Higher Education / University / Third Level Education– Should it be free?

A basic education is provided free of charge for young people in nearly all developed and democratic countries. However, when it comes to university, or higher education, there are many different approaches taken. In some countries (such as Finland and Sweden) higher education is still free. In other countries, higher education is purchased like any other service. In many countries (such as the UK and the USA), fees are charged to students but how much of the cost of education these cover varies greatly. Often governments offer loans and financial support to help students pay these fees. However, more and more people want to go to university, putting student funding systems under pressure. The economic downturn has hit also government budgets very hard, raising tough questions about spending priorities. As educational and economic changes occur, should Governments charge fees for higher education, or provide it for free?


Should we charge students for third level / higher education? Or is it a right which should be provided in the same way as other more basic forms of education?

Academic qualifications are commonly felt to give a person the best chance of success in life. How far is this true?



The definition of success differs from person to person and field to field. One could take economic success as a touchstone to label a person successful in life, ignoring his of her other failures, like divorce, health, inefficiency, etc. Others may look at a capacity for overcoming challenges, irrespective of what someone earns and the nature of their private life. So who is a successful person and who is a failure? Do school and college grades and examination results provide a way of predicting or ensuring future success? If that is true, then we should encourage as many young people as possible to go to university and work hard to gain formal qualifications. But is it true? Aren’t some college drop-outs like Bill Gates and Richard Branson hugely successful icons of success? And should we automatically consider the millions of young people who have not had the opportunity to gain academic certificates to be failures in life?

counter-argument outline

Here are two outlines showing the most common placement of the counter-argument. The first is probably the most common.

1. Introduction
2. Supporting point #1
3. Supporting point #2
4. Supporting point #3
5. Supporting point #4
[there can be any number of supporting points]
6. Counter-argument
7. Rebuttal
8. Conclusion

1. Counter-argument, which also serves as introduction
2. Rebuttal, which would usually include the thesis statement
3. Supporting point #1
4. Supporting point #2
5. Supporting point #3
6. Supporting point #4
[there can be any number of supporting points]
7. Conclusion

Coutner-argument

Counter-Argument

When you write an academic essay, you make an argument: you propose a thesis and offer some reasoning, using evidence, that suggests why the thesis is true. When you counter-argue, you consider a possible argument against your thesis or some aspect of your reasoning. This is a good way to test your ideas when drafting, while you still have time to revise them. And in the finished essay, it can be a persuasive and (in both senses of the word) disarming tactic. It allows you to anticipate doubts and pre-empt objections that a skeptical reader might have; it presents you as the kind of person who weighs alternatives before arguing for one, who confronts difficulties instead of sweeping them under the rug, who is more interested in discovering the truth than winning a point.

Not every objection is worth entertaining, of course, and you shouldn't include one just to include one. But some imagining of other views, or of resistance to one's own, occurs in most good essays. And instructors are glad to encounter counter-argument in student papers, even if they haven't specifically asked for it.

The Turn Against

Counter-argument in an essay has two stages: you turn against your argument to challenge it and then you turn back to re-affirm it. You first imagine a skeptical reader, or cite an actual source, who might resist your argument by pointing out

• a problem with your demonstration, e.g. that a different conclusion could be drawn from the same facts, a key assumption is unwarranted, a key term is used unfairly, certain evidence is ignored or played down;
• one or more disadvantages or practical drawbacks to what you propose;
• an alternative explanation or proposal that makes more sense.

You introduce this turn against with a phrase like One might object here that... or It might seem that... or It's true that... or Admittedly,... or Of course,... or with an anticipated challenging question: But how...? or But why...? or But isn't this just...? or But if this is so, what about...? Then you state the case against yourself as briefly but as clearly and forcefully as you can, pointing to evidence where possible. (An obviously feeble or perfunctory counter-argument does more harm than good.)

