Education Systems in APEC Economies
From APEC HRDWG Wiki
Educational systems vary greatly from one place to the next, a fact revealed by the diversity of systems among the APEC members. The table below provides basic information on the educational system of each APEC member economy, as well as links to additional resources about that economy.
Another great resource to learn about the member economies of APEC is the Learning About Each Other website. Learning About Each Other provides information for students and adults about the various peoples and economies that make up APEC, including educational trends and practices as well as facts about culture, history, and government. Learning About Each Other also provides fun games and learning exercises for all ages.
|
APEC Economy |
Description of Educational System |
Australia |
Australia is a continent in the lower Pacific Rim which divides control of education between the state or territorial governments and the federal government. State and territorial governments primarily fund government schools and also provide limited support for non-government schools. The federal government provides funds for both government and non-government schools and for priority programs such as literacy and numeracy. The federal government also takes responsibility for higher education programs. The Australian Educational system can be broadly defined into five areas of study. These include: Preschool, Primary School, Secondary/High School/ Secondary Colleges, Career and Vocational Training and University or other Tertiary institutions. Attendance is mandatory for students up to age fifteen in most states and territories but many students remain in school through their Year 10 or Year 12 qualifications. Schooling is generally coeducational and free and in public schools with the exception of fees for books, uniforms, field trips, etc. In addition to state-funded schools, Australia also has a private school system that is divided into schools run by the Catholic Education Office and independent schools. The structures of these schools include their own fees, religious influences, some federal and state subsidies, and oftentimes are exclusive to one gender. At the recent Asia Society/CCSSO symposium International Perspectives on U.S. Education Policy and Practice, the Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority, Barry Mcgaw, delivered a presentation on the quality and equity within Australia's education system, as well as developments in curriculum and monitoritng. Click here to view the presentation.
For more information, please visit: |
Brunei Darussalem | In Brunei Darussalam, a country in the southern part of Malaysia, the government has taken full responsibility for the education of its students. This responsibility includes spending millions of dollars on each student’s minimum 12 years of school, which includes seven years in primary school (including pre-school) and five years in secondary school.
Brunei Darussalam has committed to focusing on literacy, numeracy, science, physical education, civics and moral education. It also enables children to learn English in addition to Malay, the national language- as it realizes the advantages provided to students with English skills. In addition, the government provides meals for rural students, light meals for urban students, hostel housing, and free transportation for those ineligible for the hostel. Following this education, students have the option of attending university. The Universities of Brunei Darussalam is one of the three universities in the country. It was founded in 1985 and now educates thousands of Bruneians, sending over 2,000 abroad with government scholarships.
For more information please visit: |
Canada |
In Canada, located in North America, the responsibility of education falls to the provinces and territories, which are within the jurisdiction of at least one department or ministry of education. These ministries consult with each other at the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) about issues that are of interest to the territories individually and unanimously. In each territory/province, the structure of the education is essentially the same and contains three tiers- elementary, secondary, and postsecondary- although the grades within each tier are sometimes different. In response to the continued globalization of markets, Canadian education focuses on core subjects such as languages, mathematics, sciences and technology, with an increased focus on themes of contemporary topics such as globalization, competitiveness and productivity. Following the free, compulsory years students may choose to attend a university that is recognized by the government through a license or a college that is not federally regulated. Should a student choose to attend a registered university, the student will be able to obtain a degree. If a student chooses to attend an unregistered college, they will receive a diploma or certificate instead. Exceptions are made to these rules for some institutes such as religious universities. For more information please visit: |
Chile |
Since year 1837 there has been an institution in charge of education in Chile. It was declared an independent institution in 1927 and recognized as the "Ministerio de Educación. The current Minister of Education is Joaquín Lavín. The functions of the Ministry are:
For more information please visit: |
People's Republic of China |
The People's Republic of China is located in Asia; its policy is that compulsory education is provided free of charge and at the stage of non-compulsory education, a system of tuition fees will be adopted in accordance with the different conditions of all types of education and the economic capacity of citizens. Its education budget is 13% of the national budget. To meet China’s economic and social development and the challenges of the rapid progress of world science and technology, China has formulated and implemented a strategy to revitalize the country through science and education and has made the development of education a strategic priority. China constantly pushes the reform and development of education forward believing that education should be oriented towards modernization. China also believes that education must be combined with productive labor to develop people who are morally, intellectually, physically, and aesthetically ready to be builders and successors of their society. After half a century's development and reform, Chinese education has made splendid progress and looks forward to the new century with vigor and energy. Education in the People's Republic of China Continued
For more information please visit: |
Hong Kong, China |
