System of Education in the United Kingdom - Система образования в Великобритании

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Ukrainian Cuisine

Among the first impressions for all the visitors who come to Ukraine is its national food. Ukrainian cuisine is diverse and unique. It has a rich history and is very popular in Slavic countries. There are a lot of tasty dishes in Ukrainian cuisine but the most famous one is perhaps the borscht. It is a vegetable soup, made of beets, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. They also add garlic, onion, dill and meat. There are many varieties of this dish.

Every housewife in Ukraine has her own recipe of borscht. Next on the list is the vinegret salad – salad of beetroot with sunflower oil and vinegar. People also add cooked and chopped potatoes, sauerkraut or pickles, onions, herbs and carrots. Breads and wheat products are also important for Ukrainians. For example, they cook traditional wedding bread called “Korovai”, which is a symbol of national hospitality.

Easter cake is known as “Paska”. The recipe of paska varies from place to place, but it usually includes milk, butter, eggs, sugar and raisins.

Traditional Ukrainian drink is uzvar – compote, made of dried apples and pears. Those, who like fish, would appreciate ukha. It’s a clear soup, made from various types of fish, for example, bream, catfish or ruff. For the main course Ukrainian guests especially like varenyky or pirohi.

They are small pastries or dumplings, which can be stuffed with mashed potatoes, cheese, cherries or strawberries. Of course, everyone knows about Ukrainian salo. Nobody leaves Ukraine not having tried one.

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System of Education in the United Kingdom - Система образования в Великобритании

The quality of a country's future life, commercially, industrially and intellectually, depends on the quality of its education system. The state in the United Kingdom provides a full range of free schooling. Those parents who prefer to send their children to private educational institutions, are free to do so. There are about 2500 fee-paying, or public schools in the country.

State schooling in the UK is not as centralized as in most European countries. Firstly, there is no prescribed curriculum. Secondly, the types of schools available and the age ranges for which they cater vary in different parts of the country. Local Educational Authorities are responsible for education in each area. At any state school no tuition fees are payable. State schooling in the UK is funded by the government and the local rates.

Schooling is voluntary under the age of five, and compulsory from 5 to 16. Generally, primary education in the UK takes place in infant schools (for ages 5-7) and junior schools (for ages 8—11); secondary education takes place in secondary schools. Pupils can stay at school voluntarily for up to three years longer. Until 1964 children took an 'eleven plus exam' at the age of 11 and were 'streamed' according to the results of the exam for education in different types of secondary schools. Grammar schools provided a mainly academic course for the top 20 %, technical schools specialized in technical studies, modern schools provided a general education with a practical bias. In 1965 non-selective comprehensive schools were introduced, though the old system still exists.

Having completed a compulsory education, 16 year-olds may start work, remain at school or study at a Further Education college. At schools and colleges they can take the school-leaving General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams — in a range of subjects. Other students prefer to pursue work-based training such as General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs), which provide skills and knowledge some in vocational areas such as business, engineering, etc. Having completed GCSEs most students usually specialize in three to four subjects leading to General Certificate of Education (GCE) A Levels. Others can take higher grade GNVQs.

Many students then move towards higher education training at universities, colleges and institutes offering studies at degree level and higher. The most common degree courses, which usually take three years to complete are the Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Education (BEd), Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB). Master degrees for those undertaking further study include the Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Laws (LLM). Then there are research-based postgraduate courses leading to the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD/DPhil).

These academic qualifications involve thousands of courses at more than 180 higher educational establishments in Britain. The most famous British universities are, of course, Oxford and Cambridge called 'Oxbridge' and famous for their academic excellence.

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