Each country has its own peculiarities of the educational system. Somewhere everything is controlled by the state, but somewhere it is left to chance, somewhere there is room for imagination and self-realization, and somewhere any action of a teacher is regulated by the strict framework of existing standards. What is the education system in Italy, we will tell further.
Attitude of the State
The most important thing to know about the education system in Italy is that it is completely, inside and out, subordinate to the state. The country's leadership has thoroughly taken the reins of government in this area into its own hands: it develops training programs, controls the qualification level of teachers, conducts tests for potential teachers, and so on. The educational system in the country of pasta and ravioli is quite flexible, it is constantly changing - and this is done in order to achieve an ideal state by modernizing and reforming it. Despite all the rigidity and controllability, the best education system in Italy cannot yet be called, but this is exactly what the state is striving for.
Varieties
The education system in Italy consists of three so-called components. These are preschoolers, schoolchildren and students. Neither the first nor the last are obligatory items in this state, so any resident of the country of ravioli must necessarily go through only the average full cycle of education, which begins at six and ends at fourteen. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves - more details about each type of education and each of its stages will be discussed later.
Secondary education: steps
There are three levels of education in Italy, which together make up the average full cycle of education - primary and two stages of secondary. The first stage lasts three years, the second, as well as primary education, by the way, five years. Thus, the total duration of all secondary education for Italians is thirteen years.
Only after that you can move on to higher education and enter the university, which, by the way, is not so easy to do - a large influx of applicants produces a rather serious competition for a place at the university in Italy. Interestingly, only the first two steps are mandatory - primary and junior high school - and at the age of fourteen, a resident of Italy may well go to work and not gnaw further on the granite of science.
Preschoolers
Preschool education in Italy, as already mentioned, is not included in the category of "voluntary-compulsory". Compared to school, it is in a rather neglected form: the state has thrown all its forces intoaverage level, without caring too much about how tiny Italians are taught in nurseries and kindergartens. Probably, this is also why some parents prefer not to send their child to institutions of this type, instilling in him the necessary and primary knowledge, including social knowledge, on his own. However, according to statistics, more than ninety percent of Italian children go to kindergarten. They take a baby there as early as two or three years old.
Kindergartens in Italy are divided into two stages: the first nursery - they are called asilo nidi - and the second kindergarten itself, which is called scuola materna. In a nursery, you can “surrender” your child as early as three months of age. This is a great option for working parents - and those in Italy are the majority, and therefore the demand for nursery places is very high. Low-income families have an advantage. The cost of a baby's stay in a nursery depends on the number of hours a day (paid every hour) and actually on the "status" of the kindergarten itself.
The little ones have been in the garden for three years - thus, they are ready to enter school and move to a new level of education at the age of five or six. This is a significant difference between the Italian system of education and the Russian one - in our country a child at the age of five and at six is considered to be still a baby, absolutely not ready for school (of course, if we are not talking about geeks - but this is more an exception than a rule). Kindergartens (but not nurseries!) in Italy are both private and public, with more than half of the latter. If in private kindergartens parents mustmake a down payment, and then pay a certain amount every month, then public kindergartens are formally free, although in reality parents still bear certain costs - for example, they pay for food and transport (children are brought to kindergarten and taken away on a shared bus). Although there are more state gardens, there are very few places in them, and therefore it is necessary to apply in advance in order to "stalk" a place for yourself.
In the nursery, babies can be from half past seven to half past one - five hours a day. There children play, learn to interact with each other, learn about the world. Groups in Italian kindergartens are formed large - from fifteen to thirty people, however, of the same age (different-age teams are formed only in areas with a small population). Each group has at least two teachers. Typically, kindergartens are open five or six days a week, and children can be there seven hours a day.
What activities does the Italian education system offer for preschoolers? Aimed mainly at creative development - modeling, music, drawing and so on. As a rule, kids are not taught to read and write in public kindergartens - only in private ones. In the same way, children are not taught the language in such kindergartens. By the way, many kindergartens are organized at churches - and then the nuns are engaged in raising the kids, and a lot of time is devoted to instilling spirituality in them.
Types of schools
In Italy, there are both public schools (second stage of education) and private ones. And if Italian children are free to choose whichthese institutions go to gnaw at the granite of science, then foreign citizens have no such alternative - they can study only in private or international institutions, state ones will not accept them. We'll go into more detail about both types of schools below.
Public Schools
There are many similarities and few differences between public and private schools in Italy. The training program is the same there and there. Grades are not given in either institution, instead marking the successes and failures of students in a verbal form (“excellent”, “bad”, and so on). Education is divided into two semesters of six months, the guys study five days a week (on weekdays). Little Italian citizens do not have the opportunity to receive knowledge at home, as, for example, our children have - they are all obliged to come to their educational institution. At the same time, the classes form different colors - that is, both he althy children and disabled children can be determined to study together, they do not make any difference between them.
Every year in June, children must take an exam confirming their knowledge. Without this exam - or rather, without positive results on it - they will not be transferred to the next stage, the child will remain a repeater. Examinations are strict, and even after graduating from elementary school (as well as junior high school) - that is, before moving on to the highest level of education - they are completely tough. The selection is serious, those who do not pass it either remain for the second year, or are forced to go to work.
Private schools
Studying in Italy in private schools differs from public schools only in that insuch educational institutions are prohibited from issuing documents on education, and therefore children must take all exams at a public school, and in a private school they can only receive a certificate. In addition, there are fewer private schools in Italy - as well as students in the classroom. If in public schools a very dense staffing of classes is a normal trend, then this is not observed in private institutions.