Hong Kong is located in southern Asia; it has a free, non-compulsory three-year kindergarten education followed by a legal requirement of a six-year primary education and three-year junior secondary education, then the non-compulsory two-year senior secondary education and a two-year matriculation course leading to the Advanced Level examinations. Its education budget is 23% of the national budget. Pre-primary education All kindergartens in Hong Kong are privately run. They can be categorized as either non-profit-making kindergartens or private independent kindergartens depending on their sponsoring organizations. These can be either voluntary agencies or private enterprises. All kindergartens are registered under the Education Ordinance. Inspectors from the Education and Manpower Bureau visit the kindergartens regularly to give advice to principals and teachers on curriculum, teaching approaches and school administration. Kindergartens vary a lot in their scale of operation, and the number of classroom can range from one to over ten. Regarding the provision of facilities, a large proportion of kindergartens can accommodate Reading Corner, Mathematics Corner, Nature Corner, Art and Craft Corner, Music Corner and Home Corner. All well equipped with the necessary teaching aids to provide a stimulating environment for self-learning Educational focus In the upcoming years, Hong Kong’s Education and Manpower Bureau strives to:
For more information please visit: |
Indonesia |
Indonesia is located in the southern Pacific Rim, its law stipulates that every citizen has the right to education and that the government provides a national education system which is arranged by law and provides the foundation for one national education system to be universally implemented in a complete and totally integrated manner. Its education budget is 8.1% of the national budget. The national education system under Law No. 2 of 1989 was written to provide a minimum level of education for every Indonesian citizen, so that every citizen regardless of background has the opportunity to obtain at least basic knowledge and ability, including the ability to read, write, and do arithmetic, as well as to use the Indonesian national language. Education in Indonesia continued For more information please visit: |
Japan |
Japan is a continent in the upper Pacific Rim, its offers free, compulsory public education and all children are required to attend a six-year elementary school and a three-year lower secondary school. Primary and Secondary education There are around 30 students in a typical elementary school class. In most elementary and some middle schools, the children eat lunch together in the classroom, enjoying a healthy, nutritious meal prepared by the school or by a local "school lunch center." Every day the students also clean the rooms, halls, toilets, and yards of their own school. Japanese children enter the first grade of elementary school in the April after their sixth birthday. They attend elementary school for six years, where they study Japanese, arithmetic, science, social studies, music, crafts, physical education, and home economics (to learn simple cooking and sewing skills). During their three years in middle school, English is added to this list. Information technology is increasingly being used to enhance education, and most schools have access to the Internet. There are many school events during the year, such as field day when students compete in tug-of-war and relay races, excursions to points of historical significance, and arts and culture festivals featuring skits and other performances by children. There are also three- to four-day trips to culturally important cities like Kyoto and Nara, ski resorts, and elsewhere for students in the highest grades of elementary, middle, and high schools. Most middle schools require uniforms for their students. Almost all middle school students take part in an after-school club activity of their choice, such as a musical or arts group, a sports team, or a science club. All Japanese children are required to attend school through the ninth grade. Although schooling is not compulsory after middle school, nearly 97% of Japanese students go on to high school, which lasts for three years. Over 55% of high school graduates say they want to go on to four-year universities or two- or three-year junior colleges. Students must pass tests in order to enter high school or college, and they study very diligently for these exams. It is not unusual for high school graduates who fail on their first sitting to attend a special school for a year or two to prepare for a second or third try at the college entrance exams. Some people worry that studying so hard for the exams throws the youngsters' mental, moral, and physical development off balance.
For more information please visit: Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology |
The Republic of Korea |
The Republic of Korea, a peninsula in the upper Pacific Rim, offers free, mandatory education for all children. The Republic of Korea maintains an autonomous educational administration system established in each of 16 municipal or provincial with 230 county offices to guarantee independence and individuality in regional education. Today, Korea boasts one of the highest literacy rates in the world. Korea's well-educated people have been the primary source of the rapid economic growth the nation has achieved in the past three decades. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is the government body responsible for the formulation and implementation of educational policies. The government provides guidance on basic policy matters as well as financial assistance. The financing of education is centralized, and government funding constitutes the largest component of school budgets. Education in the Republic of Korea continued
For more information please visit: |
Malaysia |
Malaysia is located in the lower Pacific Rim; its education system offers free primary and secondary education for all children with six years of primary education being compulsory. Its education budget is 20% of the national budget. Statistical information The literacy rate among Malaysian citizens aged 10 - 64 years improved from 88.6% in 1991 to 93.5% in 2000. A comparison of the literacy rates at the state level revealed that there was an increase in the literacy rate for all states between 1991 and 2000, the biggest being for the state of Sabah where literacy increased from 79.3% to 86.5%. The states with the highest literacy rates in 1991 continued to record high rates in 2000. At 93 percent, Malaysia's literacy rate is one of the highest in the world. This reflects the enormous importance given to the pursuit of knowledge and education. Although schooling is not mandatory, over 99 percent of all six-year-olds are enrolled in schools, and more than 92 percent of all students go on to the upper secondary level. In all three major ethnic groups, a higher percentage of males aged 15 years and over possessed paper qualifications than their female counterparts; the gap being 5.5 percentage points for Bumiputera, 4.9 percentage points for Chinese and 10.0 percentage points for Indians. This sex differential among the ethnic groups in favor of the males was also observed in all the states.
