Philippine National Education System The education system of the country embraces formal and non-formal education.

F ormal education is a sequential progression of academic schooling at three level s, namely, elementary, secondary and tertiary education. The first level, eleme ntary or primary education involves compulsory six grades in public schools and seven grades in some private schools, in addition to optional pre-school program mes (DECS, 1994). The pre-school education usually consists of kindergarten sch ooling and may cover other preparatory courses. At the age of 3 or 4, a pupil m ay enter nursery school until 5 and at 6 years old, proceeds to grade one. The second level or secondary education corresponds to four years of high school , the prerequisite of which is completion of the elementary level. A student en ters the secondary level at age 12 and graduates at 15. The third level is tert iary education or higher education where a student enters at age 16. Higher edu cation is divided into collegiate, masters and doctorate levels in various progra mmes or disciplines. Post-secondary schooling consists of two or three-year non -degree technical or technician courses. The Philippine education system is closely related to the American system of for mal education while other Asian countries are influenced by the English, French or Dutch system. Non-formal education, which includes the acquisition of knowledge even outside s chool premises is aimed at attaining specific learning objectives for a particul ar clientele, especially the out-of-school youth or adult illiterates who cannot avail themselves of formal education. An example is functional literacy progra mmes for non-literate and semi-literate adults which integrate basic literacy wi th livelihood skills training. The responsibility of administering, supervising and regulating basic education (elementary and secondary education) is vested in the Department of Education, C ulture and Sports (DECS) while that of higher education is lodged in the Commiss ion on Higher Education. The post-secondary technical-vocational education is u nder the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) which is a lso in charge of skills orientation, training and development of out-of-school y outh and unemployed community adults. As of 1996, there are 49,631 schools in all levels, of which, 84 percent are pub lic (see Table 1). Of the 35,775 elementary schools, 94 percent are public. In the secondary level, there are 6,309 schools, of which, 59 percent are public. Of the 1,185 higher education institutions, 80 percent are private. Enrollment statistics for all levels are shown in Table 2. The Philippines is using a bilingual medium of instruction. Certain subjects are taught in English and the rest in the national language which is Filipino. Singapore National Education System The main policy objective for the Singapore education system is to bring out the best in every pupil, developing sound moral values, good citizenship, and the s kills necessary to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world. The national c urriculum strives to achieve these goals.

Pre-school education is not part of the national education system. Pre-schools and kindergartens usually are run by private organizations. If these organizati ons apply and meet certain standards, they may be licensed by the government. H owever, this license is not an operating requirement. The education system follows the British model and provides the opportunity for formal education to all children. Education is not compulsory, but most childre n attend for an average of ten years. Entering primary school at age six, a chi ld spends six years learning basic subjects and beginning the study of English a nd a mother-tongue language. Except for select subjects taught in the mother to ngue, English is the language of instruction in most schools. After successfully passing the Primary Leaving School Examination (PSLE) during the sixth year, th e student enters secondary school for an additional four or five years of educat ion. At the secondary level, students are streamed into one of three courses based on their PSLE results. These courses feature curricular emphases that are intende d to match the different learning abilities and interests of the students. The Special and Express courses take a four-year approach to preparing students for the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary (GCE O) level exam ination. The Normal (Academic/Technical) course prepares students to sit for th e GCE Normal (N) level examination after four years. Students who do well on the GCE N level may continue for a fifth year of secondary school and then, sit for the G CE O levels. Following the GCE N or O level examinations, students have three options for post-se condary education depending upon their desires and qualifications. They may enr oll in the technical or commercial institutes under the Institute of Technical E ducation (ITE) for specialized training or certificate programmes. Students with appropriate GCE O levels may attend the polytechnics to pursue diplo ma courses or they may enroll at junior colleges or pre-university centres to pr epare for the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced (GCE A) level examination. Although, junior colleges may be considered part of post-sec ondary education, no diplomas or degrees are awarded. The course work focuses o n requirements for the GCE A level subjects. These studies provide the type of ge neral education that frequently is found in the first year of university educati on in other countries. Results on the GCE A level examination determine the stude nts eligibility for tertiary education. Vietnam National Education System The new national educational system, according to the government decision No.90/ CP, made on 24 November 1993, consists of five sub-systems: Pre-school education , General Education (with the structure 5-4-3-4), Vocational-Technical education , Higher education, and Continuing education. Pre-school education is composed of create of 3 years and Kindergarten for 3 yea rs. From 6 years old children are admitted to primary education (5 years) leadi ng to the certificate of primary education. After that most of them continue to the basic secondary education (4 years) and some of them may be admitted to voc ational training for 1 year. Finishing basic secondary education with the certi ficate some of those children can continue specialized secondary education or up per secondary school general for 3 years or technical 3-4 years or vocational fo r 3-4 year. In addition some of them may be admitted to vocational training for 1-2 years. Finishing upper secondary education usually at the age of 18 or afte r 12 years of schooling pupils have to take the national school leaving examinat ion. With a diploma from upper secondary school or diploma of general education

(Tu Tai) a student can take part in the entrance exams of H E institutions. For under-graduate level there is either short-term higher education (3 year) or lon g-term H E (4-6 years) of regular full-time education or part-time education (an d in-service education of continuing education). For post-graduate level there are Masters programmes (2 years) and doctoral programmes (2-4 years). Thailand National Education System The Thai education system comprises 4 levels, namely: pre-school education, prim ary education, secondary education, and higher education. Details of the 4 leve ls of education can be summarized as follows: Pre-school Education: is provided for 3-5year old children. It aims to encourag e the harmonious physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of the children prior to formal education. The pre-school education can be provided i n many ways such as child care centres, nursery schools and kindergartens. The Ministry of Education has established a kindergarten in every provincial capital to serve as a model for the private ones. Since this level of education is opt ional, therefore, the private sector has played an active role. Most pre-schools are private and located in Bangkok. These schools are under the supervision of the Office of the Private Education Commission, Ministry of Education. Primary education: emphasizes literacy, numeracy, communication skills, and abil ities relevant to future occupational roles. At this level, education is compul sory and free of charge, provided for children aged 6-11 including the disadvant aged ones . Primary school curriculum is an integrated curriculum comprising fiv e areas of learning experiences, namely: basic skills development, life experien ce, character development, work oriented education, and special experiences. Th e last area is provided for children in pratom 5 and 6 which are the last two gr ades at the primary level. Since student backgrounds in the various parts of th e country are different, a basic national core curriculum allows certain flexibi lity for regional diversification. Primary education is under several governmen t agencies. Most of the government primary schools are under the Office of the National Primary Education Commission, Ministry of Education. There are also de monstration schools attached to some teachers colleges and universities, and muni cipal schools under the Ministry of Interior. Secondary Education: is divided into two levels, each covering a period of three years. The lower level emphasizes on learners intellect, ethics morality and b asic skills. It allows the learner to explore his individual interests and aptit udes through a wide choice of both academic and vocational subjects. The upper level aims to provide appropriate academic and vocational knowledge and skills c orrespondent with the learners interests and aptitudes. This knowledge and these skills will beneficial for learners to continue study at a higher level or to en ter the world of work. Secondary curriculum covers five broad fields: language, science and mathematics, social studies, character development and work educati on. There is also a wide range of exploratory pre-vocational subjects available . The use of the credit system at this level facilitates flexibility in the tea ching-learning process. Both public and private sectors are involved in the org anization of secondary education. Public schools are mostly under the Departmen t of General Education, Ministry of Education. Higher Education: aims at the full development of human intellectuality, and the advancement of knowledge and technology. This level may be organized in the fo rms of colleges, universities, or institutions for specialized studies.