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The educational system in the German-speaking countries generally follows the European model of free public education and a variety of secondary schools for academic and vocational education, rather than the American model of a single comprehensive high school for all students. Although there are some differences among them, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland all have a primary school (Grundschule or Volksschule) that begins at age six and lasts four years (five or six in some places), a secondary level that generally starts at age 11 (grade 5) and is divided into a less academic Hauptschule (to grade 10) leading to vocational education, an intermediate Realschule (not in Austria) leading to a technical or business school, and the academically oriented Gymnasium that leads to the Abitur or Matura diploma and a university education. Special education classes or special schools are offered for students with mental or physical disabilities. Read More>>

In 1988 the government of the Gambia was gravely concerned about the large numbers of children not access the formal school system and and the quality of the education for children in the school system. Before the 1988 � 2003 Education Policy was formulated, less than 50% of Gambian children went to school. The curriculum was irrelevant in some critical subject content to the needs and experiences of Gambians. In 1988 the Department of State for Education decided to spend the next five years concentrating on three issues:

1. ACCESS, 2. QUALITY , 3. RELEVANCE.

Up to that point the school system provided six years of primary schooling before entrance into Junior Secondary. This system was inflexible and adversely affected movement from primary to secondary school. This was changed to 6-3-3-2, which increased primary schooling to nine years with three years at Junior Secondary and two years at Senior Secondary school.

To solve the problem of facilities, the policy makers piloted the initative of `double shifting', allowing the same classsroom to be used twice during the day, which doubled the pupils getting an education.

The education of Gambian children was severely hampered by the lack of textbooks, particularly, relevant textbooks and other resource materials. The textbook loan scheme was introduced and textbooks were designed which were more relevant to the Gambian social and economic environment and the young person's experience.

In 1995 a Review of the Education Policy took place with extensive consultations with all the stakeholders in education, at government and non-governmental levels. At the same time a Public Expenditure Review took place in tandem with a review of policy. Lack of sufficient trained teachers continued to be a problem in trying to improve on the quality of education in the Gambia. The review revealed that there was inconsistency in spending in relation to spending on third level, which was free, while primary schooling was fee paying. One initiative to overcome this was course recovery, that all teacher training and other students at Gambia College were obliged to pay their contribution towards their training, this freed up resources to be put into Basic Education. The overall funding of Gambia College was increased and the intake of trainee teachers was increased.

Master Plan

A Master Plan was prepared at the directorate to assist in the implementation of education policy and covers the following issues:

Basic Education: Increasing the number of children who will have access to Basic Education is a vital part of the plan. The original target percentage of children with access to schooling for the period of the plan was 83%. During the revision of the plan the target number was revised upward, to 90%. The methods to achieve this are an extension of doubt-shift and multi-grade teaching, new construction and rehabiliation of existing facilities and incorporation of English into Madrassa education

Teaching Staff: Improvement of the supply and deployment of teachers, incentives/subsidies for the poort, and examine the extent and needs of special needs students. Increased Intake of Teachers: Gambia College has increased numbers of trainee teachers from 100 to 240.

Teaching Facilities: To facilitate access of greater numbers of Gambian children, the number of classrooms is increasing, under a Classroom Construction Programme initiative.

Early Childhood Education: Up to 1995 there was no means at central government level to finance Early Childhood Education, however, the department wanted be a position to offer Early Childhood Education at some future time. It was recognised at the highest levels within the department that the returns on investment in early childhood education are high It was felt necessary to look for policy direction and co-ordination of the services already being offered by local organisations and NGO's.

Early Childhood Education unit has prepared a White Paper on ECE. On a practical level, six hundred facilitators of pre-school facilities (covering age 4yrs � 6yrs) have been given the opportunity to attend facilitator training courses at Gambia College.

School feeding programme and special education activities: These initiatives are helping very poor or disabled children to have the opportunity to access education who were previously excluded.

Girls' Education: The enrolment of girls is growing faster, the issue now is retention of girls at school. This issue is being discussed within communities and at national level. Cost is the main barrier for families to overcome and the Scholarship Trust Fund has provided bright students with the opportunity to be sponsored at secondary level. To combat this the trust fund covers tuition, uniforms and examination fees. In regions where the intake of girls was lowest, URD/CRD, all Junior Secondary places for girls are free. The next issue to overcome is the shortage of Female Teachers. Rural communities want female teachers as role models.

