Hello, hello, and welcome back to German with Carolina, the podcast where you improve your German by listening to stories.
I'm Carolina, and I help you practice your German, expand your German vocabulary, improve your German pronunciation, and test your listening comprehension of the language.
I do this simply by reading short and fun texts and stories from all different genres and in different styles of literary texts that can hopefully be as entertaining as they are informative and helpful. Make sure to like and follow the podcast.
And of course, please share German with Carolina, with any of your family or friends, or really anybody that would also benefit from practicing their German language.
Ich bin Carolina und ich helfe dir, dein Deutsch zu üben, deinen deutschen Wortschatz zu erweitern, deine deutsche Aussprache zu verbessern und dein Hörverstehen in der Sprache zu testen.
Ich lese ganz einfach kurze Texte und Geschichten von allen Geschichtssorten und literarischen Texten vor, die hoffentlich unterhaltsam, aber auch informativ und hilfreich sein können.
Don't forget to like and subscribe to the podcast and please share German with Carolina with a family member or friends or anyone who could benefit from learning German. Before I get started, I have a couple of disclaimers slash an apology.
This episode is one day late.I'm really sorry about that.And also, I hope that there isn't a lot of noise disturbance.I recently moved and I'm currently living in a neighborhood where a lot of houses are still getting built.
So I do apologize for the construction. Either way, I hope that you are still looking forward to and making use of these episodes, even if they are less frequent now.I mentioned a few episodes ago that I only upload every two weeks now.
Nonetheless, I hope this podcast is helpful to you.Also, if you haven't yet or if you're new and you want more episodes to practice your German, this is episode 50.Hooray!So you have at least 50 episodes to practice with.
Today I'm back with a text that is not in form of a story.This episode is actually an argumentative text all about university tuition.A pretty big topic in Germany or the US or comparing them especially.
And as I always mention, these kinds of texts will appear in any kind of language exam that you take if you want to pass your German language tests. As always, I will start with a six-word vocab list and the English translation of the German words.
We always have two nouns, two adjectives, and two verbs, and I repeat each word twice.Then I will read the text, and at the end, there will be two questions with answers provided.I always repeat each question and each answer twice as well.
I hope you enjoy the episode, and make sure to stick till the end for the question round. Before I start with the episode, I have to apologize again.First of all, because this episode is one day too late.I'm sorry about that, of course.
And secondly, I hope it's not very loud with me right now.I recently moved and I live in an area where many houses are still being rebuilt.That's why it's a bit loud.I'm sorry.
Nevertheless, I really hope that you are still looking forward to this episode, although these episodes are only every two weeks now.I already mentioned a while ago that I will only upload every two weeks now.
If you are new here or if you haven't noticed yet, there is episode 50 today.Hurray!So you should have a whole 50 episodes to practice German. Today there is another text that is not in the form of a story.
There is an argumentative text about university fees.This is a pretty big topic in Germany, in the USA and of course if you compare the university fees in both countries.
I have often mentioned that such a type of text is often found in some language exams.So if you want to pass a German language exam, then such types of texts are very helpful.
As always, I start the podcast with a word list of six words and the English translation of these German words.There are always two nouns, two adjectives and two verbs and I repeat every word twice. Let's get started with the word list.Nomen.
Die Bildung.The education. Die Bildung.The education.Die Universität.The university.Die Universität.The university.Adjektive.Kostenlos.Free of charge.Kostenlos.Free of charge.Sozial.Social.Sozial.Social.
Alright, I'm about to get started with the text.Get ready.Es geht gleich los mit dem Text. Should the university be free of charge?The question of whether universities should be free of charge has been a controversial topic for decades.
Advocates of free university education argue that education is a basic right and should therefore be accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation.
Critics, on the other hand, emphasize the financial burdens that a free education would mean for the state and question whether this is the best use of public money.
In this text, the arguments on both sides are examined to provide a comprehensive perspective on the issue.Point number one.Education as human right. A main argument for free higher education is the idea that education is a fundamental human right.
The General Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations of 1948 explains that every human being has the right to education.In many countries this is applied to education, but the argument can be extended to higher education.
If access to education is a question of justice, then this access should not depend on the individual's financial possibilities.Point number two.Social justice and equal opportunities.
Another important point for free university education is the promotion of social justice. Free universities would ensure that all people, regardless of their social and economic background, have the same opportunities to acquire higher education.
At the moment, children from wealthy families have a significant advantage when applying to universities, because they can afford the tuition fees and the associated costs.
This perpetuates social inequalities and limits the opportunities for promotion for disadvantaged groups. 3.Economic benefit for society Free university education can also bring long-term economic benefits for society.
