Olatz Ezkurra, Estibaliz Orcasitas and Ioritz Paulis
BASQUE EDUCATION SYSTEM Olatz Ezkurra, Estibaliz Orcasitas and Ioritz Paulis MU HUHEZI LH T3 1.6 Subject Sinead Fallon 17/01/2011
2BASQUE EDUCATION SYSTEM
TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................................2 INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................3 STAGES.......................................................................................................................3 INFANT EDUCATION................................................................................................................3 PRIMARY EDUCATION.............................................................................................................3 SECONDARY EDUCATION........................................................................................................4 BACCALAUREATE OR INTERMEDIATE VOCATIONAL TRAINING...............................................4 UNIVERSITY OR HIGHER VOCATIONAL TRAINING....................................................................4
EDUCATIONAL MODELS..............................................................................................4 MODEL A.................................................................................................................................4 MODEL B.................................................................................................................................5 MODEL D.................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................5
Olatz Ezkurra, Estibaliz Orcasitas and Ioritz Paulis
3BASQUE EDUCATION SYSTEM
INTRODUCTION In this little essay we will explain the structural organization and features of the Basque Educational System. The Basque education system is the way that the Basque government decides to treat and organize the education in the Basque Country. Its aim is to provide quality education for all students working together with the educational community and qualifying its students to have the choice of studying abroad. The whole compulsory education is completely free in the public school, but, of course, there is also the option to study in a private school.
STAGES For these purposes, the Basque education system is chronologically organized this way:
INFANT EDUCATION It is for children between 0-6 years old, divided in 2 cycles (0-3 and 3-6), but it is not compulsory. This option is great for parents who work and can’t be with their children all the time, so they leave them in the first step of school knowing that their children will be well cared and they’ll start socializing for the first time through games mostly.
PRIMARY EDUCATION It is compulsory and starts at age 6 and finishes at 12. During this time they will be trained into several skills and knowledge and, then, tested to ensure they’ll be capable to face more challenging situations. So this is a more serious step in the education where they start to study more epistemological subjects; first about the
Olatz Ezkurra, Estibaliz Orcasitas and Ioritz Paulis
4BASQUE EDUCATION SYSTEM
surroundings, the culture and so on, and then worldwide and more general knowledge.
SECONDARY EDUCATION It is the last step of the compulsory education and is for students between 1216 years old. It focuses on deepen the basic concepts previously learnt and preparing the transition to become more adults.
BACCALAUREATE OR INTERMEDIATE VOCATIONAL TRAINING Both options are for students who finished the secondary education and last 2 years (16-18). People who prefer to continue studying in the future in a higher education usually choose the baccalaureate because it is focused in a more theoretical way and people who want to start working choose intermediate vocational training to learn more work-oriented skills.
UNIVERSITY OR HIGHER VOCATIONAL TRAINING When baccalaureate finishes there is the option to go to university which lasts 4 years (plus 1 optional year for the master and some more for the doctorate) or study the higher vocational training for 2 years (which can also be studied by people who passed an exam after the intermediate vocational training) which is more focused on developing skills for a job.
EDUCATIONAL MODELS Being the Basque Country a naturally bilingual place (Basque as a co-official minority language and Spanish as the official and majority language), education has to be adapted to listen to the needs of the society. These are the main 3 models that are used to sort this mess:
MODEL A
Olatz Ezkurra, Estibaliz Orcasitas and Ioritz Paulis
5BASQUE EDUCATION SYSTEM
Is basically the Spanish way of the education, where all the subjects are given in Spanish except the languages, which are obviously in their language. Evidently, the Basque level acquired in this model is almost null.
MODEL B Is half Spanish half Basque, and is supposed to be the neutral option because it is 50%/50%, but facts have proven that the Basque level of its students is insufficient or, in most of the cases, not as good as it is supposed to be.
MODEL D Is basically the Basque way of the education, where all the subject are given in Basque except the languages, which are obviously in their language. Unlike the model A, here the Spanish level acquired is not harmed because it continues being the majority language outside the school, so everybody already knows it and the Spanish subject is enough to learn as much Spanish as they would if they’d gone to the A or B model.
CONCLUSION Finally, every school has its own Educational Plan combined with a School Languages Plan and a School Curricular Plan that develops the components of the curriculum that each school carries out.
Olatz Ezkurra, Estibaliz Orcasitas and Ioritz Paulis