Education

(The British or American system of education)

British system:
From 3 to 5 years children can visit nursery school or kindergartens as in Czech Republic. Children from 5 to 7 years go to infant schools where they must attend this school; it’s given by the law. At 7 years they go to primary schools called junior schools. Children go there to 11 years. They learn there writing, reading and counting (počítání).  From 12 to 16 they attend secondary school called comprehensive (všeobecná). The children are divided into groups called streams according to their abilities. They are allowed to study only the subjects they are interested in. At the age of 16 they leave the school and do the O-level exams in 10 subjects (no subjects are compulsory -povinný). Then they decide whether (zda) they want continue or not. If yes, they study 2 or 3 years in sixth form college and then they must pass the A-level exams in 3 or 4 subjects. Then they have open door to university eventually to postgraduate. In Britain are about 47 universities. The most known are Oxford and Cambridge. University usually lasts 3 or 4 years, medicine 5 or 6 years. Students can get a degree of bachelor and they could study further to get a degree of master. In contrast to Czech Republic in University in GB, students usually have their own teacher who helps them, it called tutorial system.
Marking in GB students aren’t marked by number but by letters from A to E. In Britain students are supposed to wear uniforms (to prevent discrimination against poorer).
Also exist there private schools, students are admitted according to their abilities. There is a possibility get a scholarship. The student cannot pay tuition fees.
U. S. system:
Children go to nursery schools or kindergartens to 5 years as in GB. Then they go to elementary school which has 6 grades as in GB system. At the age of 12 they go to middle school. They stay there to 13 years. For next 4 years there is a high school. At the age of 18 they go to college. The students of each grade have special name: freshmen, sophomore, and junior, senior. They are there for 4 years. There are no entrance exams, the students go to school of their district (oblast). During this studying are very popular some activities as sport. There is no exam to graduate. In the end of studying, students get H. S. Diploma. People who want a higher education can be attended to university (graduate school). Studying of university or college can pass from 2 to 5 or 6 years. Students can get AA degree, BA or BS degree, Master’s degree and Doctoral degree. Most important subject is called major and second most important elective (volitelný) subject is called minor.
The most prestigious US universities are Yale, Harvard or Princeton.