Educational system of Cyprus

Pavlos sent this information from Cyprus.
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The schools in Cyprus are divided into Elementary school (6 years), Gymnasium (3 years) and Lyceum (3 more years) or Technical school (3 years). Public schools are mainly chosen from those students that want to study to a university in Cyprus or Greece (i.e. in the Greek language) whereas students choosing the private schools mainly target in studying in U.K. or the States as in a private school most of the classes are tutored in English (except Greek, Math and History). Also, in a private school one has to pay so only students that their parents can afford to pay the tuition choose to go there. Throughout these 12 years the school years starts in September and ends in early July. Furthermore, all schools require their students to wear a particular uniform to school; public schools have a unique uniform whereas each private school has its own. During the first six years in the Elementary school students are taught Greek, arts, math, music, religion, general science, geography and physical education. All students are to progress to Gymnasium. In Gymnasium students are taught Greek literature, foreign language (English), Art, Music, Religion, History, Chemistry, Argent Greek, Math, Physics and Biology. From Gymnasium students can either choose to go to Lyceum or to the technical school. In a Technical school students major mostly in technical jobs like plumbing, building, e.t.c. but they also have classes in the same subjects as in gymnasium but, of course, more advanced. Would a student choose to go to the Lyceum he should choose a specific sector to which they want to major in; they can go to (a) Practico where they are taught Advanced Physics, Advanced Math, Advanced Chemistry (b) Klassiko where they are taught Latin, philosophy, European Literature (c) Oikomiko where the students have many classes abut economics and mathematics (same level of mathematics as in Practico) and (d) Emporiko where students take classes aiming to teach them how to manage a corporation. In all sectors, as well and in the last 3 years in the technical school, students also take French as a second foreign language but also some computer classes. Teachers only get to teach in elementary school. In Gymnasium and Lyceum only people with University degrees are allowed to teach. For example math is taught by mathematicians, physics by physicists, e.t.c. Same holds in a Technical school but there only people that graduate from technical institutes get to tech (in Cyprus we have ATI, the Superior Technical institute). Both in the gymnasium and Lyceum but also in the technical school, every student is required to take an examination (in major courses) after each year around July. Should they fail, they should take an additional examination in the course they have failed in September. If they fail again (even in one course) they should attend once again the whole year.

At the end of the last year of Lyceum and the Technical school, students who choose to continue for a university degree have to give an additional examination at the end of July. The pool for these exams is all the students throughout Cyprus who choose to have a university degree. All students have to fill out a list in which he should write the possible degrees he would like to major in along with the town they would like to study at. For example I chose Chemical Engineering in Athens, Thessalonica and Patras and Physics in Cyprus, Athens, Thessalonica and Patras. The sequence in which the degrees and cities are written is very important. For example assume that all three Chemical Engineering schools choose to take only 50 students each this year. If 150 students throughout Cyprus score a higher grade than me then I would not be able to attend a Chemical Engineering school and my name would be included in the list for a placement in the Physics departments; if I scored 145 in this list I would be able to attend Chemical Engineering but it would have to be in Patras. However, not all students are allowed to choose all degrees. As an example students from Practiko are allowed to apply for Physics, Math, Chemistry and for a Medical degree but can not apply for Greek literature or Philosophy degrees. Students from Oikonomiko can apply for all economic degrees and also for math departments (as they had advanced math in Lyceum) but can not apply for a Physics or Chemistry department. The duration of the undergraduate studies lasts either 4, 5 and 6 years. Polytechnic schools (Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, e.t.c) last for 5 years, a Medical degree lasts for 6 years whereas everything else for 4 years.

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from Pavlos