The Turn Back

Your return to your own argument—which you announce with a but, yet, however, nevertheless or still—must likewise involve careful reasoning, not a flippant (or nervous) dismissal. In reasoning about the proposed counter-argument, you may

• refute it, showing why it is mistaken—an apparent but not real problem;
• acknowledge its validity or plausibility, but suggest why on balance it's relatively less important or less likely than what you propose, and thus doesn't overturn it;
• concede its force and complicate your idea accordingly—restate your thesis in a more exact, qualified, or nuanced way that takes account of the objection, or start a new section in which you consider your topic in light of it. This will work if the counter-argument concerns only an aspect of your argument; if it undermines your whole case, you need a new thesis.

Where to Put a Counter-Argument

Counter-argument can appear anywhere in the essay, but it most commonly appears

• as part of your introduction—before you propose your thesis—where the existence of a different view is the motive for your essay, the reason it needs writing;
• as a section or paragraph just after your introduction, in which you lay out the expected reaction or standard position before turning away to develop your own;
• as a quick move within a paragraph, where you imagine a counter-argument not to your main idea but to the sub-idea that the paragraph is arguing or is about to argue;
• as a section or paragraph just before the conclusion of your essay, in which you imagine what someone might object to what you have argued.

But watch that you don't overdo it. A turn into counter-argument here and there will sharpen and energize your essay, but too many such turns will have the reverse effect by obscuring your main idea or suggesting that you're ambivalent.

Counter-Argument in Pre-Writing and Revising

Good thinking constantly questions itself, as Socrates observed long ago. But at some point in the process of composing an essay, you need to switch off the questioning in your head and make a case. Having such an inner conversation during the drafting stage, however, can help you settle on a case worth making. As you consider possible theses and begin to work on your draft, ask yourself how an intelligent person might plausibly disagree with you or see matters differently. When you can imagine an intelligent disagreement, you have an arguable idea.

And, of course, the disagreeing reader doesn't need to be in your head: if, as you're starting work on an essay, you ask a few people around you what they think of topic X (or of your idea about X) and keep alert for uncongenial remarks in class discussion and in assigned readings, you'll encounter a useful disagreement somewhere. Awareness of this disagreement, however you use it in your essay, will force you to sharpen your own thinking as you compose. If you come to find the counter-argument truer than your thesis, consider making it your thesis and turning your original thesis into a counter-argument. If you manage to draft an essay without imagining a counter-argument, make yourself imagine one before you revise and see if you can integrate it.

Copyright 1999, Gordon Harvey (adapted from The Academic Essay: A Brief Anatomy), for the Writing Center at Harvard University

Sentences

The pressure of our ageing population and social tensions arising from the wealth gap called urgently for a broader consensus and greater willingness in society to confront these issues.

It is not as if the government has a blind spot on education, health and care of an ageing population.

Hong Kong loses out on overseas talent when people cannot find suitable schools for their children.

Measures to tweak land supply and tackle the lack of affordable flats meet public expectations, so long as officials are mindful of past lessons that too much interference in the market can cause uncertainty and confusion.

That the way Hong Kong has emerged stronger from the financial tsunami speaks for itself.

We trust he is right that the city will overcome the many difficulties coming its way.

Financial Secretary John Tsang has finally unveiled the long-awaited annual budget, which concerns all sectors of the society, and the general public at large.

Although Hong Kong’s outlook appears optimistic, we still face a string of stern challenges and a bumpy road ahead.

We believe that all these measures demonstrated that the government is committed to addressing the plight of the underprivileged.

However, to combat another wave of global economic meltdown, or any unexpected calamities and hardship, a huge reserve is one of the most effective leverages that the government might be able to exercise. Therefore, we feel called upon to point out that our leap forward is never plain sailing.

New Sentences

Now that the flu season is upon us again, public hospitals and accident and emergency departments have been flooded with patients suffering flu-like symptoms, with some requiring intensive care. The government is providing free seasonal flu vaccines to target vulnerable groups, and subsidising vaccination by private doctors. But again the public response has been poor.

Social stability should be of overriding importance. Any political changes will be meaningless if the country falls prey to chaos in the end.

If the current situation continues to deteriorate, it will not only be nightmarish for the 80 million Egyptians, but also perilous to regional peace and stability.

