23/03/2011

The Russian system of secondary education will be radically reformed in the coming years. The discussion of this reform has been the most popular subject on the Russian agenda since the end of 2010, only high-profile catastrophes, revolutions and military actions are more popular. Meanwhile, neither the public, nor officials, nor experts can clearly and clearly tell what kind of school Russia needs in 10 years.

To Classical education or emphasis on high technology? Uniformity for the sake of national cohesion - or a kingdom of flourishing complexity? Free education of a good level - or will parents have to pay for almost everything, except for the notorious "physical education and life safety"? There is not only no consensus, but also no clarity about all this in Russian society: even experts prefer to speak in long, unimportant phrases when making public statements.

Perhaps it will be easier to understand the desired direction of reform if we briefly become acquainted with the most famous school systems in the world. These are the most developed European countries, in the past the mother countries of the great colonial empires - as well as the current world leader of the United States and representatives of the two fastest growing educational systems in the world.

"SP" presents a brief overview of the national school traditions of France, Germany, Great Britain, the USA, South Korea and Finland.

France

The system of secondary education that has developed in France consists, like most European systems, of three levels - primary (ecole primaire, from 6 to 11 years old) and senior (college, college - from 11 to 15 years old, then lycee, lyceum - from 16 to eighteen). This is a fairly conservative system that has existed with minor changes for more than 100 years - since the 1890s. Education of the state standard is obligatory for children from 6 to 16 years old (the lyceum, as an analogue of the Russian 9th - 11th grades, mainly prepares students for entering universities). At the same time, education is free in public schools, but there are private alternatives.

Private schools - mostly paid for students, but less constrained by the state framework - also provide their graduates with state diplomas. There are two types of such schools based on their relationship with the state: subsidized (sous contrat) and non-subsidized (hors contrat). In the first of them, the government pays salaries to teachers, and schools follow the national program and the standard schedule, in the second, there are no subsidies from the government, but there is an opportunity to educate children according to non-standard programs.

Among state-subsidized schools, two categories are also distinguished: "contrat simple" and "contrat d'association". Contrat simple: The school complies with government requirements for curriculum and examinations, while receiving subsidies for teachers' salaries. Contrat d'association: in addition to the "contrat simple", the school is partially controlled by the state in terms of pedagogical methods and the selection of teachers, receiving funding for operating costs and salaries for this. In order to receive funding under such a contract, schools must prove that they have a certain philosophy that is missing in the public system. Usually private schools have a religious (Catholic) focus. Such a system has been operating in France since 1959 (the so-called Debray laws).

The cost of education in private schools depends on many factors, but, in general, is not particularly prohibitive in the European framework. So, education in one of the oldest and elite schools - Ecole de Roches - in 2008 cost 27,320 euros per academic year.

We also note that 80% of schools in France are state-owned, and the smallest category is non-state-subsidized institutions, there are only about 20% of them in the country (there are fewer primary schools, about 9%, and a little more than 30% of secondary ones). There are also more teachers in public schools than in private ones - but in terms of the number of schools, non-state institutions win.

Almost all religious (Catholic) educational institutions, as well as schools for children with disabilities, etc. are among non-state schools in France. In other words, those schools that educate obviously non-standard people or do it in non-standard ways have been forced into the private sector.

Primary school in France is not much different from the advanced Russian version - small classes, a playful approach to subjects, lack of grades in most schools. But at the age of 11, after graduating from elementary school, young Frenchmen go to college, which is considered the first stage of secondary education. In college, classes are counted in reverse order: the student enters the sixth grade, four years later he finishes the third. Then comes the final - and, unlike in Russia, mandatory for everyone - stage of the lyceum, which takes two years. There are two main types of lyceums - general education (general) and technological (technologique), but within each category there are many profiles, specializations - approximately what Russian schoolchildren are now trying to accustom to.

The second class of the lyceum (that is, the first in chronological order) is general education, here it does not yet reach specializations. The first class already has many directions - branches of study leading to different types of undergraduate studies (this is the name of the exam for an analogue of our matriculation certificate, in fact, the first specialized work or project of the student). In some lyceums, even such programs as astronautics or aeronautics are offered as profiles.

Among the differences between French specialization and Russian projects is the special status of the French language as a subject. The state language test is passed after the first grade by everyone without exception. The score for this test counts toward the bachelor's degree exam.

The bachelor's exam itself is preceded by the last, "diploma" class, also known as the "terminal". Preparation for the final exam is extremely serious, since its results are taken into account when entering universities. In general, in three lyceum years, the French manage to both decide on their future specialty, and demonstrate their level to others, apply for a future career.

Germany

Based on the same Prussian education system as the Russian school, the education system in Germany today is much more diversified and, according to some analysts, less democratic. Critics of the German school system usually point to the fact that the main choice of the future for the child is made in elementary school - later, if the family's capabilities initially did not allow choosing a good school, breaking into the ranks of the elite is extremely difficult, almost impossible.

So, elementary school in Germany teaches children from 6 to 10 years old (or up to 12 years old in Berlin and Brandenburg). In it, children learn to read, count, write, study natural history. The differences among primary schools are mainly in the availability and quality of extracurricular activities. Then comes the turn of high school - from 10 to 19 years. And here the specialization and social stratification among schools becomes clear.

The choice of the type of school, according to German laws, takes place individually for each student in accordance with the recommendation of the school, the wishes of the parents, the level of school grades, as well as the result of the entrance exams. Since the level of development and the availability of recommendations is related to the primary school the child attended, the choice of school often depends on the capabilities of the family.

The types of secondary schools in Germany are as follows: basic school (Hauptschule) - designed for 5-6 years of study and involves subsequent training at a vocational school; real school (Realschule) - designed for 6 years of study, and a high score obtained based on the results of studying in a real school allows you to enter the senior class of the gymnasium, and then to the university; finally, the most thorough education is given by the gymnasium (Gymnasium) - there the training lasts 8-9 years.

As a rule, the gymnasium specializes in three main areas: humanitarian (languages, literature, art), social (social sciences) and technical (natural sciences, mathematics, technology). Upon completion of training, a diploma of secondary education (Abitur) is issued. The German Abitur is the equivalent of the Russian high school diploma and the British A-level diploma. Gymnasiums are focused on entering the University.

In addition to these three types, there are also general schools (Gesamtschule) - they combine the various features of the gymnasium and real schools, allowing you to receive both humanitarian and technical education.

In addition to public schools, state certificates are also issued by private educational institutions. These are, as a rule, religious, elite, closed schools. The range of educational services provided by private traders is wider than the state one - for example, only in such schools can one get a German certificate for a foreign student.

Private schools in Germany (public education is expected to be free) charge more than French ones - for example, in prestigious German schools, the full cost of an academic year is about 40,000 euros.

United Kingdom

The British high school is perhaps the most distinctive system of education in Western Europe. And, at the same time, perhaps the most prestigious - regardless of tests such as PISA, British schools are a magnet for students from all over the world, not excluding Russians.

“Many teach, we educate gentlemen,” this phrase is attributed to the director of one of the most prestigious British schools. Actually, this is the essence of the carefully built brand of British secondary education.

Education in the UK is compulsory for all citizens between the ages of 5 and 16. There are two sectors of education: public (free education) and private (fee-paying educational institutions, the year of which costs 40-50 thousand US dollars). In addition, there is a big difference between the education systems of different parts of Britain: one system has developed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the second - in Scotland.

One of the most characteristic types of secondary school in the United Kingdom is the Boarding School, a tradition that dates back to the early Middle Ages. Initially, these schools appeared at monasteries, in particular, Benedictine ones. Although the monastic boarding schools were charitable, for half a millennium British boarding schools have been paid.

Now boarding schools have a reputation as "aristocratic" - the fact is that once it was schools of this type that raised several generations of Britons who subjugated half the world. And now some of the boarding houses that have existed for many hundreds of years under one roof and one name can be called clubs for the descendants of the most aristocratic families of the former empire.

In addition to these schools, there are many other types of educational institutions in the kingdom. According to the age of the students, they are divided into full-cycle schools (All-Through schools), this is an approximate analogue of our educational complexes “from kindergarten to prom”; and for schools for each individual age: preparatory schools - kindergartens, from 2 to 7 years old, in which, in addition to the usual kindergarten classes, they also teach to read and write, junior schools - elementary schools, from 7 to 13 years old, ending with a special exam Common Entrance Examination, without which the path is closed further. In addition, there is an alternative system - Primary School from 4 to 11 years old, with a further transition to the Secondary School stage.

Further after Junior comes the senior school, Senior School - teenagers from 13 to 18 years old study in it. Here, children first undergo a two-year training to pass the GCSE exams, followed by another two-year program: A-Level or International Baccalaureate.

In a parallel system, this age “closes” the Secondary school, which teaches children from the age of 11 years. An analogue of the Russian gymnasium, Grammar school is an education for children from the age of 11 according to an in-depth program. Graduation classes for entering further universities in Britain are called the Sixth Form, these are 2 senior years of study (16 - 18 years).

In Britain, the tradition of separate education for boys and girls is still strong. This is especially noticeable in the world of traditional boarding schools, among which the majority are “separate”. However, the schools of the "new formation" are mostly, on the contrary, mixed.

As for the form of ownership, both private and public schools are widely represented in the UK. Free secondary education, of course, is guaranteed by the state, however (similar to Germany) for a successful career, you need to finish the “right” school. And such schools are traditionally private (this was the prevailing form of ownership until the 20th century) and are quite expensive for parents.

Compulsory education in Britain is valid for children up to 16 years of age. Then (after receiving A-Levels) the system of educational loans begins to operate. Moreover, a university graduate begins to give them only when applying for a job with earnings of at least 21 thousand pounds a year. If there is no such work, the debt does not need to be returned.

The length and age of beginning compulsory education for children in the United States varies by state. Children start school at the age of 5 to 8 and finish at the age of 14 to 18.

At the age of about 5 years, American children go to elementary school, to the zero grade (kindergarten). This kindergarten class is optional in some states - however, almost all American children attend kindergarten. Although kindergarten literally means “kindergarten” in German, kindergartens exist separately in the United States and are literally called “pre-school” (preschool).

