the UK is a bit more varied. While most
also use the semester system, the trimester and quarter systems are used in some
universities. Many schools start in September or October and end in May or June,
making for a slightly longer academic year. However, the academic term is less
standardized throughout the United Kingdom.

 University Organization

Many universities in the UK are made up of “colleges” which are dedicated to a

specific subject matter. While the colleges are still governed by the university, each
college has quite a lot of autonomy from each other as well as the university itself.
You live with others in your college, eat with others from your college, and
generally stay within your college for the duration of your studies. Rather than
applying to the central university admissions department, like you do in the US, you
either apply directly to the college of the subject you want to study, or in the case
of undergraduate programs, you apply through a centralized system which allows
you to apply to several colleges at once. This system is called the Universities and
Colleges Admissions Service, or UCAS. This means that you have to know what you
want to study before you even apply.

By contrast, in the US, you apply to the larger university and for the first year or
more, you take courses from a variety of fields and only declare a major at the end
of the first year or perhaps even during the second year. American universities have
different “schools,” or departments, such as the School of Arts and Sciences, which
houses a number of related majors. However, even after you declare a major at an
American university, you are still expected to take classes outside of that field,
known as “electives.” For this reason, we can say that the general emphasis of
higher education in the US is breadth, or getting a range of knowledge from a
variety of different subjects. In the UK, the emphasis is more on depth; getting a
very thorough understanding of your chosen subject.

 Homework and Grades

Because the US system emphasizes breadth, courses require weekly or even

biweekly readings as well as other assignments such as small writing projects,
major research papers, and oral presentations throughout the course. In the UK,
most schools are much more lecture-based, with only occasional assignments
throughout the semester. In some cases, there may be no actual required
assignments and instead your entire grade may be based on one final exam. In the
US, your grade will be based on your performance on the variety of assignments,
with a final exam making up only a percentage of your total grade.