Curriculum Revision: The curriculum is being revised, with a new emphasis on thematic approaches. In the new curriculum Communication Skills, Literacy and Numeracy, Life Skills will run across several subjects. The new curriculum however requires some in-service training for teachers. Read More>>

The Finnish education system is based on providing all children and young people with equal basic education services. In Finland, education is compulsory, starting from the year in which the child becomes seven years old and ending when he/she is 16.

Both municipal and private day-care services are available for children below school-starting age, up to the age of six. All 6-year-olds are entitled to pre-school education for one year before starting basic education. Pre-school education is available in both schools and day-care centres.

Pupils normally start their comprehensive school education in a local school indicated by the municipality. Having completed comprehensive school, young people may seek further education in upper secondary schools or vocational schools.

Some upper secondary schools specialize in education with an emphasis on music, physical education, the fine arts, languages or the natural sciences, for example. The schools have no grades. The idea is to complete the courses in three years. The upper secondary school-leaving certificate qualifies the student for studies in universities and other university-level institutes. Matriculation examinations are arranged twice a year. Upper secondary schools for adults also provide an opportunity to take the matriculation examination and to supplement the upper secondary school curriculum.

Vocational schools provide vocational qualifications. The studies take three years. Practical training is part of vocational school education. In addition to written exams, professional skills must be demonstrated in practice. Completing vocational education qualifies the student to seek admission to polytechnics or universities.

Finland also operates an apprenticeship training system. Young people already in working life can obtain basic vocational qualifications through apprenticeship training.

Finland has two types of higher education institutes, universities and polytechnics. The universities concentrate on academic and scientific research and teaching methods. The role of polytechnics is to respond to the needs of working life. The education focuses on developing professional skills.

Adult education and training offers citizens the opportunity to obtain education and complete qualifications at any stage of life. Adults can study either in the same educational institutions as young people, or at institutions and units aimed at adults, as is done in liberal adult education. Vocational upper secondary qualifications, further vocational qualifications and specialist vocational qualifications can also be obtained through competence tests independent of how the vocational skills have been acquired. Read More >>

Finnish pupils spend the shortest amount of time in lessons

Finland's claim to have the best school system has been reinforced by the latest international comparisons.

First results from the PISA study of 40 countries put it top overall in the maths, reading and science tests.

PISA is a three-yearly appraisal of 15 year olds in the principal industrialised countries, organised by the OECD economic grouping.

The UK as a whole was excluded for failing to provide enough results, though Northern Ireland did well.

Maths focus

PISA - the Programme for International Student Assessment - aims to assess the knowledge and skills needed for full participation in society, rather than mastery of a curriculum.

The 2003 PISA study focused on mathematics

The tests were taken by more than a quarter of a million students, representing about 23 million in the participating countries.

The focus of the 2003 study was mathematics, with problems mainly set in real-world situations, covering space and shape, change and relationships, quantity and uncertainty.

Hong Kong had a slightly higher mean score than Finland but on overall proficiency, Finland came top, ahead of South Korea then Canada, with Indonesia bottom.

The OECD used seven proficiency levels in increasing order of skill, from "below Level 1" to Level 6.

BEST MEAN SCORES: MATHS Hong Kong-China: 550 Finland: 544 South Korea: 542 Netherlands: 538 Liechtenstein: 536 Source: OECD PISA 2003 data

In Mexico, only 3% did so - with an even lower percentage in Indonesia and Tunisia.

In most countries that are members of the OECD, at least three quarters of students reached Level 2 - but more than a quarter were unable to complete those tasks in Italy, Portugal and the US.