Elementary school continues until the fifth or sixth grade (depending on the school district), after which the student goes to middle school (middle school), which ends with the eighth grade. High school is from ninth to twelfth grades, so usually Americans, like Russians, complete their secondary education at 18.

Those who have completed secondary education can enroll in community colleges (community colleges), also called elementary colleges (junior college), technical colleges (technical college) or city colleges (city college), which, after two years of study, issue an associate's degree ) comparable to secondary specialized education. Another option to continue your studies is to go to colleges or universities, where you get, usually in four years, a bachelor's degree. Those with a bachelor's degree can study further to obtain a master's degree (2-3 years) or a PhD (similar to the Russian PhD, 3 years or more). Separately accredited faculties and universities issue the degrees of doctor of medicine and doctor of law, for which special training is also required at the bachelor's level.

Free public schools are run primarily by democratically elected school boards, each of which has jurisdiction over a school district, whose boundaries often coincide with those of a county or city, and which contain one or more schools at each level. School boards set school programs, hire teachers, and determine program funding. States regulate education within their borders by setting standards and examining students. State funding for schools is often determined by how much their students have improved on exams.

The money for schools comes primarily from local (city) property taxes, so the quality of schools is highly dependent on house prices and how much taxes parents are willing to pay for good schools. Often this leads to a vicious circle. In districts where schools have earned a good reputation, parents flock to give their children a good education. Home prices are on the rise, and the combination of money and dedicated parents is taking schools to the next level. The opposite happens at the other end of the spectrum, in the poor areas of the so-called "inner cities".

Some large school districts establish "magnet schools" for especially talented children living in their jurisdiction. Sometimes in the same district there are several such schools, divided by specialty: a technical school, a school for children who have shown talent in the arts, etc.

Approximately 85% of children study in public schools. Most of the rest go to paid private schools, many of which are religious. The most widespread network of Catholic schools, which was initiated by Irish immigrants in the second half of the XIX century. Other private schools, often very expensive and sometimes highly competitive, exist to prepare students for admission to prestigious universities. There are even boarding schools that draw students from all over the country, such as the Phillips Academy at Exeter in New Hampshire. The cost of education in such schools for parents is about 50,000 US dollars per year.

Less than 5% of parents choose to homeschool their children for various reasons. Some religious conservatives do not want their children to be taught ideas they disagree with, most commonly the theory of evolution. Others believe that schools cannot meet the needs of their underachieving or, conversely, brilliant children. Still others want to protect children from drugs and crime, which are a problem in some schools. In many places, parents who teach their children at home form groups in which they help each other, and sometimes even different parents teach children different subjects. Many also supplement their lessons with distance learning programs and classes at local colleges. However, critics of homeschooling argue that homeschooling is often substandard and that children raised in this way do not acquire normal social skills.

Primary schools (elementary schools, grade schools, or grammar schools) usually teach children from the age of five to eleven or twelve. One teacher teaches all subjects except visual arts, music, and physical education, which take place once or twice a week. Of the academic subjects taught, as a rule, arithmetic (occasionally - elementary algebra), reading and writing, with an emphasis on spelling and increasing vocabulary. The natural and social sciences are taught little and not varied. Often the social sciences take the form of local history.

Often in elementary school, instruction consists of art projects, field trips, and other forms of learning through fun. It came from the current of progressive education in the early 20th century, which taught that students should learn through work and everyday activities and study their consequences.

Middle schools (middle schools, junior high schools, or intermediate schools), as a rule, teach children aged 11 or 12 to 14 years old - from the sixth or seventh to the eighth grade. Recently, the sixth grade has been increasingly included in secondary school. Usually in secondary school, unlike in elementary school, one teacher teaches one subject. Students are required to take classes in math, English, science, social studies (often including world history), and physical education. Students choose one or two classes themselves, usually in foreign languages, arts and technology.

In secondary school, the division of students into ordinary and advanced streams also begins. Students who perform better than others in a given subject can study in an advanced (“honorary”) class, where they pass the material faster and give more homework. Recently, such classes, especially in the humanities, have been abolished in some places: critics believe that isolating high-performing students does not allow low-performing students to catch up.

High school (high school) - the last stage of secondary education in the United States, lasting from ninth to twelfth grade. In high school, students can choose their classes more freely than before and only have to meet the minimum criteria for graduation set by the school board. Typical minimum requirements are:

3 years of natural sciences (year of chemistry, year of biology and year of physics);

3 years of mathematics, up to the second year of algebra (mathematics in secondary and high schools is usually divided into the first year of algebra, geometry, the second year of algebra, introduction to analysis and calculus, and is taken in that order);

4 years of literature;

2-4 years of social studies, usually including the history and government of the United States;

1-2 years of physical education.

For admission to many universities, a more complete program is required, including 2-4 years of a foreign language.

The remaining classes must be chosen by the students themselves. The set of such classes is very different in quantity and quality, depending on the financial situation of the school and the inclinations of the students. A typical set of optional classes is as follows:

Additional sciences (statistics, computer science, environmental science);

Foreign languages ​​(most often Spanish, French and German; less often Japanese, Chinese, Latin and Greek);

Fine arts (painting, sculpture, photography, cinematography);

Game art (theater, orchestra, dance);

Computer technology (computer use, computer graphics, web design);

Publishing (journalism, yearbook editing);

Labor (woodworking, car repair).

In some cases, the student may not study at all in any of the classrooms.

In high school, especially in the last two years, a new type of advanced class is emerging. Students can take classes that should prepare them for the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams. Most universities count a good mark on these exams as an initial course in the relevant subject.

Marks, both at school and in universities, are issued according to the A / B / C / D / F system, where A is the best mark, F is unsatisfactory, and D can be considered satisfactory or unsatisfactory, depending on the circumstances. All marks, except F, may be prefixed with "+" or "-". Some schools do not have A+ and D− grades. From these grades, a grade point average (abbr. GPA) is calculated, in which A counts as 4, B as 3, and so on. High school grades often go up by a point, meaning A counts as a 5, and so on.

South Korea

Primary school is attended by children between the ages of 8 and 14. The list of subjects studied in primary school includes (but does not exhaust it):

Korean

Mathematics

Exact sciences

Social Sciences

art

Music

Usually, all these subjects are taught by one class teacher, although some specialized disciplines may be taught by other teachers (for example, physical education or foreign languages).

Promotion through the levels of the educational system from elementary to high school is not determined by the results of passing various examinations, but solely by the age of the student.

Until the late 1980s, English was usually taught in secondary school, but now it is being taught in the third grade of elementary school. Korean is very different from English in terms of grammar, so mastering English is very difficult, but with relatively little success, which fact is often a topic of thought for parents. Many of them end up sending their children to additional education at private schools called hagwons. More and more schools in the country are beginning to attract foreigners for whom English is their native language.

In addition to public elementary schools, there are a number of private schools in Korea. The curriculum of such schools more or less corresponds to the state, however, it is embodied at a higher level: more teachers are offered for fewer students, additional subjects are introduced and higher standards of education are set in general. This explains the natural desire of many parents to arrange their children in such schools, which, however, is stopped by the relatively high cost of education in them: $ 130 per month of classes. This does not compare with the prestigious countries of Europe and the USA, but relative to the income of Koreans, this is very decent money.

Primary schools in Korean are called "chodeung hakkyo", which means "elementary school". The South Korean government changed its name in 1996 from the former "gukmin hakkyo", which translates to "civil school". It was above all a gesture of restoring national pride.

Korean school education is divided into secondary and higher (education in secondary and higher schools, respectively).

High school entrance examinations were abolished in 1968. In the late 1980s, students still had to take entrance exams (however, without competing with other candidates), and the result of admission was determined either randomly or by place of residence relative to a particular institution. Schools, whose rank was previously determined by the level of students, were equalized in receiving state support and the number of poor students distributed. However, this reform did not level schools completely. In Seoul, students who did well in the entrance exams were allowed to enter more prestigious schools without being tied to the district, while all the rest entered the school of "their" district. The reforms were equally applied to public and private schools, admission to which was strictly controlled by the Ministry of Education.

Unlike the United States, where the class number usually incrementally increases from 1 to 12, in South Korea, the class number starts counting from one every time you enter elementary, middle, and high schools. To distinguish between them, the class number is usually given along with the level of education. For example, the first grade of middle school would be called "First grade of high school", "chunghakkyo il hakneong".

In Korean, middle school is called "chunghakyo", which literally means "high school".

In Korean high school, 3rd grade. Most students enter it at the age of 12 and graduate, respectively, by the age of 15 (by Western standards). These three years correspond approximately to 7-9 grades of the North American and 2 and 4 grades (form) of the British educational systems.

Compared to elementary schools, South Korean high schools place much higher demands on their students. Dress and hairstyles are almost always strictly regulated, as are many other aspects of a student's life. As in elementary school, students spend most of the day in the same classroom as their classmates; however, each subject is taught by its own teacher. Teachers move from class to class, and only some of them, excluding those who teach “special” subjects, have their own audience, where the students themselves go. Class teachers play a very important role in the lives of students and have significantly more authority than their American counterparts.

Students in secondary school have six lessons a day, usually preceded by a specific block of time in the early morning, and a seventh lesson specific to each major.

Unlike a university, the curriculum does not vary much from one high school to another. The core of the curriculum is formed by:

Mathematics

Korean and English

Also near the exact sciences.

"Extra" items include:

Various arts

Physical Culture

history

Hanchcha (Chinese character)

Maintaining a home economy

Computer literacy lessons.

Which subjects and in what quantity are studied by students varies from year to year.

The duration of the training sessions is 45 minutes. Immediately before the start of the first lesson, students have about 30 minutes at their disposal, which can be used as desired for self-study, watching programs broadcast by a special educational channel (Educational Broadcast System, EBS) or for doing personal or class business. In 2008, students attended full-time classes Monday through Friday, as well as half a day every first, third and fifth Saturday of the month. On Saturday, students are engaged in additional activities in any circles.

