School System
Pre-Primary Education
The organisation of pre-primary education is based on the Framework Curriculum of Pre-primary Education approved by the government of the republic on October, 15th 1999. The framework curriculum is a basis for municipal and private childcare institutions to prepare their own curriculum and it also allows for parents choosing to educate their children at home. The most common methods upon application of a curriculum in pre-school childcare institutions are:
· The method of a good beginning
· The Montessori method
· The Waldorf method
A nursery school may be connected to a primary school (a nursery-primary school with the same management). Nursery schools are divided into municipal and private childcare institutions. The catering expenses of a child in a childcare institution are covered by parents.
Basic Education
Basic education is the minimum general education that is compulsory for everybody from the age of 7-16. It consists of three stages, primary, basic and secondary. Attendance at Kindergarten is voluntary. After graduating the basic school most children go to secondary school. The alternative is to attend vocational training schools.
Schooling and education objectives, bases of organisation of studies, mandatory and optional subjects, subject content and syllabi, requirements to school levels and for finishing schools of the basic level have been provided for in national curricula.
Each school prepares its curriculum on the basis of the national curriculum. No tuition is charged for studying in state and municipal schools of general education.
Acquisition of basic education gives the right to continue studies for acquiring secondary education.
Secondary education
Secondary education is also compulsory, follows basic education, and is divided into general secondary education and secondary vocational education. Completion of general secondary education gives the right to continue studies at institutes of higher education. Secondary vocational education is a direct way into the labour market. General secondary education takes place in upper secondary school, the upper secondary level is grades 10-12. An upper secondary school is a comprehensive school where each subsequent academic year (class) is directly based on the previous one and allows for smooth transition from one school to another.
Admission to upper secondary schools is based on the results of finishing basic school. Final examinations are organised for finishing an upper secondary school. Upper secondary school final examinations include state and school examinations.