Education system in your country

[alain]

I want to create this thread so I can learn more about the different education systems in each country. A good percentage of the readers/posters/lurkers here are international students. How is the education system in your country? What is your experience? I would like to know High School, Undergrad and Grad level. I also want to know different points of view so feel free to post whatever you want.

Ah, one last thing, I would like to know your own experience. Don't try to generalize... Just give me the view of the school system in your country through your own eyes (so you can be as opinionated as you want).

Since I came from Cuba I can give you some insight. My education in Cuba was extremely good. I have no complains whatsoever. It was tough though. I went to boarding school and it seemed like a prison.... think about two buildings sorrounding by a fence with one road coming in and far away civilization, in the middle of nowhere. The idea was to study, 11 classes a day from 7:30 AM to 6:05 PM, 5 or 6 days a week alternating... but you were force to learn... Looking back I think it was kind of harsh but it worked. There were 3 tests to get in Math, Physics/Chemistry/Biology and language (Spanish in my case).

For College another 3 tests to get in; Math for everybody and two of: Physics/Chemistry/Biology/History/Spanish depending of what you wanted to study. One shot deal so you didn't do well, you future was toasted. Then after you were in, Professors made sure to "torture" you enough so to filter the good from the bad. If you fail, you are out, plain and simple. Also the grading system is college was extremely efficient: 5, 4, 3 and 2. 5 = excellent, 2 = fail. No + or -.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Your education system is similar in a lot of way with the system they have in Vietnam since they are both communist country.
There wasn't much to say about grade 1-9th but to get into selective highschools, there is a general examination for everyone. You have to pass national Math, Chem, Physics and another exam to get into certain school. The maximum scale for each exam is 10 and some school would require 32/40 just to get into their school.
When you get in the school, you would have to fight for the limited slots in the handful of specialized class. You have to take another high pressure Math exam to get into a Math class. The top 40 or so got into A1 - the math geek squads. The lesser 30 get into A2, another lesser math geek squads and so on. This goes for the first hundred students who want to devote their 3 years in high school for the love of science.
There are a few selective high schools in a city of 8 millions people where this happens. It's similar like Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, Stuyvesant high in NYC.

I was one of the 40 or so in that A1 that called 10A1, 11A1, 12A1 as you go through high school. The 3 years there was long, hard schedule.
Morning from 8-12 we had classes, then 2 hours breaks and then from 2-6 classes again. This goes from Monday to Sat. For 3 years. You got double doses of math, physic and chem as your class specializes in science training.

Then when you graduate, you take national exams in Math, Physics, Chem to get into a science university. There are university like Polytech that specializes in science that admits a few hundred people each year. You have to select a major when you select university. Computer Science was the major that requires the highest score. You have to get like 22/30 to get in that major. And you have to fight 10 other people to get into that major.

So in a sense, we had a similar experience up to the university level. But once we got into university, it's a downhill road from there. We learned nothing of practical use as I posted in the other thread. Most of the graduates in my country are very ill-equipped for a job. A not trivial part of their undergrad training is devoted for Kark max and socialism study.

If I'm still there now, I probably end up as a taxi driver or some kind of computer technician.