Highly qualified workforce are crucial for the innovation and competitiveness of a country.If more people have access to university education, this increases the general level of qualification and strengthens the economy.
In addition, the costs of social support could fall if more people find better jobs through higher education and earn higher incomes.
Reduction of the student debt crisis In many countries, especially in the USA, the debt of students has become a major economic and social burden.
Millions of graduates start their professional career with considerable debt, which they have to compensate for for decades.
Free universities could ease this debt crisis and give young people the opportunity to start their careers without being burdened by the burden of debt.Point number five.Promotion of science and innovation.
Another advantage of free university education is the promotion of science and innovation.If more people have access to universities, this increases the number of researchers and experts in different disciplines.
This could lead to more innovation and scientific breakthroughs, which could be an advantage both nationally and globally.
An educated civil right contributes to the development of new technologies, new medical treatment methods and other social progress.
Resistance against the idea of free education On the other hand, there are many arguments against free university education.A main point is the question of costs.
Universities are expensive in operation and require considerable funds for the payment of teachers, research, infrastructure and administration.If the tuition fees are deducted, the state has to bear these costs.
Opponents argue that this could lead to a significant tax increase or that funds from other important areas such as health care or public safety must be redirected.Point 7 possible overload of the system.
Another argument against free education is the danger of an overload of the educational system.If universities are free, this could lead to a significant increase in the number of students, which in turn could lead to an overload of the capacities.
This could affect the quality of the teaching because universities could have difficulties in hiring qualified lecturers or providing the necessary infrastructure to cope with the increasing demand.Point number 8.
Lower incentives for willingness to perform. An argument that is often used against free education is that it could reduce the incentives for students to work hard.
If students know that they don't have to bear any financial costs, they could be less motivated to take their education seriously or to make great academic efforts.
This could lead to a decline in the quality of education and the performance of studies, because the value of education is no longer as highly appreciated. 9.The quality of education could suffer.
Another important argument against free education is the concern that the quality of education could suffer.
If universities have less resources, they could have difficulties to keep the best professors and lecturers, to finance research and to provide modern learning tools.
This could lead to a drop in the quality of teaching and the universities lose international recognition. 10.Alternative financing options Instead of free university education, some experts suggest alternative financing options that can improve access to education as well as ensure the quality of universities.
These include interest-free student loans, income-dependent repayment plans and study programmes for students in need.
Such models could ensure that those who cannot afford the costs still have access to a high-quality education, or that this leads to a complete cut-off of the tuition fees.Point 11.International examples.
Various countries have chosen different approaches to financing high school education, and these offer valuable insights into the effects of free education.
Countries like Germany and the Nordic states have free or heavily subsidized universities, while other countries like the USA and Great Britain have high tuition fees.
A comparison of these models shows that free education does not necessarily lead to better quality or higher educational participation, but that balanced financing is necessary.Investments in the future
Advocates of free higher education argue that this represents an investment in the future of a country.Educated citizens are more productive, earn more and pay more taxes, which benefits the state in the long term.
In addition, they contribute to a more stable, informed and committed community, which strengthens social cohesion and democratic processes.Conclusion The debate about free education is complex and multifaceted.
On the one hand, there are strong arguments for free access to education as a fundamental human right and a means to promote social justice.
On the other hand, there are valid concerns regarding the affordability, sustainability and quality of university education.
A possible solution could be a balanced approach, which improves both access to education and ensures that the quality and financial sustainability of the university systems remains guaranteed.
Ultimately, the decision whether universities should be free of charge must be carefully weighed and made in the context of the specific needs and capacities of a country.The end.Let's go to the questions.Question 1.
What is a main argument for free universities? Was ist ein Hauptargument für kostenlose Universitäten?Answer Antwort.
Ein Hauptargument für kostenlose Universitäten ist, dass Bildung ein Menschenrecht ist und allen ab unabhängig von ihrer finanziellen Lage zugänglich sein sollte.
Ein Hauptargument für kostenlose Universitäten ist, dass Bildung ein Menschenrecht ist und allen unabhängig von ihrer finanziellen Lage zugänglich sein sollte. Question 2.Answer Antwort.
Free universities could lead to an overload of the education system and possibly impair the quality of the teaching because fewer resources could be available for the universities.
Free universities could lead to an overload of the education system and possibly impair the quality of the teaching because fewer resources could be available for the universities. Again, I really hope you enjoyed this 50th episode.
If you did, please do like, rate and subscribe to the podcast on whichever platform you listen to.Thank you so much for listening and I will see you next time.
Sign in
