School Years around the World
From Australia to South Korea
by Mark Hughes
Somewhere in the world, right now, students are hard at work
in school. With over 190 nations spanning the globe’s 24 time zones,
students and their academic years come in a variety of forms. Here’s a
sampling of the typical school year in 13 nations throughout the world.
Australia
Students in Australia
attend school for 200 days a year. Their school year lasts from late January
to late November. Since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, it
experiences summer while it’s winter in the northern hemisphere.
Summer vacation for Australian students is from December to late January.
Their school year is divided into four terms, with each term lasting 9 to 11
weeks. Students then have two weeks of vacation between each term. The
typical school day is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and lunch is eaten at
school. Students are required to attend school for at least nine years. The
average class size is eighteen students and there are about six computers
per classroom.
School grades in Australia are called years. Primary school is from year
1 to year 6; secondary school is from year 7 to year 12. A 6 year old begins
in year one, while an 18 year old finishes school by year 12. From year one
to year six, students spend about 12 hours a week working on math and
English. Many schools integrate subjects, meaning they combine two or more
academic subjects. For instance, say your class is studying coral reefs. A
non-integrated approach would have students study coral reels only in
science class. An integrated method incorporates math, by taking
measurements, for example, and language arts. Students would then use that
information to write a report about coral reefs.
Brazil
Brazil, also found in the southern hemisphere, shares the
same summer months as Australia. The school day in Brazil runs from 7 a.m.
to noon, and students typically go home at noon to share lunch with their
family. Lunch is the most important meal of the day. Most schools require
students to wear a uniform.
Math, geography, history, science, Portuguese, which is
the national language of Brazil, and physical education are the main
subjects studied by students in Brazil. Many schools can barely afford to
teach those subjects, which means that courses like art and music are often
left out in poorer areas. The average class size is 30 or more students.
Most schools do not have a computer in the classrooms, or have only one or
two computers for 30 students to share.
China
Because
China is in the northern hemisphere, its summer months are in line with
Asia, Europe, and North America. The school year in China typically runs
from the beginning of September to mid-July. Summer vacation is generally
spent in summer classes or studying for entrance exams. The average school
day runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a two-hour lunch break. Formal
education in China lasts for nine years. China provides all students with
uniforms, but does not require they be worn.
There are about 21 students in each
classroom. All Chinese students study from textbooks that emphasize
China’s unity, past and present accomplishments, and its future.
Students in China also have great access to computer technology, with a
computer to student ratio of 1:2. Chinese language and math skills are
tested at the end of each year. Math is typically taught by drill, which
means students are repeatedly taught the basics of math until they are able
to demonstrate comprehension. Education in China since the turn of the 21st
century has been undergoing reform, with curriculum being redesigned to
emphasize group activities and other methods believed to foster creativity
and innovation.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica was one of the first nations
in Central and South America to offer free public education. On average,
there are about twenty-eight students in a classroom. Students are required
to wear uniforms during the nine years of their formal education, from ages
6 to 15, and supply their own lunches and snacks. Students then begin
college at age 15. The school year in Costa Rica runs from February to
December. Students have vacation for about two months, from December to
February, and a few weeks off in July.
Costa Rica is one of the most literate
nations in Central America with over 96% of students over age 15 being able
to read. In addition to the regular subjects–Spanish, social studies,
math, and science–all Costa Rican schools now teach students English
and computer science.
France
The school day in France typically runs from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m., with a half day on Saturday, although students do not attend school on
Wednesday or Sunday. Lunch is a two-hour break for public school students.
Students usually attend school from ages 6 to 18. The average number of
students per class is 23. Uniforms are not required, but religious dress of
any kind is banned. The school year for this country in the northern
hemisphere stretches from August to June, and is divided into four
seven-week terms, with one to two weeks of vacation in between.
Students in the primary grades, from age’s 6 to 11, learn basic
skills in reading, writing, and math, as well as participate in exercises to
develop observation, reasoning, imagination, and physical abilities. Older
students study French, math, physical and natural sciences, foreign
language, history and geography, economics, and civics.
