Freeway - European Schools Systems

European Schools Systems

In Sweden we start school when we are six years old and it’s compulsory to stay there until we are sixteen. But to get a job in the future we must have an education and that’s why most of the pupils in Sweden continue their education at the Upper Secondary School. In some cases it’s not enough with the three years of education that we got from the Upper Secondary School.
Then we have to continue studying at a University or a college. This is the way our school system works in Sweden. Is it very different from the school systems they have in others countries. Or is it the same.
Here you can see a picture of Parkskolan.

The Swedish school
In Sweden school starts when we are about six years old and finish at the age of 19. But if you study at the University later, you finish when you are around 24 years old. The first stage is the nine- year- compulsory school (called “Grundskola“). The next stage is the Upper Secondary School which we start when we are 17 years old (called “Gymnasium“).
Upper Secondary School is voluntary, but almost everyone chose to go there.
As from the year 2000 there are 17 national programmes in the Upper Secondary School, all of which are three years in length. They provide a broad-based general education and qualifications for further studies at university or college.
We have two “Gymnasium“ schools here in Örnsköldsvik - Parkskolan and Nolaskolan.
The marking system consists of three different grades and that’s Pass, Pass with Distinction and Pass with Special Distinction.

The Italian school

In Italy school starts when they are six years old, and in the best case they finish when they are 24 years old. Otherwise they can stop studing at an age of 19. The different four stages are elementary- intermediate- secondary and high school.
After that they can choose if they want to study at a University. It’s not compulsory to attend school and it’s up to the pupils if they want to have an education or not. Most pupils which have gone to High school study later at a University, but only a few of them are able to complete it
Here you can see a computer room in Italy

The Belarus school
In Belarus the children start in preschool, at an age of six, were they learn to read, write and calculate. When they are seven years old they start compulsory school. They have to stay in school for nine years and after that they can apply to college. But if they want to study at a University they have to study for eleven years to be able to apply for it.
The government pays for the school in Belarus but the students have to pay for their school books themselves. The marks in Belarus is in numbers and is from one to five. Next year they will have new marks up to ten.