That almost all cities that once banned firecrackers have made the annual Spring Festival an exception reveals how indispensable firecrackers are to the Chinese celebration.

A lunar new year holiday devoid of the spark of firecrackers would be insipid and incomplete.

But as people return to work from their weeklong holiday, the same old questions surrounding firecrackers have resurfaced. While lighting up the night skies and adding to the festive atmosphere, they also pollute and injure. While few complain about the noise, most of us have experienced what they can do to the air quality.

China’s fight against inflation will determine its chances of maintaining sound and stable growth.

The best way to tackle the problem is to arm people with knowledge and skills. The more people understand the food they eat, the more likely they are to respect it and eat a balanced diet.

Diplomacy is more than following the letter of the law; it is also about avoiding doing and saying what is wrong.

Writing Topic

In a modern society, it has been observed in some countries that the elderly are not duly respected. Discuss the reasons why this has occurred and the effects it might have on our society.

Some sentences from editorial

The prolonged drought, which has been hitting northern China harder than expected since last autumn, surely justifies greater efforts to accelerate the development of water conservancy projects and promote the sustainable use of water resources in this country.

To quench the current thirst is indeed a pressing task. But it is of far greater significance for policymakers to ensure that the upcoming massive investment on water conservancy will effectively boost long-term food security and environmental sustainability if the country is to survive the dire consequences of climate change and win the future.

The country has let slip an opportunity to change these statistics for the better.

China lags far behind other countries in its efforts to impose restrictions on smokers. There are no national regulations on banning smoking in public areas.

Banning smoking in all indoor public places is a nut that the government must crack, regardless of the immediate impact on its tax revenues.

Spectacular collapses of businesses owing the public money or services, such as a number of yoga studios recently, are the tip of the iceberg.

But "naming and shaming" can still be an effective tool in the hands of the Consumer Council, firstly for warning the public against persistent improper practices and also as a deterrent to people who will not desist.

Women going astray

Even while cracking down on prostitution in places such as nightclubs, the Ministry of Public Security has said that prostitutes deserve respect.

Its respect for this special group of people includes calling them “women going astray” rather than prostitutes.

In some areas of the country these women are humiliated with beatings or parades through streets. However, the Ministry of Public Security has said that the files of women who go astray should be kept secret and they should not be treated in a disrespectful manner.

The ministry will work with other institutions, such as the Ministry of Health and the All-China Women’s Federation to re-educate and redeem women who have taken a wrong step in their life. They are committed to protecting these women’s rights to health, their reputation and privacy.

The new attitude toward the “women going astray” is groundbreaking, it shows less contempt and exclusion. We read empathy in it.

But this change won’t eliminate prostitution, which is illegal in China.

Prostitution has a close affinity with a host of other important social issues, in particular crime, drugs, sexual equality, poverty and health.

Although there are exceptions, most prostitutes are women selling their services to men.

Prostitution is sometimes referred to as “the oldest profession”. The new approach in China to women in the “oldest profession” may help give them a new chance at life if they decide to give up the “business”.

Prostitution amounts to the denial of a women’s humanity. Crimes such as prostitution devalue a community.

Rounds of raids have been conducted to rid the nation of prostitution. But signs of success are not conspicuous. One of the reasons is that justice is not meted out to men who buy sex from “women going astray”.

We urge law enforcement officials across the country to continue an active investigation of all undesirable activities, including those crimes involving prostitution. Prostitution cannot and must not be allowed to continue in the nightclubs or any other location.

Liu Shaowu, a senior official with the Ministry of Public Security, announced that the police would keep a close eye on places of amusement — at least one undercover inspection a week.

Prostitution will never be eliminated in a society that refuses to acknowledge, much less discuss, the problem. While the Ministry of Pubic Security does not want to throw “women going astray” out of society, programs are needed to educate them to live with dignity.