"These students fail to demonstrate consistently that they have baseline mathematical skills," the report said. Read More >>

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Peculiar features of the Fiji’s system education:

- Fiji schools are attended by nearly 220,000 students.
- Non-government schools come to 98 per cent.
- Schools are managed by community religious authorities.
- There are many tiny and far apart schools.
- Every school should follow the prescriptive curriculum.
- The average Fijian teacher wage amounts $10,000 per year.
- Teachers with a small experience work in rural schools.
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Distance Education System via Satellite Communication Network by

KDD Engineering and Consulting, Inc. (KEC)

Antenna of Hub Station in Fiji
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Education: Ethiopia has a base of traditional education (church) with its own script which is very elaborate and complex. The development of modern education in Ethiopia is at an early stage. The literacy rate at present is one of the lowest in Africa and is estimated at 50 %. In 1999 there were about 9.6 million primary, 3 million junior secondary and 5.7 million senior secondary school students.

First Cycle Primary Schools, Grades 1-4: Children enter primary school at various ages because of the agrarian nature of the economy and the possibility of transfer from traditional church or mosque education to modern education. Teaching is in the Mother Tongue for the majority of children depending on their regions. English is taught as a foreign language. There are about 15 Teacher Training Institutes and there is a plan to increase TTIs through distance education, correspondence etc.

Second Cycle Primary Schools, Grades 5-8: Admission to first and second cycle primary schools is open to all students. Usually schools combine the two cycles in a compound. A substantial number of teachers are certified by going through a one or two years teacher training scheme. There are 8 Teacher Training Colleges for this cycle of teachers. Primary enrollment is about 50%.

Secondary Schools: At the end of the second cycle of primary education all students in all regions are required to take the 8^th Grade National Examination which is administered by the National Office for Examination (NOE) in order to ensure the quality of primary education and coverage of the curriculum (standard). Selection to secondary schools is based on the National Examination results and availability of openings in the regional schools. Students are streamlined after the National Examination results to various academic, vocational, agricultural, industrial sciences and home economic fields. The core curriculum for all programs include: English, Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences, Social Studies, National Languages and Physical Education. Secondary enrollment is about 30 percent.

The Ethiopian General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (EGSECE) -10^th Grade National Examination Last year (June 2001) students have sat for the New National Examination at the end of 10^th grade which is known us the Ethiopian General Secondary Education of Certificate Examination (EGSECE). These students will be streamlined into Academic (College preparation) and Vocational and Technical schools based on their results. Those going into academic fields are expected to sit for college entrance examination after two years of preparation and the others will either join the labor market or be self employed. It is hoped that the first College Entrance Examination will be given sometime April/May 2003.

Examination: The educational system in Ethiopia is organized in cycles or levels of formal schooling. The first and second cycle primary education is demarcated by internal (classroom) examination at the end of each cycle and by a National Examination (external examination) at the end of the second cycle. The secondary education begins from 9^th grade and ends by 12^th grade. At the end of 12^th grade students sit for the Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination (ESLCE) which is administered once a year in March/April with results due in August or September. Students are required to complete 12 years of primary and secondary education and pass the 8^th and 12^th grade National Examinations in order to apply for any higher education. Examinees should score a minimum of 2.00 on a scale of 4.00 at least five subjects: English, Mathematics (both compulsory) and any other three subjects.

Higher Education: The foundation of universities and colleges is a consequence of primarily a national initiative in a country which has little tradition of formal education. The Ethiopian University system has developed in eclectic fashion and has not been modeled on any single foreign system. The first higher education institute, the Addis Ababa University College was established in 1950. At present there are 6 universities and 20 colleges including 10 private colleges accredited by the MOE. The government has taken the initiative in opening new universities and colleges and expanding and upgrading the already existing colleges of engineering, education and health sciences in various regions of the country. Tertiary enrollment is about 1 percent. Read More >>

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Public education was a higher priority than health care for government spending, and statistics reflected this disparity. School attendance and literacy in general increased notably in El Salvador as a whole during the twentieth century, particularly during the 1960s, when an ambitious program of school construction was carried out. Officially, literacy increased from 26.2 % of the adult population in 1930 to 59.7 % in 1971. By 1980 only 31 % of the population aged ten years or older was considered illiterate.

The Salvadoran education system included one year of preschool, nine years of basic education, three years of secondary education, and higher education at two universities and several specialized postsecondary institutions. The curriculum at the basic and secondary levels, developed by the Ministry of Education, was uniform throughout the nation. The provision of education, suffered from a rural-urban dichotomy. nationwide statistics displayed the weakness of the school system on the secondary level; in a 1976 study, only 34 % of students reached grade nine, and 15 % reached grade twelve.