In the late 1960s, the government ended the practice of high school entrance examinations, replacing them with a system in which students from the same district were admitted to the high school on a random basis. This was done in order to average the level of students in all schools, however, to some extent the difference between rich and poor areas remained. Until recently, most schools were open to one gender only, but recently new high schools are accepting children of both sexes, and the former schools are also becoming mixed.

As in elementary school, students move from class to class regardless of their performance, as a result of which the same subject in the same class can be studied by students with completely different levels of preparation. Grades begin to play a very important role in the last year of high school, as they affect the student's chances of getting into a particular university, for those who primarily want to pursue a scientific, rather than a professional technical career. In other cases, grades are needed simply to please parents or teachers (or avoid their righteous wrath). There are several standard forms of examination for certain subjects, and teachers of "scientific" subjects are required to follow the recommended teaching aids, however, in general, secondary school teachers have more authority over the course program and teaching method than teachers in universities.

Many high school students also take additional courses after school (hagwon) or study with private tutors. Special attention is paid to English and mathematics. Some of the hagwons specialize in only one subject, while others specialize in all key subjects, which can turn into a second round of school classes with often even more stress on the student immediately after the end of the first (official) In addition, especially persistent attend martial arts clubs or music schools.

They usually return home late in the evening.

A special attitude in Korean schools is to technical support. By 2011, according to the declarations of the Korean government, the country's schools have completely switched from paper textbooks to electronic ones.

Finland

In Finland, every child has the right to pre-primary education, which generally begins one year before the start of compulsory education, that is, the year the child has his or her sixth birthday. Pre-primary education can be obtained in a school or kindergarten, family kindergarten or other suitable place. This is decided by the municipality.

Compulsory education begins in the year when the child turns seven and continues until the age of 16-17. The state guarantees free basic education. This includes education, textbooks, notebooks, basic stationery, school meals are also free.

In the 3rd grade, the study of English begins, in the 4th grade the child chooses an optional foreign language (French, German or Russian). Compulsory Swedish begins in grade 7.

Second step

After receiving basic education, students face a choice:

Get a professional education, after which you start working in your specialty. Training takes place in vocational schools (Fin. ammatillinen oppilaitos): in particular, a vocational school (Fin. ammattiopisto), you can also choose training in the workplace under a contract (Fin. oppisopimuskoulutus).

Continue studying at the lyceum, where there is a serious preparation for entering a higher school. Students who go to the lyceum must show a sufficiently high degree of preparedness (the average score of the grades received in the basic school will be this definition). In Finland, lyceum graduates are also applicants - they apply to higher education while still being lyceum students.

It is interesting that, as in Russia, in Finland there is a “hidden fee” for some types of secondary education. So, if in a general school textbooks are provided free of charge, then in the gymnasium they need to be bought - this is about 500 euros per year, and the entire amount must be paid immediately. As for private schools, 30-40 thousand euros per year will have to be spent on education there.

Which system is more suitable as a benchmark for Russian secondary education? Irina Abankina, director of the Institute for the Development of Education at the Higher School of Economics (HSE), spoke briefly about this for SP:

This is a very difficult question. In short - perhaps no system suits us completely. On the one hand, the historical roots of our education system go back to Germany, this is well known. At the same time, in Germany itself, an active reform of the secondary school is now underway. In the UK, their traditional model is also being changed now - Michael Barber is doing this. Despite the fact that these are magnificent and prestigious systems, there are still many questions.

On the other hand, according to the results of international tests - the same PISA - the countries of Southeast Asia have pulled ahead in recent years. Miracles were shown by Shanghai, the vanguard of Chinese education, impressed by Taiwan; earlier, South Korea and Japan rushed forward no less actively.

This means that the Eastern model of education is also worth asking. And this model, let's face it, is not as pleasant for the observer as the European or American one. These are fully-filled classes - up to 40 people! This is a tough discipline, reminiscent of the golden years of the Soviet school. But this is also a factor that was absent in our old school - total tutoring, that is, tutoring. Without individual - paid - classes it is very difficult to prepare a student well there. According to Professor Mark Breir, who works at Shahnai University, the size of the tutoring market in Shanghai reaches 2.5% of GDP. In the budgets of most families, the cost of additional educational services is a significant item.

As for Russia, I repeat, none of the existing systems in the world suits us without adaptation. Building a new school for the country, it will be necessary to combine solutions from all over the world .

Introduction

The conditions for admission to higher education institutions, the forms of payment for higher education used by the state and the population, have been the subject of heated discussions in the media, and in the universities themselves, and in scientific circles, and in government bodies in recent years. The central topic of discussions about the shortcomings of the existing rules and the feasibility of a large-scale introduction of new mechanisms is the ratio of public and private financing of higher education and the conditions for obtaining it for budgetary funds. But relatively little attention is paid to discussing the impact of existing and proposed mechanisms on the accessibility of higher education for various groups of the population. Differences in higher education opportunities for representatives of different social groups have a decisive impact on the nature of the economic and social development of society and should be the subject of careful analysis and purposeful state policy. The problem of accessibility of higher education in Russia is being actively developed at the present time. But the focus of ongoing research is the impact on the accessibility of higher education for different groups of the population of their various socio-economic characteristics (level of family income, social status, place of residence, etc.). The role of institutional factors - formal and informal rules for admission to universities and economic conditions for obtaining higher education - in reproducing differences in the accessibility of higher education for different social groups has not been the subject of special studies.

Classical education or emphasis on high technology? Uniformity for the sake of national cohesion - or a kingdom of flourishing complexity? Free education of a good level - or will parents have to pay for almost everything, except for the notorious "physical education and life safety"? There is not only no consensus, but also no clarity about all this in Russian society: even experts prefer to speak in long, unimportant phrases when making public statements. Perhaps it will be easier to understand the desired direction of reform if we briefly become acquainted with the most famous school systems in the world. The education system in the USA

The state system of education, as such, does not exist in America. Although schools are funded primarily by the government, each state has a local, elected board of education that develops curricula and manages schooling. There are no uniform standards in the school education system - their quality often depends on the place of residence that the family chooses. The content and volume of the material to be comprehended by the student (as well as textbooks and other printed materials intended for use in the classroom) are specified in schools by the teachers themselves. And here it remains to rely on the education, professional qualifications and responsibility of the teacher. Higher education is paid and quite expensive. In many families, dads and moms start saving up for college even before their child - he or she - utters the first word. Many students are self-sufficient - earning money while studying or taking a loan for education. This means that after graduating from college or university, not only a diploma awaits them, but also a heavy burden of debt (there are educational loans). Features of the education system in the UK In the UK, there is a system of free education that any child can receive, regardless of the nationality, race and social status of his parents. Along with free municipal schools, there are also private, paid educational institutions. Universities differ from all other universities in that they have the right to independently award academic degrees and determine the conditions for obtaining them. The differences among universities are quite strong. The "new" universities are more focused on the professional training of graduates, while the old and "red-brick" universities pay more attention to classical academic education. Higher education is paid. The model in the UK is modeled on the higher education funding model used in the US, which includes a flexible policy of combining high tuition fees with low-interest, long-term loans. The credit system also has negative sides. In particular, for this reason, young people's anxiety about repayment of a loan is increasing, and more and more young people prefer an early start to work rather than higher education.

Features of the education system in Japan Higher education

As of 2005, more than 2.8 million Japanese students were studying at 726 universities. Higher education involves four years of study for a bachelor's degree. Sometimes a six-year program is offered to achieve a specific professional degree. There are 2 types of universities: 96 national universities and 39 public universities. The remaining 372 establishments in 1991 were private.

There is practically no free education in the country. As of 2011, out of 2,880,000 Japanese university students, only about 100 received a Japanese government scholarship. Scholarships are given only to the most talented and most insecure students, and they are issued with the condition of return and do not fully cover tuition costs.

Features of the education system in China

The Chinese take education very seriously: universities invite the best foreign teachers, the state invests huge amounts of money in education.

Preschool institutions in China are kindergartens. Children are accepted there at the age of 3 - 6 years. Now there are about 150 thousand kindergartens in the country.

Secondary education in China has three stages. At the first stage, education is free.

At the end of a higher education institution, three academic degrees are established.

Higher education

According to the law, there are three types of higher education in China:

Courses with special curricula (term of study 2-3 years),

Bachelor's degree (4-5 years),

Master (additional 2-3 years).

At the end of a higher education institution, three academic degrees are established:

Bachelor,

Master,

To enter a university, you must have a certificate of secondary education and be over 18 years old. Applicants take entrance exams and a language test. Teaching in educational institutions is conducted in Chinese. If a foreign applicant does not speak Chinese, then it is possible to enroll in 1-2-year language courses, after which you can enter the university. There are also short-term Chinese language courses for a period of one month.

Education in the master's and doctoral studies is possible in English.

The academic year begins in September and consists of 2 semesters, at the end of which students take exams. In the process of study there are no seminars and tests as such.

Education at universities is paid, but there is a chance to get a scholarship - for which you need to apply from January to March to the Chinese Embassy or to a special council that is directly involved in the distribution of scholarships. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, medical insurance, accommodation and meals. Features of the education system in Italy The matriculation exam at 18 paves the way for university admission and a bachelor's degree

The university is considered free, but everyone is required to pay a tuition tax. Its size is set in accordance with the income of the student's family. If you study well, then at a state university you can be exempted from paying tax. A very important difference from our system is the absence of exam tickets. Examinations are written and oral. Literature, history, linguistics, philology are usually taken orally. Each exam requires 99.9% self-study as the lectures only provide a small portion of what you need to know about the subject. Far from everyone copes with the exams: only three out of ten students reach the diploma. Each professor has certain visiting hours when he can personally listen to you and advise which books will be most useful to you. If you wish, you can apply to have a "curator" for one of your major subjects. With him you can always consult about the curriculum, exams, programs, books and, of course, the thesis. Another possibility is to go to the counseling center that exists at each faculty

Education system in Russia

Russian universities use two main admission mechanisms: 1) on the basis of a general competition based on the results of passing exams at the university and 2) targeted admission based on a separate competition. A number of categories of persons are entitled to preferential conditions for admission to universities. In Soviet times, education in universities was free for students. In the last decade, under the influence of changes in the economy, there has been a transformation of institutions that regulate the conditions for obtaining higher education. In addition to free education, the market for paid educational services is intensively developing, both legal and shadow. These processes obviously change the situation with the accessibility of higher education for various social groups. Thus, the growth in the number of universities and the size of enrollment increases the opportunities for people who have received a general education to continue their studies at a university. But the simultaneous spread of paid services to prepare for entering a university and the development of shadow forms of payment for admission narrows the opportunities for talented children from low-income families to get into universities that are in high demand.

