English v/s Chilean Education

   

The Education System in England
Supervised by	Department for Education. Department for Business, Innovations and skills. Local Education Authority.
Education stages	Ages
Nursery	3-4 years old
Primary education -         Infant school -         Junior school	5-11 years old 5-7 years old 7-11 years old
Secondary education	11-18 years old
Tertiary education	18+ years old

The Education System in Chile
Regulated and monitored by	General Education Law (LGE)since 2009. Organic Law for Education (LOCE) before LGE. Ministry of Education (MINEDUC).
Education stages	Ages
Kindergarten (“Kinder”)	5-6 years old
Primary education (“Básica”)	6-13 years old
Secondary education (“Media”)	13-18 years old
Higher education (“Superior”)	17-18+ years old

        English people are demanded by law to have an education until they are 16 years old¹. Full-time education is compulsory for all children, but school is not because they are not required to attend it.

          

         It is also demanded by law to have an education for all Chilean people until they are 18 years old. The pre-primary level is not necessary to be studied the first two or three years, but primary and secondary are compulsory.

*¹ This will be raised, in 2013, to the year in which they turn 17 and, in 2015, to their 18th birthday.

The School Year

The England school year runs from September 1^st to July (39 weeks long). Some counties in England still follow the traditional three terms a year, which is divided in:

• Autumn Term: 1st week of September to 3rd week in December
• Spring Term: 1st or 2nd week of January to Easter (April)
• Summer Term: 2 weeks after Easter to the end of July

There are many other areas in which the year is divided into six terms: September to October,  October to December, January to February, February to March, April to May and June to July.

These are the main standard holidays during the school year:

• Christmas: Two weeks
• Easter (Spring): Two weeks
• Summer: Five - Six weeks

          There are also one week holidays at the end of October, mid February and the last week of May. In general, the dates for school terms and holidays are given by the local authorithy or the governing body of a school, or by the school itself (independent schools).

In Chile, the year runs from the first week of March to the second week of December. The year is divided in two terms. The first term is from March to the second week of July, then pupils have two weeks of holidays and they enter school on August for the second term. There are two months and a half for summer holidays after they finish the academic year.

School Categories

In England, education can be provided by state or independent schools, as well as homeschooling system:

Free education from public funds	94% of pupils
Independent fee paying schools or homeschooling	6% of pupils

There are three kinds of schools in Chile:

State-subsidized or “municipal”	64% of pupils
Private with a government subsidy or “particular subvencionado”	29% of pupils
Private	7% of pupils

        In England, state-run schools are financed through national taxation and take pupils free of charge between the ages 3 to 18, as well as Chilean state-subsidized schools. Both Education systems are beneficiated with extra activities such as sports, theatre visits, cultural trips and swimming (only england) for free.

        A significant minority of state-funded schools are faith schools, which are attached to religious groups, most often the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church. But most of religious schools in Chile belong to the Private with a government subsidy and Private categories.


Pupils normally take GCSE exams in the last two years of Key Stage 4, but may also choose to work towards the attainment of alternative qualifications, such as the GNVQ. This way, they can get their academic certification.

Higher education often begins with a three-year bachelor's degree. Postgraduate degrees include master's degrees, either taught or by research. Also the doctorate, a research degree that usually takes at least three years. Universities require a Royal Charter in order to issue degrees, and all but one are financed by the state via tuition fees.

       In Chile, after graduation from high school, students must take the national exam “Prueba Selección Universitaria” (P.S.U), so they may enter college. Some students opt to enter a pre-university program to prepare for this exam during the last two years of high school. 

There are some others who choose to study in private universities or at a professional institute or technical center (may have additional entrance examinations).

In higher education, students are divided by faculty and then by year. University students study for four to seven years; those studying for four or five years usually get a bachelor’s degree.

Curriculum structure             

                                                             

            All schools in England are required to follow the National Curriculum, which is made up of twelve subjects. English, Mathematics and Science are compulsory for all students aged 5 to 16. A range of other subjects, known as foundation subjects are compulsory at one or more Key Stages or levels: art, design and technology, citizenship, geography, history, foreign languages, music and physical education. Additionally, other subjects with a non-statutory programme of study in the National Curriculum are also taught, including religious education in all levels, sex education from key stage 2, and Career education and Work-related learning in Key stages 3 and 4.

    

     In Chile, the academic structure is made up of nine subjects that are studied  compulsorily during primary level (Mathematics, Spanish, History, Natural sciences, English, music, arts,religion (specific or general depending on the school believes)and physical education. In secondary or high school, there are three subjects added to the academic program (Physics, Biology and chemistry).

Scholarships

As the education in England is free (primary and secondary), the scholarships are not very necessary. But those who aim for a private education at independent schools  can get some form of financial assistance with fees. Scholarships are generally awarded to pupils for academic, musical or artistic merit. It can also be awarded to all students who show exceptional talent and/or intelligence in a particular subject or field of Education, and regardless of background, class or financial stability. In order to do this, private independent schools will hold examinations and interviews to quantify the pupil’s interest and indeed willingness to pursue the obtaining of a scholarship. There are other scholarships  that are given to the pupils of parents who are members of the clergy, members of the Armed Forces (both serving and non serving) and teachers.

          

The costs of a college education are high, but many scholarship opportunities are available for english students who choose to go into universities. For example:

·        The student loan for maintenance helps students pay living costs during term times and holidays. This is available for students studying away from their parents' home.

·        The maintenance grants (non-repayable) are at the disposal of students from families with low incomes.

·        The special support grant: It replaces the maintenance grant for some students who during the course of the academic year, meet the conditions for being a 'prescribed person' under the income support or housing benefit regulations. Students who are likely to qualify include: single parents and students with certain disabilities.

                In Chile, there are many scholarships schemes and a “solidarity fund” loan program based on merit or for all those who cannot afford the annual paying fees at schools or universities offered by the government to students of:

·        State-subsidized schools : we can find scholarships that give direct economical assistance and free availability for the students and their families. For example: “Beca Presidente de la República” (BPR), “Beca Liceo para Todos” (BLPT), “Beca Indígena” (BI). There are others related to food allowance, such as “Beca Pensión de Alimentación” (BPA) and “Beca Primera Dama de la Nación” (BPD).

·        Higher Education: There are many scholarships. Some of them cover the anual value of the major, and sometimes the enrollment as well (tuition scholarships), others cover food allowance and maitenance (public transport and study expenses).

At present, “Mineduc” count with the following tuition scholarships for the higher education: Beca Vocación de Profesor Pedagogías (BVP Pedagogías), Beca Vocación de Profesor Licenciaturas (BVP Licenciaturas), Beca Puntaje PSU (BPSU), Beca Excelencia Académica (BEA), Beca Bicentenario (BBIC), Beca para Hijos de Profesionales de la Educación (BHPE), Beca Juan Gómez Millas (BJGM), Beca de Nivelación Académica (BNA), Beca Juan Gómez Millas para Estudiantes Extranjeros (BJGME).

Here you can watch some videos about Chilean and English education

with extra information: