Education
Education is very important these days. If we want to succeed in our highly-developed society we need a good education. Thaťs why all countries devote (venujú) so much attention to their educational systems and try to improve them.
Education in Slovakia
There have been some serious changes made in the educational system in Slovakia in the last few years:
· the National Curriculum has been changed
· a new school-leaving exam is being introduced at secondary schools
· many students are taking advantage of studying abroad, ....
School buildings look very much a1ike (podobné). They are usually big buildings with two to five floors. Many have playgrounds, gyms and sports facilities like a basketball court, a football pitch and a track; some even have swimming pools. On the ground floor, there are usually cloakrooms (šatne), the school canteen, the staff room (zborovňa) and the administrative offices, including the headmaster's office (riaditeľňa).
Primary schools students have from 25 to 30 lessons per week and at secondary school students have on average 30 to 32 lessons a week. Classes start at 8 am and usually finish at 1:25 pm or 2:20 pm. A lesson usually lasts 45 minutes and breaks are usually 10 or 15
minutes long. Apart from lessons, many schools offer various after- school activities for students, like sports, drama, photography,…..
The school year starts on September 1st and finishes on June 30th. Students get school
reports at the end of January and June. They get marks from 1 to 5 (one = the best, five = the worst). School attendance is compulsory from the age of six to sixteen. There are: state schools, church schools and private schools. There are several stages of education:
1. pre-school education – includes crèches, kindergartens; it´s voluntary; children play and do some activities
2. primary education – provides (poskytuje) children with a general education; children study languages, maths, history, geography, chemistry, biology, physical education,...
3. secondary education – different types of them: gymnasiums and various kinds of vocational and technical schools (agricultural, nursing, electro-technical, business, ..); studies at gymnasiums and specialized secondary schools take 4 years and are finished with a school leaving exams (2 parts: written and oral)
4. post-secondary education – new trend in professional education (specialising in accounting, tourism, PC technology,...); it lasts 3 years & is completed by final exams
5. higher education – students have to pass an entrance test; it lasts from 3 to 6 years & is provided by colleges and universities; students can study everything from law, medicine, economics and journalism to agriculture, engineering, drama and fine art; students can enrol in three-year courses for bachelor's degrees or five-year courses for master's degrees
Education in Britain
In Great Britain, education is compulsory for everyone between the ages of 5 – 16. There are 2 types of school: independent or private schools. State schools are free and they provide education for the majority of children. The school year runs from early September to mid July. There are three terms: autumn, spring and summer with a couple of weeks holiday at Christmas and Easter. School lasts all day, usually from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In Britain children get six marks (A, B, C, D, E, F). „A“ is the best mark and „F“ is the worst. Children get a school report at the end of the school year. There are several stages of education:
1. nursery schools – parents may
choose to send their child to a
private nursery school at the age
of three or four or there are
some nursery classes at state
primary schools
2. primary education – children enter primary school at five and then move to secondary school at eleven.
3. secondary education – pupils attend them till 16 when they take exams called GCSEs (General
Certificate of Secondary Education); there are league tables that show which schools get the best
examination results
4. post-16 education – after two years they can take A - levels
5. higher education –is provided by colleges and universities
slovencina