Salvadoran law mandates free, compulsory elementary public schools through the 9th grade. Education through the 12th grade is available, and students completing 12 grades obtain the bachillerato degree (high school diploma). enforcement is often lax, particularly in rural areas and in urban slums, and the civil war of the 1980s damaged educational programs. El Salvador has about 3,200 primary and secondary schools with a total enrollment of 1.3 million students. But only slightly more than half of the school-age children actually attend school, and only a third finish the 9th grade. According to a 2001 estimate for people over age 15, the literacy rate was 89 %—89 % for men and 87.9 % for women. Read More >>

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Education is highly valued in Egypt and for children between the ages of six and fifteen education in Egypt is free and compulsory. There is still quite a high drop out rate unfortunately, due in part to levels of poverty, and adult literacy levels in Egypt are only around 57.7%. The education system is divided into either the State System or the Azharite Religious System. Schools in the former system and private schools fall under the administration and supervision of the Ministry of Education and schools in the Azharite Religious System are supervised directly by the Egyptian Prime Minister.

For international expatriates living in Egypt they have the option of sending their children to a local state school or enrolling them in one of the many private and fee paying international schools that exist mainly in Cairo and Alexandria. This article provides an overview of the education system in Egypt as well as a closer look at the options available to international students of all ages who wish to study in Egypt.

The state education system in Egypt is currently undergoing a period of semi-reform with specific focus being applied to the state of the secondary education system which presently streams children at an early age into general, technical or vocational secondary education and further streams those studying in the general secondary education establishments into either studying humanities or science or mathematics.

New proposals under scrutiny at the moment are for the creation of a secondary education system in Egypt that is modelled on the American high school diploma so that children are offered a wider choice of subjects to study. In the meantime, Egyptian children who follow the state education system through to completion and who wish to go on to post-secondary education, university or college can do so depending on their final exam scores. Public higher educational establishments in Egypt are free for Egyptian students with students only having to pay to enrol whereas private higher educational establishments are fee paying.

The Azharite education system has schools known as ‘institutes’ for primary, prep and secondary age students with girls and boys taught separately and all students attending have to be of the Muslim faith. While a certain amount of emphasis is placed on the teaching of non-religious subjects, the foundation and fundamentals of Azharite education in Egypt are religious. Students who do well in their studies can go on to study at the ancient Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

It’s fair to say that the vast majority of expatriate families living and working in Egypt send their children to one of the fee paying international schools or else they send them to a boarding school in the country from which they originate. In terms of the international schools available in Egypt the majority are to be found in Cairo with a few in Alexandria and there are also a number of international language schools in locations such as Luxor where education is taught in part in English and in part in Arabic and/or French.

Education in Egypt for international students usually follows the UK or US curricula with options available for children of all ages in Cairo and Alexandria. Some favourites with expatriate parents include The American School of Alexandria and the Alexandria International School or the British International School of Cairo or the Maadi British International School in Cairo.

Since 2005 there has been a British university near Cairo, it was inaugurated by the Prince of Wales in March 2006 and it is affiliated with the UK based University of Loughborough. The British University in Egypt as it is known is located in Al Sherouk which is 37 kilometres from Cairo and it currently has faculties for the teaching of engineering, computer science and business administration with future proposed faculties to include pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, teacher training, English, Middle Eastern studies and British policy studies.

A number of other British and some American further education establishments have affiliated with various teaching institutions in Egypt to offer accreditation and additional teaching resources, for example it’s possible to study for a diploma in economics from the London School of Economics at the Advanced Management Institute of the Arab Academy for Science and Technology in Cairo. Or alternatively one can study for an Edinburgh Business School MBA at the American University in Cairo.Read More>>

Pre-higher education
Duration of compulsory education:
Age of entry: 6
Age of exit: 14

Structure of school system

Primary School
Length of program in years: 5
Age level from: 6 to: 11
Certificate/diploma awarded: Primary School Certificate

Preparatory School
Length of program in years: 3
Age level from: 11 to: 14
Certificate/diploma awarded: Basic Education Completion Certificate

General Secondary School
Length of program in years: 3
Age level from: 14 to: 17
Certificate/diploma awarded: Thanaweya a' Amma (General Secondary Education Certificate (GSEC)

Technical Secondary School (for technicians)
Length of program in years: 3
Age level from: 14 to: 17
Certificate/diploma awarded: Technical Education Diploma

Technical Secondary School (for high level technicians)
Length of program in years: 5
Age level from: 14 to: 19
Certificate/diploma awarded: Advanced Technical Diploma.

