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Focus on discussion. Regulation of the professions. Task 22. Read the text regulation of the professions and be ready to discuss it in the classroom with your groupmates.
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FOCUS ON DISCUSSION
REGULATION OF THE PROFESSIONS
Task 22. Read the text Regulation of the professions and be ready to discuss it in the classroom with your groupmates.
Originally, any regulation of the professions was self-regulation through bodies such as the College of Physicians or the Inns of Court. With the growing role of government, statutory bodies have increasingly taken on this role, their members being appointed either by the profession or (increasingly) by government. Proposals for the introduction or enhancement of statutory regulation may be welcomed by a profession as protecting clients and enhancing its quality and reputation, or as restricting access to the profession and hence enabling higher fees to be charged; or else may be resisted as limiting the members' freedom to innovate or to practice as in their professional judgment they consider best.
An example of this was in 2008, when the British government proposed wide statutory regulation of psychologists. The inspiration for the change was a number of problems in the psychotherapy field, but there are various kinds of psychologist including many who have no clinical role and where the case for regulation was not so clear. The work in psychology area was one of especial disagreement, with the British Psychological Society favouring statutory regulation of “occupational psychologists” and the Association of Business Psychologists resisting the statutory regulation of “business psychologists” – descriptions of professional activity which it may not be easy to distinguish.
Besides regulating access to a profession, professional bodies may set examinations of competence and enforce adherence to an ethical code. There may be several such bodies for one profession in a single country, an example being the accountancy bodies of the United Kingdom (the ACCA, CAI, the CIMA, the CIPFA, the ICAEW, the ICAS), all of which have been given А, although their members are not necessarily considered to hold equivalent Royal Charter qualifications, and which operate alongside further bodies (AAPA, IFA, CPA UK). Another example of a regulatory body that governs a profession is the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union, which governs the conduct, rights, obligations and duties of salaried teachers working in educational institutions in Hong Kong.
Typically, individuals are required by law to be qualified by a local professional body before they are permitted to practice in that profession. However, in some countries, individuals may not be required by law to be qualified by such a professional body in order to practice, as is the case for accountancy in the United Kingdom (except for auditing and insolvency work which legally require qualification by a professional body). In such cases, qualification by the professional bodies is effectively still considered a prerequisite to practice as most employers and clients stipulate that the individual hold such qualifications before hiring their services. For example, in order to become a fully qualified teaching professional in Hong Kong working in a state or government-funded school, one needs to have successfully completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (“PGDE”) or a Bachelor's degree in Education (“Bed”) at an approved tertiary educational institution or university. This requirement is set out by the Educational Department Bureau of Hong Kong, which is the governmental department that governs the Hong Kong education sector.
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UNIT 4
READING
THE MAGIC OF PANTOMIME
The Christmas season in the UK would be nothing without the traditional “Panto”. These funny musical plays date back to the Middle Ages and are based on a combination of Italian comedy and British Music Hall.
Comedians, singers and dancers perform in hilariously exaggerated ways. The shows are mostly aimed at children and are based on popular fairy stories and folk legends. 1______
Pantomime has become big business in the UK. Large theatres are in competition with each other for the best fairy stories as well as star performers who will help bring in large crowds to cover expenses. Pantomimes can often run for six to eight weeks. This obviously means they provide much-needed profits for theatres up and down the country. Over the years, it has combined many different features of theatre and so, in adapting, has managed to avoid extinction of a kind. The novelty aspect too has always been important to its survival. 2______ In doing so, it remains one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the country. To be described as traditional, a pantomime needs to have a strong story line and include all the important elements of “good” battling against “evil”, with the good guy always being the winner. 3______
Song and dance are also important to support the traditional plot, with influences from Italian comedy and characters performing various situations to delight audiences. 4______This form of comedy takes its name from a device that was carried by a pantomime character and used as both a weapon and a magic wand. It made a loud 'slapping' noise when used, for example by the star comedian, in order to create a more theatrical effect when hitting fellow actors. The most famous of those pantomime clowns was Joseph Grimaldi, making his first appearance in 1800. 5______ Pantomime now had its first real star. The elements of comedy, song and slapstick that have become the basic ingredients of successful pantomime had been established. Grimaldi also succeeded in setting up another tradition. The tradition of cross-dressing, where men play female roles and women play male roles. 6_____ Another example of this role reversal is the all-important mime dame, a comic old lady, played by a male actor, which was a role created during the Victorian era. Audiences love seeing their favourite comedian playing the part. The dame is warm and comic, but plays dirty tricks. Often the costumes are used to good effect by copying different fashions in an exaggerated way.
The other element of pantomime during the first and second world wars was, in contrast, the role of the 'principal' boy traditionally played by a girl. 7______ Pantomime has always tended to adapt to the times by taking on the “popular” stars of the day as well as other famous groups of performers. Pantomime could not survive, of course, without one particular chorus of dancers. Today, for reasons of economy, the average group can number between six or eight dancers. Some have as few as two or four professional dancers with “extra” youngsters known as “babes”.
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Despite the general competition from other forms of entertainment, traditional pantomime has survived and a visit to a show may be a child’s first experience of live theatre. If that experience is magic enough, it may leave a lasting impression. In a world where children are surrounded by computer games, DVDs and television, a visit to a pantomime could well change their view of theatre. It is hoped that this unique tradition will continue long into the future, with actors shouting, “Oh no it’s not! ” and children in the audience responding “Oh yes it is! ” as loudly as ever.
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