Iran
Iran is
another nation in the northern hemisphere with a school year similar to
European countries. Students in Iran go to school for 10 months a year, or
about 200 active days, from September to June. The average number of
students per classroom is 27. From ages 5 to 18, boys and girls are educated
separately. Girls typically have female teachers, while boys are taught by
men. Religious study in Iran is required. Men and women do study together at
the university level–by 2006, over half of all university students in
Iran were women.
Beginning at age 5, all students must pass a yearly exam in
order to move to the next grade level. Students in primary school learn
about hygiene, basic math and science, reading, and study skills. Because
many schools are in remote areas or do not have the money for such things as
libraries, resourcefulness is necessary. For example, mobile libraries
trundle across Iran to bring books to more than 4,000 children in 40
different schools. Each bus has two librarians and around 3,000 books.
Students tend to get very excited when they hear the engine of the library
bus coming their way.
Japan
Most Japanese schools run on a trimester schedule. The
academic year begins in April and ends the following March, with breaks for
summer, winter and spring separating the three terms. Uniforms are required
and there are extensive rules for hair styles, shoes, socks, skirt length,
make-up, accessories, and more.
In each classroom, the average number of students is 29
with five or six computers to share between them. Students in Japan study
academic subjects, such as Japanese language, math, reading, social studies,
music, and art, and they also receive moral education. Moral education
involves teaching students about health and safety, living a disciplined
life, courtesy, understanding and confidence, public manners, and
environmental awareness.
Kenya
The school year in this southern-hemisphere nation is
divided into three terms, each 13 weeks long, with one-month breaks in
between. School days are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Uniforms are mandatory in
government-run schools. Most classrooms have about thirty students in them.
Many
schools provide lunch. Because Kenya is experiencing severe economic and
environmental hardships, some students save all or part of their lunch to
share with their families. Students study the Kiswahili language, English,
math, science, music, history, civics, and geography, and receive religious
instruction.
Mexico
The school year in Mexico runs from
September to June. Students go to school Monday through Friday, and have
elective classes on Saturdays. Students are required to wear uniforms for
primaria (elementary school) and secondaria (middle school).
School days are divided into two sessions, one for the morning and one for
the afternoon.
In
each classroom, there are about 30 students who must share three computers.
Students learn Spanish, math, art, and physical education. Other subjects
are integrated into courses called environmental knowledge. These include
the natural sciences, history, geography, civics, reading, writing, and oral
expression.
Nigeria
The school year in Nigeria runs from January to December.
The year is divided into three semesters with a month off in between each
semester. Students must wear uniforms, as well as obey rules for hair,
jewelry, and accessory restrictions.
There are about 40 students in each
classroom in Nigeria. There they will learn one of the three main languages
(Hausa, Yoruba, or Ibo), math, English, social studies, health and physical
education, religious instruction, agriculture, and home economics.
North Korea
Students in North Korea must attend school for 11 years,
beginning at age 5. Students must wear uniforms provided by the government,
and many students receive room and board from their government.
Students study music, art, math, the Korean language,
social education. Social education includes studying about the former leader
Kim Il Song, and “Communist Morality.” In later years they learn
about the policies of the communist party. Social education also provides
students with a controlled environment in which to learn so they are
protected from “bad or unplanned influences.”
Russia
The
school year in Russia runs from the first of September to late May. Students
attend class from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. No uniforms are required; students are
instead encouraged to dress warmly. Students remain together in the same
class from grades one to ten. Each classroom has about 16 students.
Tenth grade is the last year of mandatory education. Eleventh and 12th
grades offer optional paths, either to vocational schools to learn trade
skills or to continue to study for university entrance exams. Students in
grades one to ten study Russian, math, reading, natural sciences, music,
art, and physical education.
South Korea
The school year in South Korea typically runs from March to February. The
year is divided into two semesters (March to July and September to
February). School days are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but many stay later into
the evening. In addition, students help clean up their classroom before
leaving. Most students remain in the same room while their teachers rotate
throughout the day. Each room has about thirty students with ten computers
for them to share.
After 5 p.m. students have a short dinner at home, or eat
at school, before study sessions or other activities begin in the evening.
Students attend school Monday to Friday, with some Saturday classes
scattered throughout the year. Their classes cover the Korean language,
math, science, physical education, social studies, moral education, music,
fine and practical arts. In third grade students begin receiving English
instruction for two hours a week.
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