SWITZERLAND

SPAIN

OMPARATIVE EDUCATION

WITZERLAND SPAIN
VS.

SWITZERLAND
Geograph
ical
Location
Landlocke
d Country

Surrounded by:

Divided by theCANTON

WITZERLAND 8 MILLION

HILIPPINES 100 MILLIO

U.S.A. 322 MILLION
CHINA 1.3

Switzerland

a largely
decentralised education
system. Most decisions on
the running of primary and
secondary schools are taken
It
also thelevel.
cantons which
atiscantonal
provide the bulk of the

financing.

has

not

Switzerland does
have a
federal
minister
of
education.
Nevertheless, some organisational
aspects of the education system

apply
across
the
country. These include the
duration of the school year,
and the number of years of
compulsory schooling.

In other areas the cantons, and

even the communes, have
traditionally enjoyed a large
degree of autonomy.
Each canton has its own head of
education, all of whom together
make up the Swiss Conference of
Cantonal Ministers of Education.

Educational system

The preschool stage, or kindergarten, is

financed largely by the commune.
Depending on the canton, children have
the right to one or two years of
kindergarten education before starting

The age at which children

start primary school varies
by canton; the youngest is 6.
The number of years spent
also varies: in most cantons
it is 6 years, but in others it
is 5 or 4.

The compulsory education

last for nine years.

Although private schools exist,

the majority of children attend

state-run schools.

ost-compulsory:
At the age of 16,
students
who
wish to continue
their education
move
into
Secondary
II,
which generally
lasts 3-4 years.

ost-compulsory:
Secondary II
either provides
vocational
training for
direct entry into
the labour
market, or
prepares

ertiary education
Switzerland offers students a broad choice
of third-level education opportunities.
However, the options open to schoolleavers depend on the type of secondary
education they received. Access to
university,
Federal
Institutes
of
Technology,
Universities
of
Applied
Sciences and teacher training college is
open to holders of a Matura (high-school
diploma).

Subjects

Switzerland is adapting its

education system to keep

pace with globalisation

and growing partnership with
other countries.

aim

The
of the education
provided is not only to ensure that
pupils possess the necessary
knowledge, but that they are able

new
circumstances in a rapidly
to adapt to

changing world.
This includes improving reading and
writing in the mother tongue.

One of the most controversial

changes proposed in recent years
is the introduction of

n primary school.

The move to promote primary school

English came from Zurich's (head of
education in 2000). Some German
speaking cantons followed Zurich's
lead, which was fiercely resisted by
French speakers.

Objections to the scheme are twofold

The promotion of a

Non-Swiss
language threatens
national unity.
Children in the
second year of
schooling are too
young to start a
new language.

An additional problem is
the lack of primary school
teachers qualified in
English.

Supporters of the scheme answer the

objections by saying:

 English is an international language

which children need to know.

Young children learn languages easily.

English is taught in a fun way, and is
regarded as "cool".
In any case, since the human brain is better
suited to learn languages at an early age, it is
intended that children should start two foreign
languages at primary school.

SPAIN

The current system

ofeducationinSpainis known as
LOE.

Ley Orgnica de Educacin,

Fundamental Law of Education.

Education in Spain is compulsory,

from 6 to 16 years
of age, supported by the

and free

Government in each Region

Schools in Spain are free from

age 4 onwards. Enrolment for
September generally begins
around March.
If its too late and the school you
want your child to get into is full,
the authorities are always required
to find an opening at a public
school for your child.

There are three types of schools

Public, Private, and Mixed
(concertada),
meaning the schools receives
some government funding,
and you pay less than you
would at a private school.

24,181.54 pesos

For example, in Barcelona,

a private school might cost you 500

euros per month, with classes taught
in Castellano and English instead of

Cataln.
a concertada might cost 250
euros/month with 70% of the classes
in Cataln.

ant education (Educacin infant

2 cycles in 6 years
1st cycle
0 to 3
years old
2nd cycle
3 to 6
years old

primer ciclo)

(tercer ciclo)

(segundo ciclo)

A child may be asked to repeat a

year if they have not reached
the education level needed to
carry on to the next cycle.

Children are graded in the

following manner:
Insuficiente(IN) Insufficient
Suficiente(SU) - Sufficient
Bien(BI) - Good
Notable(NT) - Very good
Sobresaliente(SB) Outstanding

Basic
Educati
on

TheSpanish high
schoolBaccalaure
ate
is
noncompulsory
but

free
education
that consists of one
cycle
in
two
academic years for
students age 1618.

Students who have finished

theirBachillerato (secondary school), they
can take their University Entrance Exam,
also known as

Pruebas de Acceso
a la Universidad

School Terms
Three Terms similar to
Christmas
English terms. But
Easter
shorter holidays.

Summer

There are frequent odd

days
and
long
weekends
relating
mainly
to
religious
holidays and regional
and national holidays.

anish Vocational Training

Two
types:
Middle Grade Training cycles
for those
who only have their ESO (compulsory
education) diploma.
Superior Training Cycles for those who
possess
a
Spanish
Baccalaureate
diploma.
Those who complete a Superior
Training Cycle may then pursue certain
university degrees.

End