bulgaria
Education in Bulgaria is mainly supported by the state through the Ministry of Education and Science. School education is compulsory for children from seven to sixteen years of age.
The Bulgarian educational system falls within the continental European tradition. The main types of secondary schools are: general educational, vocational, language schools and foreign schools. Private schools are also being established and they are beginning to compete successfully with state schools.
There are fifty-one higher educational institutions in Bulgaria offering degrees at undergraduate and graduate levels. The academic year for most Bulgarian universities begins around October 1 and consists of fall and spring semesters. The academic year covers up to 30 weeks. Classes usually meet once a week for 75 minutes or for two 45-minute periods with a 15-minute break in between.
The languages that need to be studied
The official language of instruction is Bulgarian.
At the school level, the general curriculum provides opportunities for ethnic minority children to study their mother tongue.
In specialized language schools and in the profile-oriented schools, instruction takes place in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Armenian, Hebrew, Russian, and other languages.
At university level, instruction takes place in English at the American University in Bulgaria, and in German, French and English in some programs in technical universities.
Pre-school education
Pre-school education in Bulgaria includes children from 3 years of age until their entry into first grade (6/7 years). Preschool preparation of children two years before their entry into first grade is mandatory. The main goal of pre-school education in Bulgaria is to build in children skills and values for a school environment.
School education
School education in Bulgaria starts at the age of 7. School education according to the degree is basic and secondary, and according to the content of the preparation is general and professional
High school
High school general education takes place in general schools (3 and 4 years of study) and in profiled schools (4 and 5 years of study). Students are admitted to profiled or vocational schools after taking entrance exams after 7th grade in Bulgarian language and literature and Mathematics for admission of students to state and municipal schools
Higher education
The higher education system organizes post-secondary education for the acquisition of the following educational and qualification degrees: Educational and Qualification degree "Bachelor", Educational and Qualification degree "Master", Educational and Scientific Degree "Doctor".
greece
The Greek educational system is mainly divided into three levels: primary, secondary and tertiary, with an additional post- secondary level providing vocational training. Primary education is divided into kindergarten lasting one or two years, and primary school spanning six years (ages 6 to 12).
Secondary education comprises two stages: Gymnasio (variously translated as Middle or Junior High School), a three- year school, after which students can attend Lykeio (an academically oriented high school) or Vocational training.
Higher Tertiary education is provided by Universities and Polytechnics, Technological Educational Institutes and Academies which primarily cater for the military and the clergy.
Undergraduate courses typically last 4 postgraduate courses last from 1 to 2 years and doctorates from 3 to 6 years. All levels are overseen by the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs. The Ministry exercises centralized control over state schools, by prescribing the curriculum, appointing staff and controlling funding.
Private schools also fall under the mandate of the Ministry, which exercises supervisory control over them. All levels of education are catered for by both private and public schools. State-run schools and universities do not charge tuition fees and textbooks are provided free to all students.
There are also a number of private tutorial schools, colleges and universities operating alongside the state education and providing supplementary tuition. These parallel schools provide foreign language tuition, supplementary lessons for weak students as well as exam preparation courses for the competitive exams in national level. Most of the students typically attend such classes (and examinations) at the tutor’s schools in the afternoon and evening in addition to their normal schooling.
A normal school-day starts at 8.15 and finishes from 13.15 to 15.00 depending on the school. The classes last between 40 and 90 minutes. The school year always starts on September 11 and ends on June 15. The students have summer vacation (about 3 months), Christmas vacation (2 weeks) and Easter vacation (2 weeks). Furthermore, students take usually another four days off in order to celebrate their two national holidays (28/10 and 25/3).
italy
The Italian education and training system is organized on the basis of the principles of subsidiarity and the autonomy of educational institutions.
The State has exclusive legislative competence for the "general rules on education" and for the determination of the essential levels of services that must be guaranteed throughout the national territory. Furthermore, the State defines the fundamental principles that the Regions must respect in the exercise of their specific competences. The Regions have concurrent legislative power in the field of education and exclusive in the field of education and vocational training.
State educational institutions have didactic, organizational and research, experimentation and development autonomy.
The education system is organized as follows:
kindergarten, not mandatory, for girls and boys aged 3 to 6;
first cycle of education, lasting a total of 8 years, divided into
primary school¸ lasting five years, for pupils aged 6 to 11;
lower secondary school, lasting three years, for pupils aged 11 to 14;
second cycle of education divided into two types of pathways:
Upper secondary school, lasting five years, for female students and students who
have successfully completed the first cycle of education. The schools organize
high school, technical institutes and vocational institutes courses for female
students aged 14 to 19;
Three-year and four-year courses of professional education and training
(IeFP) of regional competence, always aimed at female students and
students who have successfully completed the first cycle of education.
lithuania
Most children attend state (public) schools where the education is free (taxpayer-funded). These have three tiers: for ages 7-10 ("primary schools") a single teacher teaches most subjects, for ages 11-14 ("progymnasiums") there are separate teachers for each subject but still no choice on what to learn (save for religious education and 2nd foreign language), while at ages 15-18 ("gymnasiums") students have a limited choice of their lectures. While there are prestigious gymnasiums, at the earlier tiers most pupils are enrolled at schools closest to their homes as the quality varies little.