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EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM—OVERVIEW

In the nineteenth century, Ecuador's education structure was under the control of the Catholic Church. During this century various political leaders had a tremendous effect on the education system. Ecuador has had a strong history of educators. As early as 1835, Vicente Rocafuerte began to change the education system of Ecuador. A strong believer in education, he was known to say "to govern is to educate." He stated that any government that holds power as a result of elections must have an education system that provides intellectual development and training for positions in industry and commerce. The National Assembly granted Rocafuerte the power to execute his educational objectives but they also required that he do the same for the Indian masses. Rocafuerte requested the creation of Colegio Santa Maria del Socorro, an all girl school in Quito. In 1836 he furthered his cause by attempting to establish a directorate to supervise curriculum and instruction throughout Ecuador. The purpose of this agency was to deal with university and secondary education. This agency, for example, developed the University of Quito's curriculum. Since it did not cover primary education, a slow educational development resulted at that level. In 1838 Rocafuerte established educational agencies to provide regional supervision in Guayaquil, Cuenca, Marabi, Loja, Chimborazo, and Imbabura. At this time primary education consisted only of religious and moral education, reading, writing, Spanish, and weights and measurements. The secondary school program differed from school to school and its curriculum was based on a variety of subject matters.

Arguably, the most significant education reform that Ecuador has ever experienced was that of Juan Leon Mera' in the 1850s. It based educational reform on the restoration of and emphasis on Ecuadorian themes in the entire educational system. Mera showed how "national education could encourage the integration of the country and define its cultural identity" (Paladines 1997). Gabriel Garcia Moreno took over the presidency of Ecuador in 1861. He made education the Church's responsibility. Secular educators were prohibited from teaching anything that would be considered different from church doctrine. Moreno wanted to create a system of primary schools. The Christian Brothers and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart took over the primary schools for boys and girls respectively.

The secondary schools, which prepared students for the university, were to be run by the Jesuits. At this time, primary education was free and mandatory. This increased the school population to 14,731 in 1871. In 1904, the structure of secondary schools was reorganized by reducing the program from seven to six years. The liberal arts program was reduced to the first three years of the program. In the last three years of secondary school a student must either specialize in philosophy, math, or natural science. The secondary school program required students to complete the following courses: moral and religious instruction, civics, hygiene, Spanish grammar, geography of Ecuador, world geography, history of Ecuador, world history, English or French, mathematics, literature, natural sciences, cosmography, physics, chemistry, philosophy, drafting, and penmanship.

There is no doubt that the governments of Ecuador have made good efforts to extend universal education through primary school. The Ministry of Education's 1970 plan addressed retention problems at the primary level and proposed workable solutions, a restructured curriculum, and increased practicality. Truly compulsory since the constitution of 1945, primary school has had a couple of serious leaps in the number of students attending. Perhaps the greatest leap was in the 1960s when primary enrollment almost doubled, secondary enrollment almost tripled, and those attending colleges and universities grew by 500 percent.

If the constitution of 1945 made primary school attendance mandatory by law, subsequent legislation required school attendance by all youth between the ages of 6 and 12. Before the 1960s primary schools in rural areas did not necessarily have a building nor did they uniformly offer education in grades one through six. In many areas no school existed within a reasonable radius until organizations like the Peace Corps stepped in. In other areas, only grades one through three or four were taught. The tuition free public educational system is mandatory from ages 6 to 14. In practice, however, many children drop out before age 15, and, in rural areas, only about one-third complete sixth grade. The government is striving to create better programs for the rural and urban poor, especially in technical and occupational training. In recent years, it has also been successful in reducing illiteracy. Enrollment in primary school has been increasing at an annual rate of 4.4 percent, faster than the population growth rate.

