Higher Education Skills and Competencies

Running head: HIGHER EDUCATION SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
Higher Education Skills and Competencies
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
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1HIGHER EDUCATION SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
1. Introduction
There is a difference between the education that is given in schools and the education
that is given in higher schools or universities. I have gone through many books and institution
where I found that the primary education usually consisted of people who were of the age 4
to 11. The reception class is also included, which was followed by years 1 to 6. It is
commonly called the junior section. The children are taught the subjects by one particular
class teacher and there are not more than 30 students in a class room. If the number of
students is in increased number in a particular class the entire class is divided into two
different sections. On the other hand the secondary education system consists of the children
whose age is between 11 to 16 years. This is an important part of the secondary education as
in this form of education the students will learn new things that will be taught to them by the
specialized teachers. They will not be taught by only one individual teacher. At the age of 16,
the students take exams that are called GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education).
The further education include for the ones whose age is between 16 and 18. It is mandatory
for the students to attend the education till the age of 18. Once a student attains the age of 18,
they will be allowed to attend the higher education. The students either attend the college for
the further education or they attend vocational training. The students during the higher
education are exposed to different competitions and challenges.
2. The distinction between learning in the School environment and Higher
Education
The main difference between the higher education and the secondary education is that
while we study in the university we need to remain self-motivated. In the education that is
provided in the school the children are taken care of by the teachers. However, in the system
of higher education the children are not prompted by the teachers. The student is expected to

2HIGHER EDUCATION SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
do their work on their own. The other difference that I have found between school and
university is that the nature of learning is different. The university follows the independent
learning which the students find difficult to deal with once they come to the college after they
pass out from the schools. The most prominent difference is the size of the higher education
and the secondary school. We can consider our high school as a separate community and in
that case we can think of the university as a separate city. The other thing that forms the basic
difference is the study that interests us. The university education is considered to be the initial
step to have control over the learning of the individual. It is different from the secondary
education. In secondary education system we are required to study the subjects as some of
them were compulsory. This system of education is very different in the university education
system. The subjects that are being taught in the university are not compulsory but it comes
under specialization. During the higher studies, it is not compulsory for the students to study
all the subjects. The responsibility of the students changes when they are transferred from the
secondary school to the higher education. The students while learning in the schools are not
expected to undertake all the responsibilities on their own. The teachers are held responsible
for the way a subject is being taught. The teacher is responsible for the way to studies a
subject on the other hand the students in the higher education system are responsible for their
own action. They are responsible for identifying the best way to study and complete your
assignments on time.
The other thing that is different is the availability of the teachers in both the systems
of education. The contact time is the time that we spend at the universities while attending the
lectures and the tutorials. At the secondary levels we are expected to spend time about
generally more than 30 hours a week at school the students does not get enough time to
contact. This means that while reading in the universities we are expected to do our work on
our own outside the classroom.