One of the prevailing trends in higher education in Russia is the increase in the share of paid education.

The main problems of the education system

If we talk about the problems of education in connection with the general economic situation in the country, then in general they boil down to the following three:

1 insufficient funding of institutions of higher, secondary and primary vocational education (budget funding is carried out at best by 40-50%);

2 poor material and technical support of the educational process (over the past 10 years, almost 90% of educational institutions of the education system have not received funds from the budget for the purchase of new teaching and laboratory equipment);

3 low wages for teachers

4 the availability of quality education in gymnasiums, lyceums, colleges and universities for talented children from low-income families, remote regions of Russia has become quite problematic, and to a large extent depends not so much on the abilities of children and young people, but on the financial situation of the family (tutoring, paid courses, tuition fees), and for those entering universities - from the place of residence.

As a consequence of the above, a decrease in the quality of education at the main levels has become noticeable:

- general medium - outdated structure, overloaded school programs;

- primary and secondary vocational - rupture of educational and industrial relations with basic enterprises;

- higher - features of the creation of non-state universities, the introduction of "paid education", the opening of numerous branches of state universities that do not always function well.

Paid education has largely proved to be ineffective due to factors such as:

most of the funds from paid higher education are directed not to support state universities, but to non-state ones, which do not always provide a level of education quality;

lack of a clear distinction between paid and free educational services in preschool and school education;

most of the funds from tutoring bypass the budgets of universities and criminalize the processes of entrance examinations.

Main measures and directions in the education system of the Russian Federation

In higher professional education:

Development of a new generation of state standards for higher education, taking into account the current and future needs of the state, society, and the individual;

Increasing the role of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation both in determining the structure and scope of training of specialists, and in assessing the quality of the work of universities (during attestation and accreditation, by monitoring the implementation of licensing requirements by educational institutions);

Development of the practice of co-establishment of universities by the subjects of the Federation and federal executive authorities;

Development of new, more stringent, requirements for attestation and accreditation of universities, in the first place - branches and non-state;

The introduction of state repayable subsidies or educational loans for higher education (partially or fully repaid by the state when a graduate works on state distribution);

Creation of more equitable access to higher education on the basis of experimental development of the system of unified state examinations”

In essence, we are talking about creating a reliable mechanism for the sustainable development of the education system, for which it is necessary to solve the following tasks:

Ensuring state guarantees of accessibility and equal opportunities to receive a full-fledged education;

Achieving a new modern quality of preschool, general and vocational education;

Formation in the education system of legal, organizational and economic mechanisms for attracting and using extrabudgetary resources;

Raising the social status and professionalism of educators, strengthening their state and public support;

Development of education as an open state-public system based on the distribution of responsibility between the subjects of educational policy and increasing the role of all participants in the educational process - the student, teacher, parent, educational institution

Education systems around the world

Syktyvkar State University

Department of Management

Education systems in the countries of the world.

Syktyvkar 2009

1. Characteristics of educational systems

1. 1 UK

1. 1. 1 Primary and secondary education

1.2 Germany

2.1 Secondary education

2. 2 Higher education

Conclusion

Introduction

the importance of studying and analyzing trends in the development of education abroad.

As is known, democratization processes are currently taking place in the education systems in the leading countries of the world. Its essential feature - along with accessibility, variability and differentiation, decentralization of management - is openness, continuity of all its stages.

many important factors: the ever-increasing amount of knowledge, skills and abilities needed by schoolchildren, the results of research into the nature of childhood, the experience of educational institutions in different countries. In addition, world education needs to correspond to a new level of production, science, and culture. This means that updating the education system is an urgent, inevitable task.

Education is one of the decisive life values. The craving for education is due not only to the desire to acquire knowledge as a guarantor of the extraction of material benefits, but also to the awareness of the need for a broad culture. When ranking life values, the majority of the population of the developed countries of the world gives preference to education.

Based on this, the purpose of this test is to study modern education systems (using the example of the USA, Great Britain, Germany).

The object of study is the educational systems of modern countries, and its subject is the analysis of various aspects of education systems in developed countries.

Research objectives:

Analyze the educational systems of modern countries (on the example of the systems of the USA, Great Britain, Germany);

Reveal the specific features of the development of educational systems in these countries.

The purpose and objectives of the study determined the choice of its methods:

The structure of this work includes: introduction, three chapters, conclusion and bibliography.

1. 1 UK

decisions that determine the prospects for the development of the industry are carried out at the highest level in the hierarchical structure of the parliament and government. The Law on Education of 1944 is considered the first act of national significance, which, although it was mainly devoted to school education, to a large extent streamlined the education system as a whole and determined its governing bodies. Then the adopted acts were reviewed and supplemented. But by the 1960s there was a need to revise and improve the quality of education, and it tends to exist in modern England as well. Thus, in 1993 the UK National Education Commission published a report with the eloquent title “Learning to Succeed. A radical view of education today and a strategy for the future, which provides recommendations on how to achieve positive changes in education.

In accordance with the administrative division and established traditions, the UK education system is divided into three subsystems: 1) England and Wales, 2) Northern Ireland and 3) Scotland. The education systems of England, Wales and Northern Ireland differ slightly in their structure; the Scottish education system has its own traditional features. The modern UK education system includes: pre-school education, primary education, general secondary education, further education system and higher education.

In the UK, about 50% of three- to four-year-olds are brought up in kindergartens or baby centres. Compulsory education begins at the age of 5, and children go to a toddler school.

The compulsory education system covers children and adolescents from 5 to 16 years of age. In accordance with the Education Reform Act (1988), the period of compulsory education is divided into four "key stages": from 5 to 7 years old, from 7 to 11 years old, from 11 to 14 years old, from 14 to 16 years old.

Primary education covers the first two stages (from 5 to 11 years). Children are usually grouped into age classes. All subjects are taught by one teacher. The lesson lasts from 15 to 45 minutes. After graduation, children do not take exams and do not receive graduation certificates. In elementary school, most of the time is devoted to studying English (40% of study time), 15% is physical education, about 12% is manual labor and art, the rest of the hours are distributed between the lessons of arithmetic, history, geography, natural history and religion.

schools are merged schools. About 90% of students in England study in them. The integrated school accepts primary school graduates with different levels of mental abilities and abilities. United schools were organized with the aim of creating equal opportunities for education. They were supposed to provide joint education for students with different abilities, interests and opportunities. Grammar schools provide general complete secondary education and prepare students for higher education. After the end of the 5th grade, approximately 60% of students who pass the exams and receive a general certificate of education at the ordinary level leave school. The remaining 40% continue their education on individual curricula in the two-year 6th grade, which is graduation.

The system of further education (in our understanding, "secondary vocational education") is a conglomeration of a large number of various colleges, training centers, institutes that provide training at various levels from vocational to higher. In total, there are about 700 specialized educational institutions in the further education system, from local colleges, which train young people aged 16-18 years on the job, to polytechnic, comprehensive educational institutions, which provide training at various levels, including and supreme.

All institutions of further education are under the control of local authorities. The exception is educational institutions that have royal charters. Compared to previous years, the number of full-time students in the general student body is growing. Significant changes have taken place in the system of further education since the 1960s. Its educational institutions were given the right to award academic degrees, that is, it became possible to receive higher education not only at universities, but also at polytechnic educational institutions opened on the basis of the largest technical and commercial colleges. At present, polytechnic colleges are the main institutions of the system of further education, in which the training of specialists with higher education is concentrated.

Vocational training is carried out in integrated schools, technical (vocational) colleges, industrial training centers and employment centers. In a special place are vocational colleges. Here there is the widest range of training - from a skilled worker to an intermediate level specialist. Colleges are closely related to on-the-job training. The terms of study in a professional college range from one to five years.

1. 1. 2 Development of the higher education system

Higher education in the UK is represented by universities and polytechnics. Until the 60s. it was carried out exclusively in universities. But in the 50s and 60s In the UK, the contradictions between the capabilities of the education system at all its levels and the social needs of a socio-economic nature are beginning to sharply intensify. Education reforms in the UK began with higher education. In the early 1960s, an acute shortage of highly qualified personnel began to be felt in the country.

The 1960s are marked by the rapid growth of university education. During this period, 23 universities were created in the country, or half of those that currently exist.

In 1964-1977. A new type of higher education institution for Great Britain was created - a technological university. The 10 former "colleges of advanced technology" became universities of technology.

In 1969, the world's first distance learning university, the Open University, was established. During the 1960s and 1970s, the number of university students more than doubled (in 1970, 259,000 students studied at universities in the UK), and the total number of universities increased to 45.

Parallel to the development of university education, the formation and expansion of the public sector of higher education, professionally oriented and designed to meet local needs, is taking place. It was based on 30 polytechnic colleges established in 1969-1970. as a result of the merger of a number of technical, commercial and arts colleges. The importance of the alternative sector of higher education is constantly growing.

educational institutions of the public sector of higher education.

depending on their status. The main activities of this period were aimed at encouraging the activities of higher educational institutions to improve management and financing mechanisms in order to meet the socio-economic needs of the country.

Funding has become the main lever of influence on the higher education system. In the early 1980s the government is taking a number of measures to reduce the cost of university education in order to use them more rationally. Basically, natural-science and engineering-technical areas of training are being developed, commercial activities of universities are encouraged, and their contacts with industrial and commercial areas are expanded. The autonomy of universities is sharply limited, since the government requires reporting on the expenditure side of the budget, which was new in university life, and also introduces control over the regulation of the number and distribution of them in the areas of student training, the formation of the content of education, areas of scientific research. There is also direct control over the activities of universities by the Royal Inspectorate. First of all, this refers to the organization of pedagogical education in universities.

