外刊 | 英国单一性别 vs 混合制教育 下

接上文：

# 经济学人 #

April 28th-May 4th 2018

专栏 | Britain

Cultural change is perhaps the biggest reason for the shift away from segregation. Girls have long been seen, “sometimes erroneously”, as a civilising influence on boys, says Susan Hamlyn of the Good Schools Guide education consultancy. This belief increasingly combines with a parental desire for an education that reflects the modern world. “I’ve had lots of conversations with fathers who go, ‘Hmmm, I had a great time [at my boys’ school]...but I would rather not think of the way I behaved towards women between the ages of 18 and 25’,” says Mr Peterken. Parents’ habit of unthinkingly sending their offspring to their old school has also largely come to an end, bringing more parental scrutiny of the education on offer.

文化的转变也许是打破这种隔离的最大因素。Good Schools Guide教育咨询公司的Susan Hamlyn说，长期以来，女孩被视为对男孩的文明影响力，当然这种看法有时候也没那么正确。但这种信念逐渐与父母对现代教育的观点相契合。Charterhouse的校长Mr Peterken说他与男孩的父亲谈话，那些父亲几乎都会这样说“我在男校度过一段开心的时光……但是我不想去回想当我面对18到25岁女孩时的那种窘迫。”正因为父辈有过这样的经历，他们不想让孩子重蹈覆辙，所以对学校体制的选择上也更带有审视的眼光。

* erroneous /ɪ'rəʊnɪəs/: [formal] not correct

The fact that schools are moving in a European direction (single-sex education is rare on the continent) is not entirely coincidental. According to the Independent Schools Council, which represents private schools, the number of non-British European pupils enrolled with its members has increased by 42% since 2014. Single-sex schools have struggled to take advantage of this growth, says Will Orr-Ewing, director of Keystone Tutors, a tutoring firm, since European parents, for the most part, “just do not understand single-sex education, do not believe in it, do not like it.” Chinese and Middle Eastern parents are said to be keener.

除了英国以外，在欧洲大陆的单一性别的教育其实是很少的。而且从2014年起，英国学校中学生来自非英国籍的就增加了42%。这些学生的家长，特别是来自中国和中东国家的家长，他们不熟悉也不信任单一性别的教育。这使得单一性别的学校没有竞争力，也促使了其转变。

Growing internationalism is not the only demographic shift behind the co-educational trend. A generation or two ago it was rare for children to grow up in households in which both parents worked. Today 60% do. This was one factor in Charterhouse’s decision to go co-ed. “Lots of parents have boys and girls,” notes Mr Peterken, “and they’re really, really busy, often both with high-flying jobs.” Putting all their children in one place cuts down on faff, both in choosing a school and shuttling children around.

国际化并不是英国转为混合制教育为主的唯一原因。五六十年前，一个家庭至少有一个家长是全职照顾小孩的。但在今天有60%的家庭都是双职工。混合制教育可以让家里有多个孩子的家庭接送更省事，也可以让父母更专注于工作。

* high-flying: adj. successful and determined to achieve more things

* faff: n. [informal] unnecessary touble involving sth that is not important

Single-sex schools are unlikely to die out. Many are adapting to new circumstances. In Bristol and Newcastle, small girls’ schools have merged to form more viable institutions. There remains a religious constituency for single-sex education, particularly among Muslims and Catholics. (Eleven single-sex “free schools”, which are funded by the state but run by organisations including charities and religious groups, have been founded, often to cater to this demand.) And those single-sex schools that remain tend to be well run, meaning they frequently play a central role in “chains” of schools run by non-profit organisations, says Sue Higgins of the Association of State Girls’ Schools.

虽然单一性别的学校数量在骤减但并不会完全消亡。在布里斯托和纽卡斯尔，一些女校正在改制。而因为宗教原因，尤其是穆斯林和天主教选区，仍然保留着单一性别的教育传统 (为了迎合宗教需求，国家出资的11所单一性别的"免费学校"已经建立起来了，是由慈善组织和宗教团体在运营 )。这些学校运作良好，成为这类学校的中流砥柱。

* die out: to become weaker or less common and then disappear completely

* constituency: a division of a country that elects a representative to a parliament

But the remaining ones look increasingly odd in a school system that is overwhelmingly comprehensive and co-educational. As Mr Smithers notes, a widespread emphasis on equality means that it becomes harder and harder “to sustain the argument that children have to be separate to be equal.”

虽然混合制教育已经全面铺开，但还是可以思索一下——怎么样才算是平等？

是混合制教育更平等，还是按性别分开教育更平等？

而目前混合教育标榜的就是其“平等”。

- The End -

peace out ~