Primary education begins at age 6 with the first grade and ends at age 12 with sixth grade. Secondary education consists of two three-year cycles, a basic cycle, and a diversified cycle. This latter cycle may lead to higher education. University studies last from four to seven years, depending on specialization. The age limits for compulsory education are from 6 to 14. The minimum age for entry into preprimary education is four for kindergarten and six for the first grade of primary school. Preprimary education, which is noncompulsory, is two years. Primary school is six years. The primary years are divided into two cycles of three years each, and exams are given at the conclusion of each cycle.

Based on information from Banco Central del Ecuador, enrollment levels in 1979, 1983, 1984, and 1985 were respectively as follows: In primary school, 1,427,627; 1,677,364; 1,672,068; and 1,741,967. In the secondary school first cycle for the same years, 345,569; 405,445; 438,718; and 452,262. For the secondary school second cycle for the same years, 189,876; 244,833; 267,058; and 277,368. In higher education the total in 1979 was 225,343.

In 1989 the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) signed a historic agreement with the Ministry of Education that established a national program of bilingual, bicultural education designed and managed by CONAIE and its member organizations. It claims that 45 percent of Ecuador is indigenous, yet there is only 1 indigenous member of Congress (1995). It also claims that 80 percent of the rural, mostly indigenous population lives in poverty; that indigenous farmers produce 75 percent of Ecuador's basic foods while only having 35.5 percent of the arable land; and that these people are endangered by Ecuador having the highest rate of deforestation in the Americas.

Literacy rates have changed somewhat in terms of urban males and females. In 1950, approximately 89 percent of urban males were literate while in 1982 at least 96 percent were literate. In 1950, approximately 79 percent of urban females were literate while in 1982 about 94 percent were literate. In 1962, approximately 92 percent of urban males were literate while in 1974, about 94 percent of urban males were literate. In 1962, approximately 86 percent of urban females were literate while in 1974 that percentage had risen to 89 percent. In 1950 only 51 percent of rural males were literate but by 1982 that number had climbed to 80 percent. In 1950 only 38 percent of rural females were literate but by 1982 that number had climbed to 71 percent.

Traditionally, the school year is different in the sierra and costa regions. In the sierra, schools have operated from October to July; in the costa, they operate from April or May to December or January. This arrangement has been based on both climatic and economic considerations and has led to nationwide coordination problems as well as perpetuating a divisive regionalism. A proposal for a unified school year has not only been discussed but also enacted. Read More>>

Formal education included the primary, the secondary, and higher education levels. The six-year primary cycle was compulsory. Three years of preschool were offered in some areas, but not on a compulsory basis. There were several types of secondary school; most students (90 percent) attended the sixyear liceo, which awarded the bachillerato certificate upon completion and was geared toward university admission. Other secondary programs included teacher training schools, polytechnics, and vocational schools. All primary and secondary schools were under the formal jurisdiction of the Secretariat of State for Education and Culture (Secretaria de Estado de Educación y Cultura). In 1984 there were an estimated 5,684 primary schools and 1,664 secondary schools.

Despite the compulsory nature of primary education, only 17 percent of rural schools offered all six grades. This explained to some degree the lower levels of secondary enrollment. For those who did go on to the secondary level, academic standards were low, the drop-out rate reportedly was high, and all but the poorest students had to buy their textbooks--another disincentive to enrollment for many.

The government decreed major curriculum reforms at the primary and secondary levels in the 1970s in an effort to render schooling more relevant to students' lives and needs. Expanded vocational training in rural schools was called for as part of the reforms. Few changes had been fully implemented by the early 1980s, however. Primary school teachers were trained in specialized secondary schools; the universities trained secondary-school teachers. In 1982, however, roughly half of all teachers lacked the required academic background. A chronic shortage of teachers was attributable to low pay (especially in rural areas), the relatively low status of teaching as a career, and an apparent reluctance among men to enter the profession.

Education expanded at every level in the post-Trujillo era. Enrollment as a proportion of the primary school-aged population grew by more than twenty percentage points between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s, and that of the secondary school-aged population nearly quadrupled. By the mid-1980s, the primary school population was virtually fully enrolled, but only 45 percent of those of secondary school age were enrolled.