If for universities the main problem has become the professionalization of education, then for polytechnic colleges it is the strengthening of general scientific and general professional training. The latter from the very beginning had strong ties with industrial and commercial enterprises and firms. However, they were largely dependent on the local education authorities for both financial, administrative and educational purposes. Therefore, the main task of these colleges was to limit the "petty" care of local authorities and transfer to the jurisdiction of the central educational authorities. In this respect, the aims of universities and polytechnics were opposite.

It should also be noted that according to the structure, universities are divided into collegiate and unitary. The most striking example of collegiate universities is Oxford and Cambridge, which respectively comprise 39 and 29 colleges. The structure of unitary universities includes faculties and educational departments.

Formally, the university is headed by a chancellor appointed by the queen, who is usually a ceremonial figure. In reality, the head of the university administration is the Vice-Chancellor or Rector. The governing bodies of the universities are the council and the senate. The Council is the highest administrative body that forms the teaching and auxiliary staff and resolves financial issues. The Senate is an academic body. The chairman of the council and the senate is the Vice-Chancellor, who is elected. The composition of the governing bodies is also elected. Representatives of the teaching staff, students and external organizations interested in training specialists have recently begun to enter the management bodies on an equal footing.

The academic year in UK universities begins in October and is usually divided into trimesters of 8-10 weeks each. The duration of the summer holidays is four months - from June 1 to September 30.

The system of examinations in universities is determined by the charters, but in most cases there are two main examinations - at the end of the 1st and 3rd years of study; examination results usually determine the type and level of the degree awarded. Graduates of higher educational institutions are awarded academic degrees; university and the Council for National Academic Qualifications.

· Creation of a unified funding structure for universities, polytechnics and colleges of the higher education system;

· further improvement of the quality of training of specialists and, for this purpose, the organization of external control over the quality of training with the help of a national audit body established by universities;

· Establishing closer ties between universities and industrial enterprises and commercial structures for the further economic development of the country;

Expansion of access to higher education for the adult population of the country

Thus, the improvement of the UK education system in recent decades has been one of the noticeable processes in the social and cultural life of the country, a reliable tool for solving the socio-economic problems of the state.

1.2 Germany

The education system in Germany is a classic three-tier structure, consisting of primary, secondary and higher education. At all levels of this structure, both public and private educational institutions are represented, although the number of the latter is insignificant. The German state guarantees all citizens the receipt of compulsory secondary education, so education in public primary and secondary schools is free. In most cases, tuition at public universities is also free.

The main features of the modern education system in Germany were formed during the Weimar Republic (1920s), when the secondary school was divided into a complete public school, a real school and a gymnasium. Until the early 1950s, education in a real school and gymnasium was paid.

The network of preschool children's institutions in Germany is poorly developed. A small number of kindergartens, which are mostly privately run, cater for children aged 3-5 years.

Education at school begins at the age of 6 and is obligatory for 9, and in some states 10 years.

The first stage in the school system is the elementary school: I-IV grades, in some states I-VI grades. Comprehensive education is widely used in primary school, especially in the first 2 years. German language, arithmetic, local history, music, physical education, religion are taught in the complex. Only in grades III and IV separate subjects are singled out, although language, local history and music continue to be taught in the complex.

Education in a full folk school continues until the IX or X grade. This type of educational institution is aimed primarily at obtaining a profession: in general, students attend professional skills lessons more readily than classes in other subjects.

The German educational system does not create deadlocks in terms of continuing education, and those who graduate from a full public school, subject to a number of conditions (additional attendance at classes, passing exams), can receive a certificate from a real school. The real school is characterized by West German educators as "theoretical and practical". In contrast to the full folk school, in a real one, physics, chemistry, biology and English are taught as compulsory subjects. Mathematics is taught at a higher level. Students who do well in real schools can transfer to gymnasiums.

Gymnasiums are the only educational institutions that provide access to higher education. No more than 16% of adolescents of the corresponding age study at its lower levels. During the course of study, there is a dropout of schoolchildren, which is especially large after the 10th grade, as well as at the transition from the middle to the senior level of the gymnasium (XI-XIII grades). Only half of those who entered it graduate from the gymnasium in the thirteenth grade.

In the former GDR, after reunification, the first step in the transition of the secondary education system to new operating conditions was the creation of three types of schools: full folk, real and gymnasium. However, for the time being they exist, as it were, on top of each other: the end of the 10th grade is equated to the end of a complete public school, and the IX grade is divided into the final grade of a full public school and the IX grade (primary) of a real school. A graduate of grade X receives a certificate of graduation from a real school, and grades XI-XII have the status of a gymnasium level of education. The first half of the 10th grade is considered a trial period, and during this period there is a significant dropout, so that the number of graduates of a real school studying at a gymnasium is about 16%.

The state system of vocational education is obligatory for graduates of the complete folk school. Of all its trainees, the vast majority attend classes at a lower-type vocational school on the job, where they take an apprenticeship course. Classes at the school continue for 3 years for 6 - 8 hours a week.

These schools train skilled workers mainly for the service sector.

and medium-sized firms in a certain industry create an alliance with a university (or with a research institute) to work on problems in which the member firms are interested in solving.

It is important that not only internships for employees of firms in universities are practiced, but also the work of students and young scientists in firms. This is especially true for special (professional) universities, where even teachers are required to periodically undergo internships at the firm.

One of the promising features of the German education system, including higher education, is the Education Stimulation Act. For students, it provides for monthly payments of approximately 600 marks, with half of the funds being transferred as gratuitous grants, and the other as a loan (for schoolchildren, the funds are paid exclusively in the form of grants, however, to qualify for such a scholarship, they must submit documents proving that that their parents are not able to support them).

German nation. At the same time, one of the priority tasks at present is to join the “single European school” while maintaining the best national traditions. In this regard, Germany is revising the goals and objectives of secondary education, modernizing its content in anticipation of the requirements of the future world.

standards. In the United States, there is no unified state education system, each state has the right to determine its structure independently.

The modern US education system is built on the principles of self-government, self-financing and self-determination with effective interaction between federal and local authorities.

The idea of ​​local self-government schools is seen as essential to the nation. In practice, this means that committees of individual states develop regional school policy, set mandatory curriculum standards, distribute appropriations among districts, determine qualification requirements for teachers, and deal with the material and technical equipment of schools. As you can see, the main questions - what to teach, who teaches and for what fee, how to evaluate and transfer a student to the next class, under what conditions to present certificates of education, what textbooks to use - are within the competence of the states.

institutions (professional and higher).

Preschool institutions almost until the middle of the 20th century. were perceived by the majority of the population as organizations of social assistance to the poor. In the 2nd floor. 20th century With ample choice of part-time jobs, about half of American mothers still choose to raise their children aged 3-5 at home. Among whites, the proportion of such mothers is higher. Preschool education and training programs aim to prepare children for primary school. They are diverse, flexible in essence and democratic in content, aimed at teaching independence, initiative, and skills of mutual communication. At the same time, preschool institutions maintain close contact with parents.

aesthetic education (music, drawing, singing, sculpture), sports and physical education. It gives elementary skills and knowledge, develops a conscious attitude to learning.

High school (college of secondary education) usually consists of two parts: junior and senior. In junior high school (junior high school) (7th-9th grades), a third of the study time is devoted to a common program for all, and the rest to the study of optional (elective) subjects. Senior Secondary School (grades X-XII) usually offers a required set of five academic subjects and many academic and practical study profiles.

In 1993, more than 85,000 educational institutions provided general education. At the level of primary and incomplete secondary, there were over 35 million students; over 12 million students received complete secondary education (or related vocational training). 1.4 million teachers were employed in teaching at the primary and lower secondary level, and about 1.1 million teachers at the upper secondary level.

Vocational training is carried out in secondary schools, regional vocational centers (organized through the cooperation of several secondary educational institutions) and vocational skills centers. Students acquire various specialties at the level of a skilled worker. The scale of vocational training is quite impressive. Typically, students are offered at least two or three vocational training courses. In a number of schools, this set reaches six courses. At least two-thirds of secondary school students are enrolled in at least one vocational training program.

Higher education in the United States is characterized by a significant variety of curricula, courses and disciplines studied, representing a single social institution that performs important economic, social and ideological functions.

In the 90s. The higher education system is the most dynamically developing branch of education in the United States.

public catering facilities, sports and cultural facilities.

The actual problem of higher education remains the attraction of talented young people to technical universities, the need to reorganize the education system for obtaining a master's degree (2nd academic) and a scientist - a doctor. According to scientists, in the coming century there will be a significant shortage of specialists in engineering and technical profile.

An important indicator of the level of the university is the so-called degree of selectivity. Nearly 1,400 universities accept all applicants; over 100 universities in individual states are highly selective, although they are also subject to the rule of preferential enrollment of "local" applicants. Private highly selective universities accept about 30% of applicants. The identification of the best and the creation of favorable conditions for them continues throughout the entire period of study. Another important indicator of the quality of a university is the ratio of students to teachers. In the best US universities, there are 6 students per teacher; among university mentors, the proportion of doctors of science is about 97%.

The qualitative implementation of the principles of improving higher education, adapting them to a constantly changing society, will allow us to rise to the level of awareness of the new knowledge and skills necessary for a modern person, to appreciate the new information technology era.

2. General analysis of education systems

2.1 Secondary education

In the second half of the twentieth century, reforms of the general education system took place in the leading countries of the world. The terms of compulsory free education have been increased. There is an intermediate level between elementary and high school.

Upon completion of primary and incomplete secondary education, students are distributed into three main educational streams: a complete general education school, which focuses on theoretical training and further education at the university; secondary school with an emphasis on preparation for studying at a technical university; vocational schools.

public schools, American independent schools, etc.).

of everything, in financing preferences. In England, when subsidized, private and public schools enjoy equal rights.

In almost all leading countries of the world, the school is a priority object of financing. In the early 1990s, the share of expenditures on education in the total amount of expenditures was: USA, England - about 14%, Germany - about 10%. School appropriations in these countries in the 80s grew faster than the national income as a whole, establishing itself as one of the main budget items.

