LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — No matter what country you attend school in, education is a priority. School systems all work the same, but also operate in vastly different ways. All countries require the same basic subjects in school; however, the number of school days and graduation requirements vary by country.
One main difference that stands out across all international systems is the number of classes and the style of instruction students receive. In Germany, students have a choice between different types of religion classes, take two different politics classes and can even choose between taking courses in English or German to cement their biliteracy.
For the Japanese school system, the subjects per day are given based on students’ classes. Unlike American schools, students don’t get the same schedule every day. Students might go to two classes on Tuesday and four on Thursday, following a block schedule unique to their academic plans. Schools in Japan are mostly public. Private schools are available, but cost approximately $3,000 USD or 45,000 Yen.
In Japan, sports are less popular as extracurricular activities than actual activities, but there is still a high enrollment in sports. Some popular activities include calligraphy, tea ceremony, brass dancing and chorus.
“A really interesting extracurricular I did was flower arranging,” said Sophia June, a Los Alamitos High School junior who spent last summer in Japan as a foreign exchange student.
Additionally, Japanese students hoping to go to college can attend a bachelor’s program for about four years, similar to other nations. To get into these schools, students must take a test, which is referred to as “examination hell,” which is an entrance and aptitude test used to assess students’ skills in certain subjects.
Another test that students may have to do is the Common Test for University Admission, which is required for college admission to test a student’s learning and college readiness.
For the French school system, classes are scheduled according to the day and what you are taking. Normally, you take 12-15 subjects a week. The grades and how long you are in each school differ from what’s typically offered in the U.S. The middle schools are four years long, while high school is only three years long. You also pick your academic major in middle school, with the selection of courses narrowing as you climb higher in your education.
Schools are mostly public, and have about an hour and a half of lunch. Common extracurricular activities in France include tennis, rugby, visual arts, soccer, dance and theater. In order to graduate, students must study for a test at the end of their senior year, called the baccalaureate. If they don’t pass the test, they can’t graduate and must repeat the grade. Over the past few years, the French schools have had to decrease the passing score because the test is so hard, as students were barely passing and had to repeat.
World language teacher Ms. Whitfield worked as a teacher in France for two years before transferring to LAHS.
“I really enjoyed teaching there; one thing that was different was that the student-teacher relationship was much more strict,” said Ms. Whitfield.
The Mexican school system comprises four levels of education. First, preschool, which is three years long. Second, primary school, which is 6 years long. Then, there is a secondary school, which is three years long. Finally, upper-secondary school, where students finish at 18, is three years long. The schools are mostly public, but are extremely underfunded, with private enrollment numbers typically lower than in other countries.
Unlike other countries, Mexico has a similar school schedule to the United States where they take five or six classes a day. It is also similar because in Mexico, students go to school for six to seven hours. The hours depend on the level of school they are in and whether it is public or private.
For students who live in Mexico and plan on attending a university, they have the opportunity to attend a public or private institution. This is a similar model to an American school system, with a four-year bachelor’s program being what students typically aim for if they wish to obtain further education.
In the German school system, every student attends the same primary school, but moves on to secondary school depending on their performance. There are four types of secondary schools, which are Gymnasium, Realschule, Hauptschule and Gesamtschule. From there, they move into the same level of high schools, where they go based on individual performance and academic level. The amount of time a person spends in a day at school depends on the level of schooling they are at. Also, an interesting fact is, it’s illegal to home school students in Germany.
Overall, a universal value in all countries seems to be easy access to a public education funded by tax dollars, at least until students reach higher education. Private schools exist, but they are not as common and are known for providing a higher quality of education.
Globally, an accessible and affordable education is valued across all cultures, with an emphasis on higher education as the norm. No matter where you go, education seems to be something universally valued.
