You never stop learning
YOU NEVER STOP LEARNING (education, schools and universities )
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THE CZECH SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
King Josef and Queen Marie Therese made compulsory school attendance in our
country in 19th century. Our school system consists of primary school, secondary school and tertiary school or university. In the Czech Republic
there are state, church and private schools. If you can study at state and church schools, you can study free of charge, but if you want to study at
private schools, you must pay school fee.
The school year usually starts on the 1st of September and finished on 30th of June. School
year is divided into two terms. In the end of both terms children get school report with their marks. In school year children have some holiday:
autumn, Christmas, spring, Easter and main is in August and July. They have also free at Saturday and Sunday. School day consists of lessons, which
take 45 minutes and breaks which take 10 or 20 minutes. After lessons children go to the school canteen, where they get lunch.
Education in our country includes these stages:
Pre-school:
Pre-school education is provided
by crèches for children up to 3 years of age and nursery schools for children aged 3 to 6. Not many children attend crèches but quite a lot of them
attend kindergartens.
Primary school:
Primary school consists of first stage and second stage. At 6
years children start to go to primary school and they stay there until 15. Some pupils can transfer to grammar school at the age of 11 after they
have passed an entrance examination. At the end of the primary school children usually take A levels.
Secondary
school:
At the age of 15 the pupils transfer from primary to secondary school. They can choose among a variety of secondary schools:
Grammar schools - general education which prepare students for university
Special schools - include technical colleges,
business academies, nursing schools, music or art schools which offer professional education
Vocational schools - students would be
workers for practical jobs
Secondary education usually lasts for 4 years. At grammar and specialized schools it is finished with a
school-leaving examination which is taken in 4 subjects: Czech, a foreign language and 2 optional subjects. This examination is held in May and is
oral. A student chooses one of 25 to 30 topics and after 15 minutes preparation speaks on the topic. Then they receive the School-Leaving
Certificate.
Tertiary education:
Tertiary education consists of universities and colleges, which last from 3 to
6 years. The examination usually consists of a written test and an interview. Students can study variety of subjects such as economics,
architecture, law, medicine or science. In the universities and colleges are these courses: Bachelor’s Degree ( 4 years ), Master’s Degree ( 5
years ) and Doctoral Degree ( 6 years ). The university or college study is finished with a state examination, each must write a thesis or diploma.
Our oldest university is Charles University in Prague, founded by Charles IV. in 1348 as the first Central European university.
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OUR SCHOOL
Our school consists of about 700 students and 40 teachers. In our school there are about 24
classes. Our school consists of 2 buildings - upper and lower. The historical building that I attend has 3 floors. There are classrooms,
laboratories, teacher’s offices, head’s office and toilets. In classrooms are large windows, school desks and chairs, blackboard and teacher’s
desk.
Mostly the teacher examines the pupils individually or they take a written test. The results range from excellent, very good, good,
satisfactory to unsatisfactory. When somebody can go to this school, he must pass an entrance examination. At the end of study he must pass a
school-leaving examination.
- THE BRITISH SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
Full time of education is for all children between the ages of 5 and 16. Over 90% are state schools paid by Government and there are also
independent or public schools. School uniforms are worn mainly in private schools.
Almost all state schools are day schools, which have classes
from Mondays to Fridays. The school year begins in September and ends in July. The year is divided into 3 terms. The school day usually begins
between 8 and 9 a.m. and ends around 4 p.m. It includes afternoon break and about lunch break.
Pre-school education and primary
education:
Pre-school education is provided by nursery schools and playgroups. It’s for children aged 3 to 5. Compulsory education
begins at 5.
Infant schools = for children aged 5 to 7. Children learn to read, write and counting. Junior schools = for
children aged 7 to 11. Here is the work more systematic.
Secondary education:
Secondary education is for children
aged 11 to 16. It’s ended by General Certificate of secondary education. Comprehensive schools = very large schools, about 90% pupils go
here. It is
academic and practical education. Grammar schools = 4 % pupils attend these schools. It offers academic education.
Secondary Modern Schools = about 6 % pupils attend these schools. It offers general
education.
Further
education:
Almost 5% of students receive some form of further education. It’s provided by: Top 2 classes of a comprehensive and
grammar school
Independent six-form colleges = provide academic education
Tertiary colleges = offer a range of
full-time or part-time vocational courses
Further education is for children ages 16 to 18. It’s ended by A-levels or the General National
Vocational Qualification.
Higher education:
Almost 30 % of pupils go into full-time higher education. It includes
universities and colleges of higher education. The oldest universities are Oxford and Cambridge. In the universities and colleges are these courses:
Bachelor’s Degree ( 3-4 years ), Master’s Degree ( 1-2 years ) and Doctoral Degree ( 3-5 years ).
Independent
schools:
Almost 7 % of pupils attend these schools. These schools charge high fees. Students must wear uniforms.
School curriculum:
The Government has introduced the National Curriculum in state schools which defines four keys stages ( each
ended by a test ) and 10 statutory subjects.
Zones.sk – Zóny pre každého študenta