School Curriculum and reform
The school year lasts for ten months and we have a two month long summer holiday, also a Christmas, Spring, Autumn and Easter holiday.
We have different types of schools in Slovakia:
a) Kindergarden little children play with toys, learn how to draw, count to ten and begin to work with computers
b) Primary school (Elementary school) when the child is 6 years old it has to go to the primary school. The first grade remains from the first class to the fourth class. Than children can go to the second grade or eight-years-grammar school. Except for English all the subjects are taught by one teacher.
In the first grade children have their teacher and one teacher for English.
In the second grade children have a class teacher and each subject is taught by different teacher.
On the first grade children have subjects: Slovak language and literature, Maths, Science, Physical training, Music, Art, Workshop, foreign language. Children have another subject about our country from the third class.
The second grade is from fifth to ninth class. On the second grade children have these subjects: Slovak language and literature, Maths, Science: Natural history, Chemistry, Physics (Natural Philosophy), foreign languages, Physical training, Music, Art, ICT, Technical workshop.
In the ninth class pupils have a big test from two subjects: Slovak language and literature and maths.
Lessons take 45 minutes. In primary school children have four to seven lessons per day.
Our school year has two semesters. The first ends in January and children get reports which they give back to school and the second semester ends in June and children get the same report with all of the marks and they can take it home.
c) Students start studying at the secondary school when they are in age of 15 or 16. Few students can go studying on the secondary school when are 14 years old from the eight class. They are very good students and have to make entrance exams. In the previous years in the ninth class children made entrance exam but today students are accepted at the secondary school on the base of a big test National testing of students in the ninth class.
There are types of secondary school.
1. Grammar school (gymnasium in Slovak language) prepares students for higher education at university. The study takes 4 years on this school and finishes with the leaving examination. If students study in foreign language on grammar school the study takes 5 year and finishes with the leaving examination too.
2. The other types of secondary school are visited by students interested in arts, craft or a special company.
- Conservatory is a specific school which prepares students for these branches: singing, dancing, dramatic art. It takes 6 or 8 years.
- Comprehensive school grants special education but it prepares students for studying at university. The study on this school takes 4 years and finishes with the leaving examination.
- Apprentice school the study takes 3 or 4 years. When students study for 3 years they finish school with a final exam. If they study 4 years they finish with a leaving examination.
d) After secondary school students usually go to university. The first university in Slovakia was the Universitas Istropolitana (=Academia Istropolitana) founded in 1465. The largest university in Slovakia is the Comenius University in Bratislava.
Big universities are in the cities: Kosice The University of Pavol Jozef Safarik, Banska Bystrica Matej΄s Bel University, Trencin University, Nitra Konstantin Metod΄s University, Presov University.
The study at University takes 4, 5 or 6 years. At university the students have two semesters summer and winter. Each semester finishes with exams from individual subjects. Students study at university what they would like to be: a teacher, a doctor, an economist, a lawyer, a pet doctor, an engineer of different branches, for example: a mining engineer, a metallurgical engineer, a structural engineer.
When students successfully accomplish their university studies they are given a degree in their field of study. The most advanced type of degree is PhD. but they get it after several years of doing research work and writing a dissertation explaining what they have discovered. They also have to defend their work in front of a panel of professors.
School reform
In Slovakia we used the school act legislative since 1984. In the 1984 Czechoslovak socialist republic still existed. Our government was not able to establish a new school law till 1993 when The Slovak republic was founded. Our country needed changes in the school system. We had all subjects determined by state in the old school system. According to the new school law our state determines only 70% and 30 % of the subject every school creates on their own this part has a name school programme.
Our education system has a new identification:
ISCED 1 primary education: 1. 4. grades at elementary school
ISCED 2 lower secondary education: 5. 9. grades at elementary school or prima quart at 8-year high school (grammar school)
ISCED 3 higher secondary education: 1 4. grades at high school or quint octave at 8-year high school (grammar school)
Every school must prepare own curriculum and standards in every subject.
Our school curriculum in the school year 2008/2009.
We determine these subjects in our school programme:
The first class:
- computer education children develop computer skills
- creative writing and reading children improve their skills in Slovak language
- English language children start learning English language, the first words and phrases
- PE physical education healthy lifestyle and sport exercise is very important
The fifth class:
- computer education children develop their skills by graphics software
- mathematic and happy mathematic pupils learn to calculate the examples from
the real life
- English conversation - pupils learn to use English words in ?daily? conversation
- German language pupils start learning the second foreign language
- Creating presentations and projects pupils learn to use knowledge from other
subjects to create and present own work
History of our school:
Our school was founded in 1971. At that time the school was situated at Borskα street- The actual building of the school was built in 1973. The name of the street with this building was Huθavovα. In 1983 it was renamed Benovskeho Street. Our school has already existed for 37 years. Our school has now 450 children and there are 35 teachers. The school is cared by 15 members of staff: caretaker, secretary, cleaners, cooks and cooks assistants in the kitchen.
Description of our school:
Our school has two floors. On the ground floor there are younger children who go to the elementary classes. There are from the first to the fourth grade. Children start learning English from the first class. Except for English all the subjects are taught by one teacher. Children from the first class know how to write all the letters of the Slovak alphabet now.
