School

School system in the Czech Republic
In the CR, school attendance is compulsory from the age of 6 till 15 (or 16). It is free of charge and all children have the same possibilities for their future education. This system includes 4 grades:

a) Pre - school education
In our country there are nursery schools for children from the age of 1 to 3 years. From the age of 3 to 6 children attend kindergarten. This pre-school education is not compulsory.

b) Primary education
From the age of 6 to 15 (or 16) children attend basic schools. There are 2 degrees there. The first degree is from the first to the fifth class. Children learn the 3 R's there: Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic. Second degree is from the 6th to the 9th class. They learn Czech language and literature, foreign language, Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, History, Geography, Civics, P. E., Music and Art.

c) Secondary education
Boys and girls over the age 15 (or) 16 attend secondary schools such as Grammar school, Special School and Apprentice centres. At secondary school students are taught most of those subject as at basic school but they are expanded in their content. As for special subjects, they learn economics, typing, accounting, computers, and various kinds of laboratory work. Students finish their studies with the school-leaving examination

d) Tertiary education
Tertiary education refers to universities and Technical Universities. Successful students from secondary schools can enter any university.

School system in Great Britain
School is compulsory for children between the age of 5 to 16. Primary schools are for ages between 5 - 11 and Secondary schools are for ages over 11. Children under the age of five go to kindergarten. In Britain, 93% of pupils go to state schools. At the age of 16 about two thirds (2/3) of these pupils leave school and get jobs or apprenticeships. This system of education is free of charge. Some children take the Certificate of Secondary Education (C. S. E.) which means the satisfactory completion of school at the age of 16. More ambitious children take the examinations for the General Certificate of Secondary Education at ordinary level (GCSE - O level) or advanced level (GCSE - A level) at the age of 18. The GCSE - A level is the basic qualification to enter university. There are more than 40 universities in Great Britain.

School system in the USA
In the USA there is not a national system of education. Each of the 50 states has its own laws regulating education. Children begin school at the age of 5 or 6 and continue until the age of 18. Every child gets minimum 13 years of education free of charge. Primary or grade school is from the 1st to 6th grades. Then students attend middle school (also called junior high school) for three years. After middle school, students attend secondary schools, which are called "high schools". The goal of secondary school is to get a high school diploma. Students should take on average 17 or over 20 units during their studies. Marks in most US schools are A, B, C, D, and F with an A being excellent and an F being failure. During the final year of high school, most students take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) which is a national college entrance examination. The results of this test will determine if the student should continue on to attend a college or university and it is used by universities to decide which students to accept.

Schools and Studies
"He, who does not care for being instructed, you shall in vain try to instruct, unless you awaken in him a fervent interest in learning." This was said by Jan Amos Comenius, the author of many other wise sayings. After enrolling in the nine-year elementary school, six-year-olds begin their compulsory school attendance. The school year begins on September 1st and finishes on June 30th. Children gradually learn to read, write and count; later they get acquainted with the fundamentals of history, geography, the natural sciences and the fine arts. At the end of each school year, pupils get reports about their academic record in different subjects. This is followed by long-awaited two months of holidays, which they look forward to very much. But they have also other holidays e. g. Christmas, Easter and spring holidays.

In the final year of the elementary school many people face a problem. During this time everybody needs to choose his future occupation. The choice depends not only on our interests but also on our performance and success at school. We can choose from various options: to study at some secondary school (industrial, medical, economic) or an apprentice training centre, or some art school. One of the alternative secondary school is a high school, which is designed to prepare its students for university studies. At present time there are also private and religious schools. In contrast with the past, more emphasis is placed on foreign language studies (English, German, French, etc.) as well as computers and economics.
Secondary school studies last for four years. At the end of the fourth year students must pass a graduation examination. Knowledge of four subjects is verified there. The graduation examination committee rules as to how we performed.

If we want to study at college or university, we must successfully pass the entrance examinations and interviews. The choices are really quite wide-ranging. We can decide whether we will study at a school with a technical, humanistic or economic orientation, one of the medical faculties, or at a conservatory. Universities and technical Universities have several levels. The lowest, usually lasting three years, is the bachelor’s degree. Upon successfully completing this course of study, we achieve the title of bachelor. After completing studies at an economics or technical college we obtain the title of engineer. The complementation of studies is marked by a ceremony called graduation, where we get a diploma certifying the successful complementation of our studies.

There are also specialized schools for learning how to drive any kind of vehicle. These schools are known as driving schools. The final exam consists of theoretical knowledge of traffic regulations but also of actual driving skills. Then we get our long-awaited driving license and we can set out onto the streets.