Education
CZECH EDUCATION
Before children start their nine years of compulsory education, they can attend nursery school till the age of three and then kindergartens, where they learn some basic skills like recognizing colours, animals, plants and of course they play, draw and paint, sing song etc. At the age of six they attend basic school where there are two grades. In the first grade (1st to 5th class) they learn to read, write and count, they have P.E. lessons and arts. Usually they have one teacher for all these subjects. In the second grade (5th to 9th class) they have more specialised subject (foreign languages, geography, biology, physics, chemistry, history, physics, civics) and are taught by more teachers specialised for these subjects.
After the leaving the basic school at the age of 15 they can choose from these types of secondary schools:
1) grammar schools - if they want to continue with studies at universities
2) special schools - technical schools specialised in chemistry, engineering, building etc. or business academies, agricultural schools, nursing schools, music and art schools
3) vocational schools - they train here to become workers for practical jobs of bricklayers, bakers, mechanics.
At the first two types students study for four years and leave after passing a school leaving exam in four subjects. The state maturita is passed in Czech language (which is obligatory for everybody), then they can choose between mathematics or a foreign language. The others two are chosen either by the school or by the students.
After that students may do the entrance exams and study at university or college. After passing a state exam and an interview over the graduate’s thesis, there’s a graduating ceremony where a diploma is handed over. The universities offer three-year-bachelor programmes as well as five-year-master programmes.
BRITISH EDUCATION
Small children in Britain may attend playgroups and later kindergartens. Then the compulsory schooling lasting eleven years starts. At the age of five they start their primary education, (divided to infant school two years and then junior school). When they are eleven they continue at secondary school. All students have to take GCSE exams (General Certificate of Secondary Education) when they are sixteen (called also “O-levels” - ordinary levels). After that they can start to work or go to vocational training. For the studies at university it is necessary to study for two more years and pass “A-levels” (advanced levels), which are accepted as entrance examinations.
Schools are divided to:
- state schools - students do not pay any fees
- public schools - which are not public at all but private and very expensive. Most of them are boarding schools meaning that the students study, eat and sleep at school. They are usually single-sex, students wear uniforms here. Most famous are Eton or Rugby.
Universities are independent, students have to pay for their studies. Most famous are Oxford and Cambridge, called together “Oxbridge”.
AMERICAN EDUCATION
When American children finish nursery school and kindergarten, they start elementary school at the age of six. Then they continue at a junior and senior high school. Compulsory education lasts 10 years. If they want to go to a university they have to pass the SAT exam (Scholastic Aptitude Test).
Public schools are free of charge, usually of low quality.
Private schools - the more you pay, the better education you get. Students wear school uniforms.
The most famous universities are Yale University and Harvard University (near Boston).
