Education Systems from Around the World: Internation’s Week Round Table Discussion

(Contrary to prior belief, the round table discussion took place in a room with rectangular tables.)

Internations week is upon us (and almost coming to an end, sadface)! With this week brings a number of events including internations sport night, fashion show, coffee house, the round table discussion and of course the major international dinner event, which is on tomorrow, Saturday.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to school or study in another part of the world? Luckily, I have experienced this by coming to the States for a semester, but what's it like in other continents? Yesterday I got the opportunity to experience a discussion regarding various educational differences from around the globe. Internationals students, American students and professors alike gathered to learn about education systems in South Korea, Australia, Kenya and Denmark. Here’s some interesting things I learned about the way education works in each of these regions:

South Korean families take great pride in academic success. Entry to college is based greatly on one exam. The top three universities in South Korea, often referred to as "SKY", are Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University. Attaining high grades and studying hard to be the top student is rooted in the minds of South Korean students at a young age. The suicide numbers are high for students due to the stress and pressure that is put on them for this one major exam. A common saying here is that 'If you sleep three hours a night, you may get into a top 'SKY university;' If you sleep four hours each night, you may get into another university; if you sleep five or more hours each night, especially in your last year of high school, forget about getting into any university.'

There are very slight variations between the education systems in each of the territories of Australia. Most schools have compulsory uniforms which must be worn (similar to Ireland). A striking fact from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed that reading assessment results of 15 year old students in Australia who went to preschool for more than a year outperformed those who had not attended. However, in the USA, attending preschool had little or no relationship to the PISA results achieved by students from similar socioeconomic backgrounds.

Kenyan education is based on British education systems. The system here is referred to as an 8-4-4 system of education. The first primary school level lasts for 8 years, then there is 4 years of secondary school, for those who can afford it and have high enough grades. There may be 4 years of university after that. Primary education is considered compulsory. Numbers attending school drop significantly after the primary level.

In Danish universities, students apply to gain entry into a certain course but they do not know which university they will be accepted to until a month before they are due to begin. One interesting part of the Danish education system is the concept of folk high schools. This refers to non-formal courses for adults, whereby they learn something that they are interested in e.g. sports, music, art or writing. It is not focused on getting a degree but in advancing your learning and it is a traditional aspect of Denmark’s education system.

The final event of internations week is tomorrow- the much anticipated international dinner! I’d encourage you all to come along and check out various dishes from around the world, including our own Irish beef stew.. Here’s hoping it turns out edible!