The official language is Lithuanian but there are minority-oriented public schools that use their languages for instruction. The network of Russian schools covers the main cities while the Polish schools are concentrated in the southeast.
Private schools tend to be expensive (by Lithuanian standards) and not very popular. Few schools cover the entire school life with private schooling more popular for younger kids. For English medium-of-instruction education, however, "private" is the only option and largely limited to Vilnius.
There are also a few Roman Catholic schools in the cities.
Pre-school education (kindergartens) is not compulsory. With more women than ever working (the female share of the workforce is larger in Lithuania than in every single Western society), there is a shortage of public kindergartens in the main cities. It is common to write your child into a queue immediately at birth. Akin to schools the private kindergartens are expensive although the shortages make them somewhat popular. Some families rely on (great) grandparents to rear their toddlers instead of kindergartens.
Lithuania has a wide range of paid informal education, most of it in the Lithuanian language. Lithuanian basketball academies are especially famous.
Universities and colleges
In Lithuania, most young people attend public universities of which there are many. Vilnius University is the oldest and the most prestigious but some others successfully compete at specific fields (Mykolas Romeris University in social sciences, the Kaunas University of Technology in technological sciences, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences in medical sciences). Public university tuition is state-subsidized for Lithuanian citizens; to many better local students the education there is free.
Yet other public universities are however widely known to be ";second-choice" and some politicians doubt their need. The few private universities (limited to social sciences) are somewhat infamous for being a choice of "rich-yet-incapable" as they accept nearly everyone whoever pays a large tuition. Even the largest tuitions are small by the US standards however with a 3000 USD annual fee considered expensive.
University education takes 4 years (Bachelor's degree), 6 years (Master's degree, the most sought-after) or 10 years (PhD). Some universities offer English medium-of-instruction studies and attract a sizeable foreign student population (up to 10% in Lithuanian University of Health Sciences).
poland
Nurseries
In Poland children from 20 weeks to about three years of age are allowed to attend the nursery - a daycare facility for children whose parents or guardians don't work at home and there's no one else who would take care of the child.
Kindergartens
The kindergarten is attended by children from the age of three to six, but in special cases children at the age of 2,5 years are allowed to be there as well. The pre-school education isn't compulsory though until the child reaches the age of six. Pre-school education may take place in kindergartens, pre-school units in primary schools, as well as in pre-school points and pre-school education teams. The last two forms of pre-school education are intended for small groups of children.
Primary schools
Primary school is mainstream and mandatory. The school system, which started to be implemented on 1 September 2017, is for children aged between 7 and 15. The education lasts eight years and is continued in secondary schools (secondary education) or in other forms, such as practical profession training with employers supplemented by theoretical education or qualifying professional courses. education is compulsory until the age of 18.
The school age is 7 but parents can appeal to the authorities to accept a 6 year old child in certain circumstances (undergoing pre-school education and showing readiness to start school).
Public primary school is free of charge for all students. Parents may also choose a private school which most of the time requires payments. But in the end, both are legally required to follow the same curriculum and guide lines.
Primary education is divided into two educational stages:
1st stage of education, covering grades 1-3 of primary school - early school education;
The second stage of education covers grades IV - VIII of the primary school. At the end of eighth grade students have to write an exam, which is meant to test their abilities and knowledge. The students are accepted into secondary schools based on the results of this exam.
Secondary schools
Primary school graduates can choose from three types of secondary schools: technical secondary school, branch primary school (and possibly second degree), and general secondary school. The first two types of schools are vocational schools, where students learn professions of their choice.
General Secondary schools
The studies last 4 years. Graduates after completing their last year obtain secondary education, which gives them the opportunity to apply for admission to post-secondary schools. After passing the Matura exam, they gain the right to apply for admission to higher education.
Technical school
The technical school combines the advantages of industry and general education. Study in a technical secondary school lasts five years. The program includes both general and vocational subjects.
Branch school
Studying at the first-grade branch school lasts three years. The program includes both vocational and general subjects. Most of the lessons are hands-on - so less theory and more practice branch school of the second degree lasts 2 years and enables obtaining further qualifications and taking the Matura exam.
Higher education
In Poland, this part of education is provided by two types of universities: academic university and higher vocational school. Both schools provide first-cycle and second-cycle studies or unified master's degree studies, but only academic university provided doctoral studies. Studies can be full-time or extramural.
Studies in selected fields of study are conducted as unified master's degree studies, lasting 4-6 years.
The duration of the first-cycle studies is 3-4 years, they allow to undertake second-cycle studies lasting 1.5 to 2 years. First-cycle, second-cycle and unified master’s degree end with a diploma examination, after which students receive a university diploma. This allows to practice a given profession and provides a possibility to enter doctoral studies at universities and research and development institutions. Doctoral studies last 3-4 years.
Top 5 universities in Poland in 2020:
Jagiellonian University in Cracow
University of Warsaw
Warsaw University of Technology
AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