Maintaining school education at a sufficiently high level is an important prerequisite for the dynamic development of society. Highly developed industrial states have achieved impressive economic achievements largely due to the influx of qualified and trained personnel from the education system.

Note that there is no permanent combination of criteria and indicators of educational efficiency. We are talking not only about preparing well-trained youth, but also about the formation within the walls of educational institutions of a capable, enterprising generation following the ideals of humanism.

Basically, in the pedagogical circles of all the countries studied, it is believed that in order to improve the level of education, first of all, it is necessary to modernize the content, forms and methods of school education.

In the leading countries of the world, active attempts are being made to improve the effectiveness of education. In the West, the United States is leading the movement to improve the quality of education. In this country, on the basis of a common desire to improve the performance of the school, central and local authorities, teachers and the public are united. To stimulate the relevant activities of individual educational institutions, a certain accreditation procedure is applied. In case of successful accreditation, when the viability of an educational institution that provides quality education is confirmed, the school receives additional loans.

No less care is taken to improve the quality of education in other countries. Thus, in 1993 the UK National Education Commission published a report with the eloquent title “Learning to Succeed. A radical view of education today and a strategy for the future. Recommendations on how to achieve positive changes are formulated in the form of several goals: reducing the volume of compulsory education, improving the system of professional development of teachers, concentrating the management of education and training of teachers in the hands of one body, increasing investment in education, increasing public participation in school activities.

In conclusion, there are several main patterns of general secondary education in the studied countries:

The duration of study in a complete secondary school is about 12 years;

The complete secondary school is mainly divided into 3 levels: elementary, middle and senior;

It is obligatory to study only in secondary school, after which the student chooses a further path of education: academic - for the purpose of entering a university or professional - for secondary specialized education;

In high school (usually grades 10-12), education is specialized - with the number of areas of specialization from two to four;

The number of compulsory academic disciplines in high school is significantly reduced, as a rule, to 58, the study of which is emphasized during the subsequent period of study;

In some countries, not all applicants receive a high school diploma (diploma, certificate);

In most countries, enrollment in a university takes place on the basis of a competition of certificates (diplomas, certificates) or on the basis of testing results, uniform for the country or individual for universities, based, as a rule, on measuring the level of an applicant's abilities.

2. 2 Higher education

In the studied countries of the world, networks of higher education have expanded dramatically over the past quarter century. This process reflected the growing role of higher education in economic progress, the enrichment of ideas about life ideals. The social composition of the students has noticeably changed: it has become more democratic. The content of university and non-university higher education programs is changing.

high school. Thus, in England, since 1993, there has been a system for assessing the quality of higher schools, carried out by the Council for Higher Education. The amount of state subsidies for individual educational institutions depends on the results of such an assessment. A similar system operates in the USA. In some states, such an assessment is carried out by special educational quality assurance agencies.

According to American scientists who study the problems of the economics of education, the share of the latter accounts for 15-20% of the growth in national income. In addition, from 20 to 40% of growth comes from the improvement of scientific knowledge and its application - a process in which the leading role belongs to higher educational institutions, and it is there that the vast majority of fundamental research is concentrated in all Western countries.

The significance of the contribution of higher education to the reform of society is confirmed by world experience. It shows that all countries that successfully overcame the transition to modern market relations considered the field of higher education as a priority and proceeded from this in their investment policy.

The political elite in Great Britain, Germany and the United States formed a kind of cult of education, supported by regular meetings of heads of state with the best students, graduate students, teachers and presenting them to the public as the “intellectual value of the country”.

Such meetings emphasize that education is the main indicator of the quality of life, the core of economic power and the creative potential of each person.

Conclusion

It is natural that the problems of education have always occupied the most important place in the activities of any state: it is education that is one of the fundamental means of reproducing and developing the culture of society and man, the spiritual, intellectual and professional potentials of society. Recently, marked by a transitional period for the development of society, the subject of education, due to a number of objective and subjective conditions, has moved to the center of public ideas and discussions, in which almost all segments and groups of the population, representatives of science from various countries, all branches and levels of the legislative and executive authorities.

The need to comprehend the real problems of education in modern conditions is becoming increasingly relevant and significant. This is due not only to the causes of the socio-economic order, but to a large extent by the change in the paradigms of social development. All this, of course, is reflected in the state and prospects for the development of education as an important part of the social sphere, a cultural phenomenon, one of the driving forces of a progressive social movement.

After analyzing the current trends in the development of education systems in the leading Western countries, we can conclude that each of these countries has certain established traditions in the field of education, which are associated with the peculiarities of their socio-economic development, historical and national conditions. But at the same time, they also have a certain similarity in the problems of school reform associated with the modernization of the content of education, which leads to the unification of the efforts of the entire world community to resolve these problems.

Therefore, we can say that a comparative analysis of various education systems and the identification of specific approaches to the content of education make it possible to identify the prerequisites and trends for the formation of a single educational space.

List of used literature

1. Alferov Yu. S. Monitoring the development of education in the world // Pedagogy, 2002, No. 7.

2. Barbariga A. A. Secondary and secondary special education in modern England. - Kyiv, 2005.

3. Veizerov V. A. Pre-school education and upbringing in Britain // Education in modern school, 2005, No. 4.

4. Vorobyov N. E., Ivanova N. V. Modernization of the educational process in a secondary school in Germany // Pedagogy, 2002, No. 7.

5. Vulfson B. L. Comparative Pedagogy. - M., 2003.

6. Higher education in the USA // Pedagogy, 2004, No. 3.

7. Galagan AI Financing education in developed foreign countries. - M., 2003.

8. Dzhurinsky A. N. Development of education in the modern world. - M., 1999.

9. Paramonova L. A. Preschool and primary education abroad. - M., 2001.

How the education system works in different countries of the world

I'm curious as hell..

The Russian system of secondary education will be radically reformed in the coming years. The discussion of this reform has been the most popular subject on the Russian agenda since the end of 2010, only high-profile catastrophes, revolutions and military actions are more popular. Meanwhile, neither the public, nor officials, nor experts can clearly and clearly tell what kind of school Russia needs in 10 years.

Classical education or emphasis on high technology? Uniformity for the sake of national cohesion - or a kingdom of flourishing complexity? Free education of a good level - or will parents have to pay for almost everything, except for the notorious "physical education and life safety"? There is not only no consensus, but also no clarity about all this in Russian society: even experts prefer to speak in long, unimportant phrases when making public statements.

Perhaps it will be easier to understand the desired direction of reform if we briefly become acquainted with the most famous school systems in the world. These are the most developed European countries, in the past the mother countries of the great colonial empires - as well as the current world leader of the United States and representatives of the two fastest growing educational systems in the world.«»

In a series of two publications, SP presents a brief overview of the national school traditions of France, Germany, Great Britain, the USA, South Korea and Finland.

The system of secondary education that has developed in France consists, like most European systems, of three levels - primary (ecole primaire, from 6 to 11 years old) and senior (college, college - from 11 to 15 years old, then lycee, lyceum - from 16 to eighteen). This is a fairly conservative system that has existed with minor changes for more than 100 years - since the 1890s. Education of the state standard is mandatory for children from 6 to 16 years old (the lyceum, as an analogue of Russian grades 9-11, mainly prepares students for entering universities). At the same time, education is free in public schools, but there are private alternatives.

Private schools - mostly paid for students, but less constrained by the state framework - also provide state diplomas to their graduates. There are two types of such schools based on their relationship with the state: subsidized (sous contrat) and non-subsidized (hors contrat). In the first of them, the government pays salaries to teachers, and schools follow the national program and the standard schedule, in the second, there are no subsidies from the government, but there is an opportunity to educate children according to non-standard programs.

Among state-subsidized schools, two categories are also distinguished: "contrat simple" and "contrat d'association". Contrat simple: The school complies with government requirements for curriculum and examinations, while receiving subsidies for teachers' salaries. Contrat d'association: in addition to the "contrat simple", the school is partially controlled by the state in terms of pedagogical methods and the selection of teachers, receiving funding for operating costs and salaries for this. In order to receive funding under such a contract, schools must prove that they have a certain philosophy that is missing in the public system. Usually private schools have a religious (Catholic) focus. Such a system has been operating in France since 1959 (the so-called Debray laws).

The cost of education in private schools depends on many factors, but, in general, is not particularly prohibitive in the European framework. So, education in one of the oldest and elite schools - Ecole de Roches - in 2008 cost 27,320 euros per academic year.

We also note that 80% of schools in France are state-owned, and the smallest category is non-state-subsidized institutions, there are only about 20% of them in the country (there are fewer primary schools, about 9%, secondary ones a little more than 30%). There are also more teachers in public schools than in private ones - but in terms of the number of schools, non-state institutions win.

Almost all religious (Catholic) educational institutions, as well as schools for children with disabilities, etc. are among non-state schools in France. In other words, those schools that educate obviously non-standard people or do it in non-standard ways have been forced into the private sector.

Primary school in France is not much different from the advanced Russian version - small classes, a playful approach to subjects, lack of grades in most schools. But at the age of 11, after graduating from elementary school, young Frenchmen go to college, which is considered the first stage of secondary education. In college, classes are counted in reverse order: the student enters the sixth grade, four years later he finishes the third. Then comes the final - and, unlike in Russia, mandatory for everyone - stage of the lyceum, which takes two years. There are two main types of lyceums - general education (general) and technological (technologique), but within each category there are many profiles, specializations - approximately what Russian schoolchildren are now trying to accustom to.

The second class of the lyceum (that is, the first in chronological order) is general education, here it does not yet reach specializations. The first class already has many directions - branches of study leading to different types of undergraduate studies (this is the name of the exam for an analogue of our matriculation certificate, in fact, the first specialized work or project of the student). In some lyceums, even such programs as astronautics or aeronautics are offered as profiles.

Among the differences between French specialization and Russian projects is the special status of the French language as a subject. The state language test is passed after the first grade by everyone without exception. The score for this test counts toward the bachelor's degree exam.

