Education in Russia
Education is an important part of modern life. Being
educated means to know a lot of necessary and useful things for life, which
is why every decent person studies at school. Originally Russian education
starts from the early age. Children can start going to kindergarten from the
age of two, but this is not a compulsory education. It depends on parents’
decision and child’s wish to attend this institution. However, school is
mandatory. Every child starts going to school from the age of seven and till
16. Mandatory education in Russia is presented by three types of schools:
primary, secondary and high. The primary school teaches its pupils elementary
skills, such as reading, writing, counting. Many schools also offer foreign
languages or some other special disciplines at this age. The most important
period is the secondary school, which starts from the 4th or 5th grade,
depending on school. This is the time when children start learning Biology,
Geography, Chemistry, Physics, Computing, and many other new subjects. At the
9th grade children face a very important period in their life. They have to
choose whether to continue school education, or to leave for other types of
educational institutions, such as college, specialized schools and else. If
the pupil decides to continue studying in high school, which lasts for two
years, he can enter the university after school graduation. Of course, it’s
only the general pattern of education in Russia, but there can also be some
exceptions nowadays. For example, there are lots of special schools, where
they pay attention only to particular subjects. Also, apart from state
schools, there are a number of private schools, where education is not free
of charge.