The comparison of the Czech and British/American system of education

Intro:
 Education conditions people’s future job and salary and affects other aspects of life in part.
 Education isn’t important only for individuals but also for a whole society. In the past, when a school attendance was a privilege and not a duty, a major part of civilization was illiterate and science, technical or medical progress was slower than now.
 People educate themselves actually for whole life, but the most important for education is a school system.
The United States
 Similar to other countries, little children start their education with kindergarten between the ages of five and six. They are divided into groups and spend their time playing. Some children may attend pre-school from as early as three or four years. Parents have to pay for this pre-school education.
 Elementary/grade school formally starts their compulsory education, when they are six years old, and covers five grades/years. The curriculum (all the subjects that are taught in a school, college or university) is determined by a particular school district but usually essential subjects include English, math and science (where you learn what soap is made of, why the sky is blue and other basic facts from biology, physics and chemistry), history, geography or arts. On the daily schedule is also a little patriotic Pledge of Allegiance which children have to recite every morning before the start of their classes.
 Most children go to public schools without charge, or they have a choice of private schools, which they must pay for. Students are graded on a system of A-F; with A being the best, and F meaning fail. There is no E grade, however.
 Over 90% of students continue in school until the age of 18. Secondary education is provided either by Middle Schools (from 11 to 14 years of age) or by High Schools which are often divided into Junior High (12 to 15) and High School (15 to 18). High School includes four grades and each has a special name in American English. First year students are called freshmen, second year sophomores, then juniors and finally seniors. This usually lasts until students are 18-years-old, but some states allow children to leave school as young as 16. Compared to other countries, most American students are in school much longer. High school offers academic lessons as well as more vocational courses such as mechanics, computers etc. the basic school leaving qualification is usually the High School Diploma or General Education Diploma. The
completion of high school is celebrated with a graduation ceremony in which
students dress in long gowns in colours of their alma mater, receive their diplomas
and toss their funny flat hats – called mortarboards – in the air. At the end of every
school year students attend a dance, called the prom, which is an opportunity to
dress up and have a good time.
 There are more than 2000 universities and colleges ranging from private elite
institutions such as Yale or Harvard. There man can earn Bachelor’s and then
Master’s degree.
 A Bachelor’s degree is designed to take four years, but some students take longer.
This is also sometimes called undergraduate degree. After that students continue
with their education for about another two years to earn their graduate, or Master’s
degree. If they really like studying, they can keep going and earn their PhD or
doctorate. They can then put Dr in front of their name; but it doesn’t mean they are a
medical doctor!
The United States
 British children begin their schooling quite early; very small children aged three and
four are sent to nursery school or a playgroup.
 Full time education is compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 16.
Primary school is divided into two cycles: infant schools where children acquire basic
skills like writing, reading and maths and junior school with more complex subjects
such as history, geography and science (starts, when they are seven years old).
 Secondary education begins when the pupils are at the age of 11. About 90% of state
secondary school pupils go to Comprehensive schools. About 4% of children attend
Grammar Schools and 6% of children attend Secondary Modern Schools. The main
qualification taken secondary pupils at around the age of 16 is the GCSE (General
Certificate of Secondary Education) that consists of eight or nine exams in maths,
English, a foreign language, a science and a humanities subject. Sometimes bright
pupils can enter more than nine GCSEs.
 About 7% of children attend independent or private schools not founded by the
state. Around 550 independent schools for pupils aged 11 to 19 are commonly
known “public” schools. Most independent schools for younger pupils are mixed, but
the majority of private secondary schools are single-sex. Most schools require school
uniforms. Public schools accept pupils at the age of about 13. Names of some of the
most outstanding public schools are Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Westminster or St.
Paul’s. These schools are very old. Most public schools are boarding schools and they
have about 500 pupils but Eton is much larger.
 If pupils don’t want an academic education after GCSEs, they can choose a vocational
one. There are apprenticeships, where young people learn a trade as they work.
There are also vocational courses, where pupils go to school and take exams in
practical subjects such as mechanics or painting and decorating.
 After the age of eighteen, most pupils find jobs or go to university. Britain has 89
universities, including Open University (learning institution for adults), and 70 other
higher education institutions. Universities are subsidised by the government, but
can’t survive on the money they get, so they charge tuition fees. If you come from a
poor background you may be excused all or part of your tuition fees. You can also
apply for a loan from the government, which you have to pay back once you start
earning a certain amount of money. The oldest British universities are Oxford and
Cambridge in England and St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh in
Scotland.
Our school system
 At the age of six Czech children have to enter nine-year elementary school. Most
schools are financed by the state. However, there are also private schools where you
pay for tuition. By law, the school-leaving age is 15. For those willing to continue,
there are many secondary education alternatives.
 The traditional secondary school (grammar school) prepares students for university
and lasts four years or longer if the students have enrolled earlier from elementary
school. The studies may be focused more on humanities as well as science. All the
secondary studies finish with a final school‑leaving exam in the fourth year, which
comprises four subjects, two compulsory: Czech and a foreign language and two (or
more) electives.
 Apart from grammar schools, students may attend secondary business schools or
agriculture schools. For the talented, there are conservatories where you can study
music or acting. Another option is secondary vocational schools, which train young
people for jobs of bakers, mechanics, bricklayers or waiters.
 In order to study at university, students have to pass demanding entrance exams.
Education at universities is free of charge in the Czech Republic. The most popular
subjects include humanities, law or medicine studied at Charles University in Prague
or Masaryk University in Brno. The universities offer three-year-bachelor
programmes as well as five-year-master programmes which finish with a final state
exam and a thesis defence.