Financing of Australian higher education has undergone dramatic change since the early 1970s. Although the Australian Government provided regular funding for universities from the late 1950s, in 1974 it (A) _____ full responsibility for funding higher education (B) ______ tuition fees with the intention of making university (C) _____ to all Australians who had the (D) ______ and who wished to participate in higher education. Since the late 1980s, there has been a move towards greater private contributions, particularly student fees. In 1989, the Australian Government introduced the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS), which included a loans scheme to help students finance their contributions. This enabled universities to remain accessible to students by delaying their payments until they could afford to pay off their loans. In 2002, the Australian Government (E) ___ a scheme similar to HECS for postgraduate students – the Postgraduate Education Loan Scheme (PELS). Funding for higher education comes from various sources. This article examines the three main sources – Australian Government funding, student fees and charges, and HECS. While the proportion of total (F) _____ raised through HECS is relatively small, HECS payments are a significant component of students’ university costs, with many students carrying a HECS debt for several years after leaving university. This article also focuses on characteristics of university students based on their HECS liability status, and the level of accumulated HECS debt.

revenue         ability        assumed        tax        abolishing        persecuting         introduced        doctrine        accessible 

Bhutan is the last standing Buddhist Kingdom in the World and, until recently, has (A) ____ much of their culture since the 17th century by avoiding globalization and staying isolated from the world. Internet, television, and western dress wete banned from the country up until ten years ago. But over the past ten years globalization has begun to change in Bhutan, but things remain (B) _____ balanced. Bhutan is the only country in the world that has a ‘GNH.’ You may think GNH is just another (C) ______ based term with no real-life application, but it refers to “Gross National Happiness.” The process of measuring GNH began when Bhutan opened up to globalization. It measures people’s quality of life, and makes sure that “material and spiritual development happen together.” Bhutan has done an amazing job of finding this balance. Bhutan has continually been (ranked) as the happiest country in all of Asia, and the eighth Happiest Country in the world according to Business Week. In 2007, Bhutan had the second fastest growing GDP in the world, at the same time as (D) ______ their environment and cultural identity. Bhutan is the only Buddhist Kingdom in the world; Mahayana Buddhism is the official religion of Bhutan. Over two thirds of the people are Buddhist, and Buddhism is supported by the government both politically and economically. The government gives subsidies to Buddhist monasteries, shrines, monks and other Buddhist programs.

statistically        preserved         maintain          maintaining          perfectly         perfect