From international schools in Italy (all of them private) there are Russian, English, American and Canadian institutions.
First step: elementary school
As mentioned above, studying in Italy at the primary level takes five years - these are children from 5-6 to 10-11 years old. At this time, the children study a whole range of subjects at the same level without focusing on any particular area of knowledge. They are taught reading and writing, mathematics and geography - in general, all compulsory disciplines. Only religion little Italians are free to choose to study voluntarily.
The system of primary and secondary education in Italy suggests the possibility of free education - of course, if the child goes to a public school. At the same time, as already mentioned, a foreigner does not have the right to attend a state institution, but he is obliged to receive primary and secondary education, regardless of how legally he and his family are in Italy.
To go to high school, kids must pass two exams - oral and written. If the results are satisfactory, they will receive a certificate ofprimary education and move on to secondary education. By the way, elementary school in Italy is called scuola elementare.
Second level: junior high school
This stage is also mandatory for every young Italian. As mentioned above, at this stage, the guys study for three years, and this happens in the interval from ten-eleven to thirteen-fourteen years. In scuola medla - this is the name of this level of the educational process - the children are engaged in languages, mathematics, natural sciences, literature, history, technology - in general, a standard set of subjects in an ordinary school. At the end of each year, in each subject, little Italian citizens take an exam - written or oral.
Third Stage: Middle High School
Senior school age in Italy is 14-19 years old. A five-year term is exactly what an Italian teenager needs to either prepare for admission to a university or get a profession. The thing is that when moving to high school, the student must decide whether he will subsequently receive higher education or not. If yes, then he will continue his studies in one of the lyceums - it is these institutions in Italy that prepare for entering the university. If not, then after the junior high school such an Italian has a direct road to college, which is approximately equal to our technical school. There you can get, as we say, a specialized secondary education and go to work. If after that a person wants to go to university, he must undergo a year of preparation.
As for the lyceums, they are of several types and, in fact, precede training in a speci alty at a higher institution. That is, choosing a lyceum, a child of senior school age already chooses a future profession. For example, if a child entered an artistic lyceum, then in the future he will go to an institution where singers or actors are trained. If he went to the pedagogical one, then he plans to teach, and so on. In addition to the above, in Italy there are linguistic, musical, classical, technical and natural science lyceums. Upon completion, it is required to pass exams, the results of which will become a pass or a non-pass to a higher educational institution.
Higher education in Italy
Here we are, finally, and moved to the last stage of education in the land of pasta. It starts at the age of nineteen - it is at this age that the average Italian graduates from high school. The choice of institutions for getting a "higher education" is pretty decent: these are universities, colleges, and academies with conservatories.
Higher education in Italy is also divided into three different levels. The first is called Corsi di Diploma Universitario, this is an analogue of our bachelor's degree - with the only difference that Russian bachelors all study for four years, and Italian ones - from three to four (if they are not doctors, they will have to study for six years). Students take compulsory general subjects, optional electives, and practice.
Second stagein Italy - magistracy, or Corsi di Laurea. Here, depending on the chosen speci alty, they study from two to three years (medicine is still studied the longest).
Finally, the third step is doctoral studies, or Corsi di Dottorato di Ricerca. It involves conducting your own research work, defending it and obtaining a doctoral degree. Interestingly, you can pass this level of education not only at the university in Italy where you studied, but also in special specialized institutions. However, immediately after graduating from the university, you cannot enter a doctoral program - first you must work for three years in your speci alty, that is, acquire a practical skill. Only then can you apply and, after successfully passing the entrance test, be admitted to the Italian doctoral program.
Let's say a few more general words about higher education in the land of ravioli. Firstly, it can be both university and non-university (the latter includes colleges and academies - for example, linguistic or diplomatic; also in Italy, the so-called schools of fashion and design are very common, for example, the Academy of Fine Arts (Florence) is popular among applicants - Italy is generally considered the number one country in obtaining such education). Secondly, universities in Italy, as well as schools, are both private and public. And if in the latter “training” is carried out exclusively in Italian, then in private it is also possible in English, which for many who do not know the language is salvation. Thirdly, the cost of one year of study ina state university in the country is equal to five hundred dollars (in private institutions, prices, of course, are an order of magnitude higher; each university sets its own cost, on average, it ranges from nine thousand euros to twenty-two). There are 47 public universities in all of Italy, and only nine private ones.
Interestingly, the academic year in Italy starts in October or November and ends in May and June. During the year, the student must pass three sessions, but he is free to determine exactly when and what he will take, since an individual study plan has been developed in Italy. In general, for the entire course of study, each student should accumulate about 19-20 subjects taken. Before graduation, as in Russia, Italian students defend their diploma, however, this is the peculiarity of studying in Italy! - if they did not have time to prepare the work in the right time, then they can continue to study further for as long as they need.
Interesting facts
- Various centuries-old traditions are still alive in Italian universities. For example, on holidays it is customary for local students to wear multi-colored Robin Hood caps.
- There are no exam tickets in Italy, and it is extremely difficult to pass the exam, because the university gives only a small fraction of what the student needs to know. That is why out of ten people, as a rule, only three get to the graduation diploma.
- To enter schools like the Academy of Fine Arts (Florence), you need not only pass the competition and passexams, but also provide your portfolio.
This is information about the education system in Italy. No matter where you study, let your studies be joyful and bring only pleasure!
