5th Comenius meeting in Turkey September 2013 Art and Science, THE BEST AMBASSADORS OF THE NATIONAL VALUES WITHIN EUROPE LLP project number: RO1-COM This project has been funded with support from the European Commission

Study case : educational systems of Comenius partners: September 2013

Similarities  General structure : It is noted that all partners have a similar structure of their educational system, i.e. primary /secondary / high school And university studies Nursery school is offered too whereas it is not compulsory.

A few examples :  Nursery schools do not have any grading system in some countries like Romania, Lithuania or Turkey and most countries offer a wide range of extra curricular activities.  Primary schools enrols children aged 6 in most countries (7 in Lithuania, 5 in Italy)  School year is divided in 2 semesters in most countries (except for France, Spain and Italy)

Differences  however, the respective educational systems are so complex that it makes it difficult to compare, each country having their own peculiarities. We noted, for instance :  Enrolment age : nursery school starts from 2 or 3 generally with the exception of Lithuania, where babies are accepted at 1

Differences  Grading systems and Assessments are quite different from one country to the other  In lower secondary, there is a general exam in moste countries (France, Poland, Italy, …) ; in Turkey students are evaluated each semester ; in Luthuania hte exam is only on Langage and maths  In higher secondary, some countries have a very limited number of mandatory subjects, like Lithuania or Bulgaria

Differences  Number of students in a class varies a lot  In nrsery schools (15 in Romania to 25 in France, Poland or Italy)  In primary schools ranging from 20 in Lithuania to 30 in France or Portugal  Lower secondary : from 25 in Lithuania to 30 in France, Bulgaria, Spain, Romania or Portugal) and even 33 in Turkey !  Higher secondary : from 25 students in Lithuania to 35 in Poland, Trukey and even more in Spain…

Other differences  Number of classes in a week  Holidays are subject to variations  The duration of a lesson is not the same either

Primary school  In some countires, the pupils attending primary have to wear uniforms  Most kids have 1 school teacher, some may have additional teachers for foreign langages or other activities  Extra-curricular activities are varied and widely depending on teachers  The duration of the school year varies from 32 in Lithuania and Bulgaria to 40 weeks in Turkey

Primary school  There is no grading system in primary school in Lithuania while it is consisting of 4 grades in Romania ; 5 in Portugal ; 6 in Poland and up to 20 in other countries.  The number of students in a class varies from 20 to 33 in Portugal.  The weekly schedule is around 20 hours in primary schools except for Spain, Italy and Portugal where young pupils have up to 33 classes in a week.

Secondary school  Lower secondary level  In Bulgaria and Portugal 34 weeks per year whereas Polish students have 39 weeks per year.  Number of students is about 30 per class except for Italy with 17 to 28  Major differences are noted in the subjects studied, some countries have very few mandatory subjects whereas others are more comprehensive curricula

High schools (higher secondary level)  We noted a wide variety of routes  Degrees : baccalaureate and others  Vocational schools : different curricula  Apprenticeship  Exams : some countries have a limited number of mandatory subjects, like Lithuania of Bulgaria (mother tongue, and any other subject student may chose)

University  Since 2001, the ‘Dublin Descriptors’ have been adopted as cycle descriptors for the qualification framework of the European Higher Education Area. These are generic statements about achievements and abilities that are expected to be acquired by students at the conclusion of each Bologna cycle: knowledge and understanding; applying knowledge and understanding; making judgements; communication skills; and learning skills.

Partner schools :  ” Tudor Arghezi” High School, Craiova, Romania  Servet Çambol İlkokulu primary school, Darica, Turkey  ”Elias Canetti”, Ruse, Bulgaria  Zespół Szkół Józefa Wybickiego, Somonino, Poland  Kursenai Polytechnic School, Kursenai, Lithuania  Lycee Don Bosco, Wittenheim, France  I.T.S. “Maria Letizia Cassata”, Gubbio, Italy  Colégio Casa-Mãe, Paredes, Portugal  IES La Vega de San Jose, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Conclusion  European countries are striving for high quality teaching and learning throughout their education and training systems.  higher education institutions are so varied in their sizes, budgets, missions and objectives, that it makes it difficult to make a plain comparison of national education systems  A generic one size fits all standard of quality teaching and learning in higher education doesn’t exist.

Thank you !  Written by Sybille Gaertner and Don Bosco team members upon review of the partners data obtained from the respective countries  Recommended link to the project web page : science.host22.com/  Disclaimer : this presentation reflects the views of the author, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.