The bachelor's exam itself is preceded by the last, "diploma" class, also known as the "terminal". Preparation for the final exam is extremely serious, since its results are taken into account when entering universities. In general, in three lyceum years, the French manage to both decide on their future specialty, and demonstrate their level to others, apply for a future career.

Germany

Based on the same Prussian education system as the Russian school, the education system in Germany today is much more diversified and, according to some analysts, less democratic. Critics of the German school system usually point to the fact that the main choice of the future for a child is made in elementary school - later, if the family did not initially allow choosing a good school, breaking into the ranks of the elite is extremely difficult, almost impossible.

So, elementary school in Germany teaches children from 6 to 10 years old (or up to 12 years old in Berlin and Brandenburg). In it, children learn to read, count, write, study natural history. The differences among primary schools are mainly in the availability and quality of extracurricular activities. Then comes the turn of high school - from 10 to 19 years. And here the specialization and social stratification among schools becomes clear.

The choice of the type of school, according to German laws, takes place individually for each student in accordance with the recommendation of the school, the wishes of the parents, the level of school grades, as well as the result of the entrance exams. Since the level of development and the availability of recommendations is related to the primary school the child attended, the choice of school often depends on the capabilities of the family.

The types of secondary schools in Germany are as follows: basic school (Hauptschule) - designed for 5-6 years of study and involves subsequent training at a vocational school; real school (Realschule) - designed for 6 years of study, and a high score obtained based on the results of studying in a real school allows you to enter the senior class of the gymnasium, and then to the university; finally, the most thorough education is given by the gymnasium (Gymnasium) - there the training lasts 8-9 years.

As a rule, the gymnasium specializes in three main areas: humanitarian (languages, literature, art), social (social sciences) and technical (natural sciences, mathematics, technology). Upon completion of training, a diploma of secondary education (Abitur) is issued. The German Abitur is the equivalent of the Russian high school diploma and the British A-level diploma. Gymnasiums are focused on entering the University.

In addition to these three types, there are also general schools (Gesamtschule) - they combine the various features of the gymnasium and real schools, allowing you to receive both humanitarian and technical education.

In addition to public schools, state certificates are also issued by private educational institutions. These are, as a rule, religious, elite, closed schools. The range of educational services provided by private traders is wider than the state one - for example, only in such schools can one get a German certificate for a foreign student.

Private schools in Germany (public education is expected to be free) charge more than French ones - for example, in prestigious German schools, the full cost of an academic year is about 40,000 euros.

United Kingdom

The British high school is perhaps the most distinctive system of education in Western Europe. And, at the same time, perhaps the most prestigious - regardless of tests like PISA, British schools are a magnet for students from all over the world, not excluding Russians.

“They teach - many, we - educate gentlemen,” this phrase is attributed to the director of one of the most prestigious British schools. Actually, this is the essence of the carefully built brand of British secondary education.

Education in the UK is compulsory for all citizens between the ages of 5 and 16. There are two sectors of education: public (free education) and private (fee-paying educational institutions, where a year costs 40-50 thousand US dollars). In addition, there is a big difference between the education systems of different parts of Britain: one system has developed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the second - in Scotland.

One of the most characteristic types of secondary school in the United Kingdom is the Boarding School, a tradition that dates back to the early Middle Ages. Initially, these schools appeared at monasteries, in particular, Benedictine ones. Although the monastic boarding schools were charitable, for half a millennium British boarding schools have been paid.

Now boarding schools have a reputation as "aristocratic" - the fact is that once it was schools of this type that raised several generations of Britons who subjugated half the world. And now some of the boarding houses that have existed for many hundreds of years under one roof and one name can be called clubs for the descendants of the most aristocratic families of the former empire.

In addition to these schools, there are many other types of educational institutions in the kingdom. According to the age of the students, they are divided into full-cycle schools (All-Through schools), this is an approximate analogue of our educational complexes “from kindergarten to prom”; and for schools for each individual age: preparatory schools - nursery schools, from 2 to 7 years old, in which, in addition to the usual kindergarten classes, they also teach to read and write, junior schools - elementary schools, from 7 to 13 years old, ending with a special exam Common Entrance Examination, without which the path is closed further. In addition, there is an alternative system - Primary School from 4 to 11 years old, with a further transition to the Secondary School stage.

Further after Junior comes the senior school, Senior School - teenagers from 13 to 18 years old study in it. Here, children first undergo a two-year training to pass the GCSE exams, followed by another two-year program: A-Level or International Baccalaureate.

In a parallel system, this age “closes” the Secondary school, which teaches children from the age of 11 years. An analogue of the Russian gymnasium, Grammar school is an education for children from the age of 11 according to an in-depth program. Graduation classes for entering further universities in Britain are called the Sixth Form, these are 2 senior years of study (16 - 18 years).

In Britain, the tradition of separate education for boys and girls is still strong. This is especially noticeable in the world of traditional boarding schools, among which the majority are “separate”. However, the schools of the "new formation" are mostly, on the contrary, mixed.

As for the form of ownership, both private and public schools are widely represented in the UK. Free secondary education, of course, is guaranteed by the state, however (similar to Germany) for a successful career, you need to finish the “right” school. And such schools are traditionally private (this was the prevailing form of ownership until the 20th century) and are quite expensive for parents.

Compulsory education in Britain is valid for children up to 16 years of age. Then (after receiving A-Levels) the system of educational loans begins to operate. Moreover, a university graduate begins to give them only when applying for a job with earnings of at least 21 thousand pounds a year. If there is no such work, the debt does not need to be repaid. USA

The length and age of beginning compulsory education for children in the United States varies by state. Children start school at the age of 5 to 8 and finish at the age of 14 to 18.

At the age of about 5 years, American children go to elementary school, to the zero grade (kindergarten). This kindergarten class is optional in some states - however, almost all American children attend kindergarten. Although kindergarten literally means “kindergarten” in German, kindergartens exist separately in the United States and are literally called “pre-school” (preschool).

Elementary school continues until the fifth or sixth grade (depending on the school district), after which the student goes to middle school (middle school), which ends with the eighth grade. High school (high school) - these are classes from the ninth to the twelfth, so usually Americans, like Russians, complete their secondary education at 18 years old.

Those who have completed secondary education can enroll in community colleges (community colleges), also called elementary colleges (junior college), technical colleges (technical college) or city colleges (city college), which, after two years of study, issue an associate's degree ) comparable to secondary specialized education. Another option to continue your education is to go to colleges or universities, where you get, usually in four years, a bachelor's degree. Those with a bachelor's degree can study further to obtain a master's degree (2-3 years) or a PhD (similar to the Russian PhD, 3 years or more). Separately accredited faculties and universities issue the degrees of doctor of medicine and doctor of law, for which special training is also required at the bachelor's level.

Free public schools are run primarily by democratically elected school boards, each of which has jurisdiction over a school district, whose boundaries often coincide with those of a county or city, and which contain one or more schools at each level. School boards set school programs, hire teachers, and determine program funding. States regulate education within their borders by setting standards and examining students. State funding for schools is often determined by how much their students have improved on exams.

The money for schools comes primarily from local (city) property taxes, so the quality of schools is highly dependent on house prices and how much taxes parents are willing to pay for good schools. Often this leads to a vicious circle. In districts where schools have earned a good reputation, parents flock to give their children a good education. Home prices are on the rise, and the combination of money and dedicated parents is taking schools to the next level. The opposite happens at the other end of the spectrum, in the poor areas of the so-called "inner cities".

Some large school districts establish "magnet schools" for especially talented children living in their jurisdiction. Sometimes in the same district there are several such schools, divided by specialty: a technical school, a school for children who have shown talent in the arts, etc.

Approximately 85% of children study in public schools. Most of the rest go to paid private schools, many of which are religious. The most widespread network of Catholic schools, which was initiated by Irish immigrants in the second half of the XIX century. Other private schools, often very expensive and sometimes highly competitive, exist to prepare students for admission to prestigious universities. There are even boarding schools that draw students from all over the country, such as the Phillips Academy at Exeter in New Hampshire. The cost of education in such schools for parents is about 50,000 US dollars per year.

Less than 5% of parents choose to homeschool their children for various reasons. Some religious conservatives do not want their children to be taught ideas they disagree with, most commonly the theory of evolution. Others believe that schools cannot meet the needs of their underachieving or, conversely, brilliant children. Still others want to protect children from drugs and crime, which are a problem in some schools. In many places, parents who teach their children at home form groups in which they help each other, and sometimes even different parents teach children different subjects. Many also supplement their lessons with distance learning programs and classes at local colleges. However, critics of homeschooling argue that homeschooling is often substandard and that children raised in this way do not acquire normal social skills.

Primary schools (elementary schools, grade schools, or grammar schools) usually teach children from the age of five to eleven or twelve. One teacher teaches all subjects except visual arts, music, and physical education, which take place once or twice a week. Of the academic subjects taught, as a rule, arithmetic (occasionally - elementary algebra), reading and writing, with an emphasis on spelling and increasing vocabulary. The natural and social sciences are taught little and not varied. Often the social sciences take the form of local history.

Often in elementary school, instruction consists of art projects, field trips, and other forms of learning through fun. It came from the current of progressive education in the early 20th century, which taught that students should learn through work and everyday activities and study their consequences.

Middle schools (middle schools, junior high schools, or intermediate schools), as a rule, teach children aged 11 or 12 to 14 - from the sixth or seventh to the eighth grade. Recently, the sixth grade has been increasingly included in secondary school. Usually in secondary school, unlike in elementary school, one teacher teaches one subject. Students are required to take classes in math, English, science, social studies (often including world history), and physical education. Students choose one or two classes themselves, usually in foreign languages, arts and technology.

In secondary school, the division of students into ordinary and advanced streams also begins. Students who perform better than others in a given subject can study in an advanced (“honorary”) class, where they pass the material faster and give more homework. Recently, such classes, especially in the humanities, have been abolished in some places: critics believe that isolating high-performing students does not allow low-performing students to catch up.

