VOA慢速英语--全球三分之一的大学生就读于私立学校

 One-Third of College Students Worldwide Attend Private Schools

Private colleges and universities are growing in popularity¹ around the world. One-third of all higher education students worldwide take classes at such schools. That finding² is from a study published earlier this year in the journal³ Higher Education.

Experts say the number of students attending private colleges and universities has been increasing for many years. But the study, from the University of Albany, is said to be the most complete collection of information on private higher education yet.

The university’s researchers studied information from the Institute of Statistics⁴ at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. They also used education records from national organizations in different countries and cross-border agencies⁵.

The researchers found that in the 192 countries named in the study, private colleges and universities enrolled⁶ 56.7 million students. That total represents about 33 percent of the world’s higher education student population.

Daniel Levy⁷ says the findings⁸ provide evidence of interesting changes to the nature of higher education worldwide. Levy is the director of the Program for Research on Private Higher Education at the University of Albany. He also wrote the study.

Levy says that for hundreds of years, the United States was different from many other countries in terms of higher education.

In Europe, for example, most of the colleges and universities have long been operated by the state. But many of America’s earliest colleges and universities were private and often operated by religious groups. These schools have become some of the most widely known and respected schools around the world.

Yet in recent years, private colleges and universities have become less popular in the United States than they once were, Levy notes. Private school enrollment⁹ was, at one time, higher in the U.S. than in any other country. Now, only 27.5 percent of American students attend a private institution, well below the international average.

Levy adds that as other countries have developed and grown economically, so too has private higher education. In Latin¹⁰ America, for example, about 49 percent of higher education students attend a private college or university. In Asia, about 42 percent of higher education students attend such schools.

Levy adds that private higher education has had a successful history in some places because of a lack of competition.

“In some of these regions¹¹, national independence wasn’t achieved until the 1960s or afterwards,” he told VOA. “And so, higher education systems weren’t begun … until that time. So it’s not like there was always a very long history of public education before there was private higher education.”

The growth of private higher education systems has resulted from several other factors, argues Harold Hartley. He is the senior vice¹² president of the Council¹³ of Independent Colleges. His organization represents hundreds of private colleges and universities in the U.S. as well as several schools in other countries.

Hartley suggests that many Americans have begun to question the value of a liberal¹⁴ arts education. Yet liberal arts programs are, in part, what has made American higher education so popular around the world. And many newer, private institutions offer such programs as a way to train students in one area of specialization¹⁵ while also educating them in other subjects. Such schools often appeal to international students.

Hartley adds that as more and more people are attending college, public higher education systems in some countries are running out of space.

“The state governments, the national governments in these countries just simply can’t keep up with the demand,” Hartley said. “And so private institutions are stepping in to fill that void¹⁶, and that’s part of what’s fueling this rapid growth.”

But Philip Altbach says there is more to this issue than classrooms not having enough seats for all the students. Altbach directs the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, a private Catholic¹⁷ research university in Boston, Massachusetts.

Altbach suggests there is now movement from public to private control of industries and different parts of modern life. People have grown dissatisfied¹⁸ with large governments and paying taxes in general, he says. But most public colleges and universities depend on government support. And with less tax money to spend, many governments have reduced that support in recent years.

Both Altbach and Levy have concerns about the growth of private higher education worldwide. They say that most private higher education is more costly¹⁹ than public systems. Also, historically and now, private higher education outside the U.S., in general, has been of lesser²⁰ quality than the public systems, Altbach adds. That is because private schools in many countries do not have to follow the same rules that ensure a good education.

However, U.S. officials have also faced problems in governing the private sector²¹, says Altbach. He notes the rise of several private colleges and universities that only seemed interested in making a profit.

For example, Corinthian Colleges was a for-profit company that operated schools all over the country. In 2015, the government found the company guilty of lying to students about things such as how likely they would be to find a job after finishing their studies.

So, Altbach suggests that in order for the private sector to improve itself, private schools must be willing to find ways to punish the bad ones. There may not be one perfect way of doing so. But as the nature of higher education changes, so too must the laws surrounding it.

“In a way it’s trying to get the private sector to contribute to the broader public interest,” he said. “And that’s not impossible. The United States has done it for several centuries. Only in recent times, with … these for-profits, have we had real problems with that system.”

In addition, Altbach admits that not every college and university can be the best in the world. But they do not need to be, he says. Private institutions need to work with each other and with government officials. In doing so, they can be open about their actions and create systems for governing the private education industry.

I’m Pete Musto.

And I’m Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

journal – n. a magazine that reports on things of special interest to a particular group of people

enroll(ed) – v. to take someone as a member or participant

institution – n. an established organization

achiev(ed) – v. to reach a goal

factor(s) – n. something that helps produce or influence a result

liberal arts – n. areas of study such as history, language, and literature that are intended to give you general knowledge rather than to develop specific skills needed for a profession

void – n. a large empty space

rapid – adj. happening in a short amount of time

sector – n. happening in a short amount of time

contribute – v. to help to cause something to happen

1 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

2 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

3 journal   

n.日志，日记；议事录；日记帐；杂志，定期刊物

参考例句：

• He kept a journal during his visit to Japan.他在访问日本期间坚持记日记。
• He got a job as editor of a trade journal.他找到了一份当商业杂志编辑的工作。

4 statistics   

n.统计，统计数字，统计学

参考例句：

• We have statistics for the last year.我们有去年的统计资料。
• Statistics is taught in many colleges.许多大学都教授统计学。

5 agencies   

n.代理( agency的名词复数 )；服务机构；（政府的）专门机构；代理（或经销）业务（或关系）

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations. 联合国有许多专门机构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The project is funded by the World Bank and other multilateral agencies. 这项计划由世界银行和其他多国机构资助。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

8 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

9 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

10 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

11 regions   

n.地区( region的名词复数 )；[数学]区域；（艺术、科学等的）领域；行政区

参考例句：

• A flying doctor service operates in remote regions. 在偏远地区有飞行医生服务。
• More powers are gradually being devolved to the regions. 正逐步向地方下放更多的权力。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

13 council   

n.理事会，委员会，议事机构

参考例句：

• The town council passed a law forbidding the distribution of handbills.市议会通过法律，禁止散发传单。
• The city council has declared for improving the public bus system.市议会宣布同意改进公共汽车系统。

14 liberal   

adj.心胸宽阔的；自由(主义)的；慷慨的

参考例句：

• He has a liberal attitude to divorce and remarriage.他对离婚和再婚看得很开。
• This country adopts a liberal foreign policy.该国采用的是开放的外交政策。

15 specialization   

n.特别化；专门化；（意义的）限定；特化（作用）

参考例句：

• The production line involves a high degree of specialization of labour. 生产线要求工人高度专业化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There has been increased economic specialization throughout the country. 整个国家的经济专门化程度越来越高。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 void   

n.空虚，空白，真空；adj.空的，缺乏的，无效的；vt.清空，释放，取消，离开；vi.排泄

参考例句：

• Suddenly the street was void of people.街道上突然间空无一人。
• The treaty has been declared void.条约被宣布无效。

17 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

18 dissatisfied   

a.不满的

参考例句：

• If you are dissatisfied with our service, please write to the manager. 对我们的服务如有不满，请函告经理。
• There was a dissatisfied look in the magager's eyes. 经理的眼睛里露出不满的神色。

19 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

20 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

21 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。