Education in USA/UK and in the Czech Republic

Education in the United Kingdom
•    There are separate education systems in England. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
•    Each education system is generally divided into four stages:
o    primary education 5-11
o    secondary education 11-16
o    further education 16-18
o    higher education  18-25/28
•    Two basic types of education
o    State schools (no tuition fees are obliged)
o    Public (independent) schools
•    Full time education in the United Kingdom is compulsory between the age of  5 and 15) (18 in England)
•    Most children in the UK begin their primary education at the age of  5
•    Primary education: is divided into infant schools (between ages 5- 7), where children generally take part in games and learn the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic
•    From the age of 7 to 11 children attend junior schools.
o    Here a great deal of time is spent on doing informal work, especially art and handicrafts. The workload in academic subjects then gradually becomes more formal
•    Secondary education is provided by the following types of schools:
o    grammar schools
o    secondary modern schools
o    secondary technical schools
o    comprehensive schools
•    Between ages 14 and 15 pupils study for their GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education)
•    At the age of 16 pupils can either leave school or stay for another two years and prepare for GCEs (General Certificate of Education) examinations at Advanced levels (A -levels).
o    These are used as entrance qualifications for university, other types of higher education, or for many forms of professional training.
•    Many students decide to leave school at the age of 16 and go to a Further Education (FE) College.
•    Higher education in Britain involves taking a full-lime course or an equivalent of it at a university, an institute of polytechnics or a college of higher education (these include teacher training colleges).
o    Candidates are accepted on the basis of their A-level results.
o    Universities and institutes of polytechnics normally award degrees to their successful students.
o    The most common undergraduate titles are
BA (Bachelor of Arts).   
BSc (Bachelor of Science),
MSc (Master of Science)  
MA (Master of Arts)  
PhD or DPhil (Doctor of Philosophy any subject)

Education in the United States
•    Every tenth American teenager attends a private high school, which are mostly religious.
•    After graduation from a high school, Americans get a High school diploma and 34% of them continue their education at universities and colleges.
•    You have to study 4 years to get Bachelor’s Degree – either in humanities (B.A.) or science (B.S.)
•    If you stay at the university, you can get a Master’s Degree. An American university education can be very expensive as the students have to pay the tuition fees. That’s why they usually have a part – time job and/or are offered government loans.
•    The best students may receive a scholarship.
•    American universities are set in campuses, formed by buildings and green areas.
•    Some American universities are famous all over the world and are very selective. The most outstanding belong to so called Ivy League, e.g. Yale (in Connecticut), Harvard (in Massachusetts) , Columbia, Princeton or Pennsylvania

Czech Republic
•    School attendance in the Czech Republic is compulsory from the age from 6 to 15
•    Most children attend state school, but there are also newly established private and crouch schools.
•    Education at state schools up to 18 is free of charge out students at secondary schools must pay for their textbooks Private and church schools charge school fees.
•    Children in our school system do not wear uniforms.
•    The school year starts on 1st September and ends on 30th June of the following year.
•    The school year is divided into two terms (September - January. February - June). A school day is different at different types of schools.
•    The average number of lessons at a secondary school is around thirty a week primary schools have fewer lessons, while specialized schools often have more
•    Classes begin between 8 and 8:15 and there are from 4 to 6 lessons in a row, followed by a lunch break. Usually 45 minutes long, and then afternoon classes. Afternoon classes end between 4 and 5 at the latest.
•    Breaks between the lessons last from 5 to 15 minutes.
•    Pupils and students are evaluated by marks from 1 to 5, 1 is the best, 5 is the worst.
•    Education in our country includes these stages :
o    pre-school
o    primary
o    secondary
o    tertiary.
•    Pre-school education
o    provided by creches for children up to 3 years of age
o    nursery schools for children aged 3 to 6.
o    Not many children attend creches but quite a lot of them attend kindergartens.
•    Primary schools
o    At 6 children start to go to primary schools and they stay there until 15. At the age of 15 the pupils transfer from primary to secondary school.
o    Some pupils, whose parents wish then to, can transfer to grammar schools at the age of 11 after they have passed an entrance examination
•    At the age of 15 pupils can choose among a variety of secondary schools.
o    grammar schools with general and rather academic education which prepare students for university study
o    special schools which include technical colleges, specialized in building, chemistry, engineering etc., business academies, agricultural schools, nursing schools, music and an schools which offer professional education
o    vocational schools training would-be workers for practical jobs.
•    Secondary education
o    Usually lasts for 4 years and at grammar and specialized schools it is finished with a school-leaving examination which is required by all universities and colleges.
o    This examination is taken in four subjects at grammar schools (Czech, a foreign language and two optional subjects chosen from foreign languages, science subjects or humanities) and in Five or more subjects at specialized schools.
o    The examination is held in May and is mostly oral except Czech in which an essay is written about a month before.
o    After the graduates have passed their school-leaving exam they receive the School-Lea-, ing Certificate and they can apply for study at universities and colleges.
•    Universities and colleges provide tertiary education which lasts from 4 to 6 years. Each secondary school graduate can apply for as many universities and colleges as he /she likes but before he/she is accepted they have to pass an entrance examination in the subjects in which the university specializes. The examination consists of a written test and an interview.
•    The university or college students can enroll at three-year courses for a Bachelor's Degree or four and five-year courses for a Master's Degree.
•    Medicine usually takes 6 years
•    The university or college study is finished with a state examination and every undergraduate also has to write a thesis in order to receive a diploma in a certain field of study. The diploma is handed over at a graduation ceremony.
•    Doctoral Degrees are awarded after another few years of study, which may be also individual, and completion of another thesis.