1. crack down on/upon STH

2. go astray

3. be humiliated with STH bad

4. disrespectful [adj]

5. take a wrong step

6. be committed to Ving

7. groundbreaking [adj]

8. show less comtempt and exclusion

9. empathy

10. has/have a close affinity with STH = have a closer relationship with STH

11. be sometimes referred to as XXX

12. XXX amounts to XXX

13. devalue a society/community

14. rid XXX of XXX

15. signs of success are not conspicuous

16. be meted out to XXX

17. keep a close eye on XXX

Rules on demolition

It is weird that nothing has been heard about the amendments to the 2001 regulations on real estate demolition and relocation a year after the State Council started to solicit public opinions about its new proposals.

The State Council arranged for some scholars to discuss the revisions to the eight-year-old regulations, which are accused by many of granting undefined —and consequently unrestrained — license to local governments and developers to demolish and relocate urban structures in whatever way they choose.

The five scholars from Peking University, who wrote a letter to the State Council requesting amendments to the old regulations, said that some of the current regulations contradict the country’s property rights law and urged that they be amended as soon as possible to make them legitimate.

Strong opposition from local governments and real estate developers had been anticipated. But the scholars never expected that the opposition would be so strong as to prevent new regulations from being implemented.

What is strange is the fact that nothing has been published about the draft version of the revised regulations, and nothing has been made public about the actions and arguments of the local governments and developers.

It is normal for the amending of such a sensitive set of regulations to meet resistance, yet, the public has the right to know how strong such resistance is and what the arguments are of the opposing parties .

The pressure must be enormous and the resistance inconceivably strong, as we have enough reason to believe that the State Council is more than willing to adjust the balance so that the social justice and fairness can be maintained.

It is more than two years since the State Council’s regulations on the disclosure of government information were adopted in 2008. The information about this set of regulations is of vital importance to the interest of millions of residents. They have every reason to be informed of the progress the State Council has made in revising the regulations.

In the past year, more tragedies have occurred in the forced demolitions by developers and local governments, for example, in October, a villager was beaten to death by demolition workers in North China’s Shanxi province. The amendements to the regulations are badly needed to stop such tragedies.

On this matter, which is of great concern to millions of residents, public discussions may be the best way to find a more reasonable balance, one which will protect the interests and rights of both developers and residents. Transparency is important.

Only when all parties, including ordinary residents, are well informed about what has been going on will they be able to make an informed judgment.

1. solicit public opinions about XXX

2. What is strange is the fact that XXX

3. how strong the resistance is

4. the pressure must be enormous

5. the resistance must be inconceivably strong

6. be of vital importance to XXX

7. be of great concern to XXX

8. Transparency is important

9. be well informed about XXX

10. make an informed judgment

A truly livable city

People outside China were generous to rank Beijing one of the 10 most livable cities in China. An Internet survey of 7,980 people throughout the world voted for 10 cities including Shanghai, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Xi’an. The criteria used to rank the cities are unknown.

Beijing may take encouragement from the result. But it still has a long way to go before becoming a truly livable city.

Most of the nearly 20 million permanent residents in Beijing are too busy living their lives to feel any great need to reflect on its meaning — for the city or them. In a city as diverse as this one, one person’s Beijing is likely to be quite different from another’s, as is their concept of what makes their part of it “livable” — or not. (good use of sentence structure)

The survey did not make clear the complexity of livability. What socio-economic indicators, such as housing affordability, job availability, and hubs of community activity, were included?

Working couples with children are likely to have quite different priorities from the elderly. Even people of similar ages have very different lifestyle preferences. Someone on the urban fringe may delight in the daily birdsong; a CBD resident probably won't mind its absence.

Good public planning must aim to distinguish between an endless list of wants, which reflect people’s status and values, and the key needs that should be met in every community. Despite the diversity of community choices, the high cost of property in Beijing means that affordability decides where most people live — only an affluent few have a free choice.

People might have more money and lead more exciting lives in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, but they face greater challenges in daily living.

Beijing’s museums and historical sites such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall are enchanting and among the best in the world. But traveling is not easy in Beijing. People need to get used to crowded buses and subways. And the city’s air quality is poor for many days of a year.

Still, Beijing should grab this chance to aim big. The city needs to set extraordinary goals.