Higher (high) school (high school) - the last stage of secondary education in the United States, lasting from ninth to twelfth grade. In high school, students can choose their classes more freely than before and only have to meet the minimum criteria for graduation set by the school board. Typical minimum requirements are:

3 years of natural sciences (year of chemistry, year of biology and year of physics);

3 years of mathematics, up to the second year of algebra (mathematics in secondary and high schools is usually divided into the first year of algebra, geometry, the second year of algebra, introduction to analysis and calculus, and is taken in that order);

4 years of literature;

2-4 years of social studies, usually including the history and government of the United States;

1-2 years of physical education.

For admission to many universities, a more complete program is required, including 2-4 years of a foreign language.

The remaining classes must be chosen by the students themselves. The set of such classes is very different in quantity and quality, depending on the financial situation of the school and the inclinations of the students. A typical set of optional classes is as follows:

Additional sciences (statistics, computer science, environmental science);

Foreign languages ​​(most often Spanish, French and German; less often Japanese, Chinese, Latin and Greek);

Fine arts (painting, sculpture, photography, cinematography);

Game art (theater, orchestra, dance);

Computer technology (computer use, computer graphics, web design);

Publishing (journalism, yearbook editing);

Labor (woodworking, car repair).

In some cases, the student may not study at all in any of the classrooms.

In high school, especially in the last two years, a new type of advanced class is emerging. Students can take classes that should prepare them for the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams. Most universities count a good mark on these exams as an initial course in the relevant subject.

Marks, both at school and in universities, are issued according to the A / B / C / D / F system, where A is the best mark, F is unsatisfactory, and D can be considered satisfactory or unsatisfactory, depending on the circumstances. All marks, except F, may be prefixed with "+" or "-". Some schools do not have A+ and D− grades. From these grades, a grade point average (GPA) is calculated, in which A counts as 4, B counts as 3, and so on. High school grades often go up by a point, meaning A counts as a 5, and so on.

South Korea

Primary school is attended by children between the ages of 8 and 14. The list of subjects studied in primary school includes (but does not exhaust it):

Korean

Mathematics

Exact sciences

Social Sciences

art

Usually, all these subjects are taught by one class teacher, although some specialized disciplines may be taught by other teachers (for example, physical education or foreign languages).

Promotion through the levels of the educational system from elementary to high school is not determined by the results of passing various examinations, but solely by the age of the student.

Until the late 1980s, English was usually taught in secondary school, but now it is being taught in the third grade of elementary school. Korean is very different from English in terms of grammar, so mastering English is very difficult, but with relatively little success, which fact is often a topic of thought for parents. Many of them end up sending their children to additional education at private schools called hagwons. More and more schools in the country are beginning to attract foreigners for whom English is their native language.

In addition to public elementary schools, there are a number of private schools in Korea. The curriculum of such schools more or less corresponds to the state, however, it is embodied at a higher level: more teachers are offered for fewer students, additional subjects are introduced and higher standards of education are set in general. This explains the natural desire of many parents to arrange their children in such schools, which, however, is stopped by the relatively high cost of education in them: $ 130 per month of classes. This does not compare with the prestigious countries of Europe and the USA, but relative to the income of Koreans, this is very decent money.

Primary schools in Korean are called "chodeung hakkyo", which means "elementary school". The South Korean government changed its name in 1996 from the former "gukmin hakkyo", which translates to "civil school". It was above all a gesture of restoring national pride.

Korean school education is divided into secondary and higher (education in secondary and higher schools, respectively).

High school entrance examinations were abolished in 1968. In the late 1980s, students still had to take entrance exams (however, without competing with other candidates), and the result of admission was determined either randomly or by place of residence relative to a particular institution. Schools, whose rank was previously determined by the level of students, were equalized in receiving state support and the number of poor students distributed. However, this reform did not level schools completely. In Seoul, students who did well in the entrance exams were allowed to enter more prestigious schools without being tied to the district, while all the rest entered the school of "their" district. The reforms were equally applied to public and private schools, admission to which was strictly controlled by the Ministry of Education.

Unlike the United States, where the class number usually incrementally increases from 1 to 12, in South Korea, the class number starts counting from one every time you enter elementary, middle, and high schools. To distinguish between them, the class number is usually given along with the level of education. For example, the first grade of middle school would be called "First grade of high school", "chunghakkyo il hakneong".

high school

In Korean, middle school is called "chunghakyo", which literally means "high school".

In Korean high school, 3rd grade. Most students enter it at the age of 12 and graduate, respectively, by the age of 15 (by Western standards). These three years correspond approximately to 7-9 grades of the North American and 2 and 4 grades (form) of the British educational systems.

Compared to elementary schools, South Korean high schools place much higher demands on their students. Dress and hairstyles are almost always strictly regulated, as are many other aspects of a student's life. As in elementary school, students spend most of the day in the same classroom as their classmates; however, each subject is taught by its own teacher. Teachers move from class to class, and only some of them, excluding those who teach “special” subjects, have their own audience, where the students themselves go. Class teachers play a very important role in the lives of students and have significantly more authority than their American counterparts.

Students in secondary school have six lessons a day, usually preceded by a specific block of time in the early morning, and a seventh lesson specific to each major.

Unlike a university, the curriculum does not vary much from one high school to another. The core of the curriculum is formed by:

Mathematics

Korean and English

Also near the exact sciences.

"Extra" items include:

Various arts

Physical Culture

history

Hanchcha (Chinese character)

Maintaining a home economy

Computer literacy lessons.

Which subjects and in what quantity are studied by students varies from year to year.

The duration of the training sessions is 45 minutes. Immediately before the start of the first lesson, students have about 30 minutes at their disposal, which can be used as desired for self-study, watching programs broadcast by a special educational channel (Educational Broadcast System, EBS) or for doing personal or class business. In 2008, students attended full-time classes Monday through Friday, as well as half a day every first, third and fifth Saturday of the month. On Saturday, students are engaged in additional activities in any circles.

In the late 1960s, the government ended the practice of high school entrance examinations, replacing them with a system in which students from the same district were admitted to the high school on a random basis. This was done in order to average the level of students in all schools, however, to some extent the difference between rich and poor areas remained. Until recently, most schools were open to one gender only, but recently new high schools are accepting children of both sexes, and the former schools are also becoming mixed.

As in elementary school, students move from class to class regardless of their performance, as a result of which the same subject in the same class can be studied by students with completely different levels of preparation. Grades begin to play a very important role in the last year of high school, as they affect the student's chances of getting into a particular university, for those who primarily want to pursue a scientific, rather than a professional technical career. In other cases, grades are needed simply to please parents or teachers (or avoid their righteous wrath). There are several standard forms of examination for certain subjects, and teachers of "scientific" subjects are required to follow the recommended teaching aids, however, in general, secondary school teachers have more authority over the course program and teaching method than teachers in universities.

Many high school students also take additional courses after school (hagwon) or study with private tutors. Special attention is paid to English and mathematics. Some of the hagwons specialize in only one subject, while others specialize in all key subjects, which can turn into a second round of school classes with often even more stress on the student immediately after the end of the first (official) In addition, especially persistent attend martial arts clubs or music schools.

They usually return home late in the evening.

A special attitude in Korean schools is to technical support. By 2011, according to the declarations of the Korean government, the country's schools have completely switched from paper textbooks to electronic ones.

Finland

In Finland, every child has the right to pre-primary education, which generally begins one year before the start of compulsory education, that is, the year the child has his or her sixth birthday. Pre-primary education can be obtained in a school or kindergarten, family kindergarten or other suitable place. This is decided by the municipality.

Compulsory education begins in the year when a child turns seven and continues until the age of 16-17. The state guarantees free basic education. This includes education, textbooks, notebooks, basic stationery, school meals are also free.

In the 3rd grade, the study of English begins, in the 4th grade the child chooses an optional foreign language (French, German or Russian). Compulsory Swedish begins in grade 7.

Second step

Oulun Suomalaisen Yhteiskoulun lukio

After receiving basic education, students face a choice:

Get a professional education, after which you start working in your specialty. Training takes place in vocational schools (Fin. ammatillinen oppilaitos): in particular, a vocational school (Fin. ammattiopisto), you can also choose training in the workplace under a contract (Fin. oppisopimuskoulutus).

Continue studying at the lyceum, where there is a serious preparation for entering a higher school. Students who go to the lyceum must show a sufficiently high degree of preparedness (the average score of the grades received in the basic school will be this definition). In Finland, lyceum graduates are also applicants - they apply to higher education while still being lyceum students.

It is interesting that, as in Russia, in Finland there is a “hidden fee” for some types of secondary education. So, if in a general school textbooks are provided free of charge, then in the gymnasium they need to be bought - this is about 500 euros per year, and the entire amount must be paid immediately. As for private schools, 30-40 thousand euros a year will have to be spent on education there.

Which system is more suitable as a benchmark for Russian secondary education? Irina Abankina, director of the Institute for the Development of Education at the Higher School of Economics (HSE), spoke briefly about this for SP:

This is a very difficult question. In short - perhaps no system suits us completely. On the one hand, the historical roots of our education system go back to Germany, this is well known. At the same time, in Germany itself, an active reform of the secondary school is now underway. In the UK, their traditional model is now also being changed - Michael Barber is doing this. Despite the fact that these are magnificent and prestigious systems, there are still many questions.

On the other hand, according to the results of international tests - the same PISA - the countries of Southeast Asia have pulled ahead in recent years. Miracles were shown by Shanghai, the vanguard of Chinese education, impressed by Taiwan; earlier, South Korea and Japan rushed forward no less actively.

This means that the Eastern model of education is also worth asking. And this Eastern model, let's face it, is not as pleasant for the observer as the European or American one. These are full-filled classes - up to 40 people! This is a tough discipline, reminiscent of the golden years of the Soviet school. But this is also a factor that was absent in our old school - total tutoring, that is, tutoring. Without individual - paid - classes it is very difficult to prepare a student well there. According to Professor Mark Breir, who works at Shahnai University, the size of the tutoring market in Shanghai reaches 2.5% of GDP. In the budgets of most families, the cost of additional educational services is a significant item.

As for Russia, I repeat, none of the existing systems in the world suits us without adaptation. Building a new school for the country, it will be necessary to combine solutions from all over the world.«»

http://www.svpressa.ru/society/article/40314/