There are examples of this among the places we think of as “great cities”. Copenhagen has the goal of getting 50 percent of its residents to cycle to their place of work or education by 2015. Chicago has the goal of becoming the “most bicycle friendly city in the United States.” Portland’s goal is to become “the most sustainable city in the world.”

The challenge to Beijing’s officials is simple: set a challenging target, such as “Beijing will be the most livable city in the World by 2030”.

Even if we fall short, no one will have a problem with only being the ninth most livable city in the world.

1) take encouragement from XXX

2) a truly livable city

3) as is N

4) housing affordability

5) job availability

6) hubs of community activity

7) different lifestyle preferences

8) on the urban fringe = 城市的邊緣

9) delight in XXX = 樂於

10) CBD = central business district

11) only an affluent few can have a free choice

12) be enchanting = 迷人的

13) be among the best in the world

14) grab the chance to aim big/high

15) set extraordinary goals

Crucial time for China's high-speed rail network

The final bolts fastening the high-speed rail tracks linking Shanghai and Beijing were tightened last week, presenting the mouth-watering prospect of efficient, high-speed travel between the cities, accelerating what is already rapid growth.

By the time this particular route is fully operational at the end of next year, 80 million passengers are expected to travel on it annually, while the 24 stations along the route will effectively link half the country's population. If trains are able to run as quickly as advertised, travel times between the capital and the nation's largest city will be more than halved to under five hours.

Such attractive figures have caught the world's attention. Not only will the impressive new infrastructure bring about a new era of land travel within the mainland, but also showcase China as a leading innovator. If all these benefits genuinely bear fruit, the estimated 3.7 trillion yuan (HK$4.24 trillion) to build the world's largest high-speed rail network will look a wise investment. Furthermore, these ambitions are expanding beyond China's borders. China and Thailand are reportedly in talks over a high-speed railway that will pass from southern China, through Laos to Thailand.

But with such a colossal amount of money involved it is imperative that the expected results are returned through strategic planning and co-ordination. Already the National Audit Office has identified 520 million yuan worth of irregular receipts regarding the construction of the 220.9 billion yuan Beijing-Shanghai line and handed the details to prosecutors. Throwing money into researching the latest technologies and putting fast trains on the right tracks towards the right destinations will not automatically guarantee benefits for the public.

A case in point was the recent opening of the Shanghai to Nanjing high-speed railway. Despite the hype and the much vaunted top speeds of 350km/h, most of the trains running the route only shortened travel times by one minute despite ticket prices having increased 57 per cent. Only two trains a day, one in each direction, travelled at speeds greater than the original trains, due to scheduling conflicts and the complicated routes. Ordinary travellers found it difficult to see how all that money had improved their lifestyles.

Furthermore, investigations into the two most memorable rail incidents in recent years have identified human error as the cause. In April, 2008 a Beijing to Qingdao train which had exceeded the speed limit derailed, killing 72 people and injuring more than 400. The accident took place at 4.40am and the speeding train initially went unnoticed. When it was noticed and warnings were sent out, those warnings were not heeded. Earlier that year 2.5 million people were left stranded around Guangzhou train station, causing mayhem and a public safety crisis. The chaos had been sparked by power failures, which stopped services for 10 days just as workers in the country were preparing to return to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year. While the ageing infrastructure was undoubtedly an issue, poor co-ordination between the relevant transport departments was also a key factor in the failure to avert the chaos.

The Shanghai to Nanjing route is now increasing in popularity but only after it was suspended for rescheduling and a new ticket-pricing strategy. Question marks over the Shanghai-Beijing route will remain unless the authorities can show that the money spent on fast trains is matched by investment in rail planning and training of personnel to ensure the well-being of domestic travellers is improved.

Vocabulary:

1) mouth-watering
2) catch/attract sb's attention
3) Not only... But also...
4) STH genuinely bear fruit
5) a colossal amount of money
6) it is imperative that XXX
7) A case in point/ An example in point
8) the hype
9) the much vaunted
10) go unnoticed
11) those warnings are not heeded
12) cause mayhem
13) be now increasing in popularity
14) Question marks over/against STH will remain