For more information please visit: |
Mexico |
Mexico is located in North America, its education system offers compulsory primary and secondary education for all children ages 5 to 16. Its education budget is 24.3% of the national budget. Today, children go to nursery school, followed by pre-primary school when they are five or six years old. They go to primary school between the ages of 6 and 12 and secondary school from 12 to 15. At 15, teenagers can go to preparatory school for three years and then to a Technological College or University. Education in Mexico continued |
New Zealand |
New Zealand is located the lower Pacific Rim, its education system offers free compulsory primary and secondary education for all children ages 6 to 16. Pre-primary education Pacific Island language programs have also been established, particularly in Auckland. Essential learning areas in the national curriculum include languages, mathematics, sciences, technology, social studies, the arts, health and physical well-being. To show proficiency in their studies, secondary school students take the National Certificate of Educational Achievement. Primary and Secondary education Most of the country's 2,250 primary schools and 330 secondary schools ("colleges" or "high schools") are funded by the state. Boards of Trustees run all state primary and secondary schools. The boards are made up of the school principal, a staff member and elected parent representatives. Private schools, which may be run by a church or follow a particular philosophy, receive some government funding but their income is mainly from fees. A network of special schools provides education for children with special needs, such as deafness or blindness. Higher Education The Government meets most of the cost of university study, but students pay about a quarter of the cost through fees. Student loans are available to assist with fees and living costs, and student allowances are available for students from lower-income families. 23 Polytechnics provide academic, vocational and professional programs of study. Colleges of Education train teachers for primary and secondary schools, and for schools that cater for children with special needs.
For more information please visit: New Zealand Ministry of Education World Data on Education Database Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) |
Papua New Guinea |
Papua New Guinea is located the lower Pacific Rim, and its education system offers non-compulsory education from ages 6 through 15 with vocational education being a regional priority and post-secondary and higher education being provided by the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), the University of Technology, and a number of colleges and specialized training institutes. In 2004, the Department of Education Papua New Guinea published a national educational plan titled "Achieving a Better Future" meant to guide the nation's educational development from 2005 through 2014. The main objectives of this plan include universal access of education, improved retention, and improvement of teacher deployment for primary schools, improvment of quality, curriculum, and teacher development for secondary schools, and emphasis on shorter, more concise vocational courses. The Plan also includes issues of teacher education, management within the Department of Education- including represetation from communities, and fincancing of the Plan. Education in Papua New Guinea continued
For more information please visit: |
Peru |
Peru is located in South America; its education system offers pre-primary, primary and secondary education with primary education being compulsory for ages six to eleven. Peru mandates eleven years of compulsory education. Under the 1993 Constitution, primary education is free and compulsory. The system is highly centralized, with the Ministry of Education appointing all public school teachers. Eighty-three percent of Peru's students attend public schools at all levels. School enrollment has been rising sharply for years, due to a widening educational effort by the government and a growing school-age population. The illiteracy rate is estimated at 9.59 percent (13.2 percent for women). Elementary and secondary school enrollment is approximately 7.5 million. In 2001, Peru's 74 universities, 31 public and 43 private, enrolled about 415,000 students.
For more information please visit: |
Philippines |
The Philippines, located the lower Pacific Rim, has a decentralized public education system that provides free primary and secondary education with primary education for all pupils between 7 and 12 years of age being compulsory. Its education budget is 17% of the national budget. After implementation of the new constitutional provision in 1987 calling for free compulsory education, the Philippines has been working toward accomplishing this goal. The Filipino Department of Education has been working to improve strategies and overall educational quality. Increased emphasis has been placed on English, science, technology, mathematics and staff training for administrators. Vocational education has also been revised to incorporate technological advancements. Strategies for active improvement of education have included curriculum development, improvement of private and public school teacher education prior to their careers as well as during, update of materials and equipment, improving access of disadvantaged students, liberalizing policies for higher education private schools, and strengthening connections between government professional boards for evaluation. Education in the Philippines continued
For more information please visit: |
The Russian Federation |
The Russian Federation is located in Asia and has a decentralized public education system that provides compulsory education for all pupils between six and fifteen years of age. The Ministry of Education and the heads of the 58 Russian regions are responsible for the implementation of education in the Russian Federation. State standards assisted in determining the basic level of the common educational content for the entire Federation. By 2003, Russia had developed temporary state standards including a basic curriculum of comprehensive educational establishments and requirements for students. Russia’s educational system today includes approximately 140 thousand state educational institutions of various levels, types, and forms; close to 15 hundred research organizations, innovation centers and technology shops that teach, educate, and employ around 39 million people. Education in the Russian Federation continued
For more information please visit: |
Singapore |
The Singapore education system aims to help students discover their own talents, to make the best of these talents and realise their full potential, and to develop a passion for learning that lasts through life. The Singapore education system is flexible and diverse, catering to every child’s abilities, interests and aptitudes so as to help each pursue their goals, stretch their faculties and expand on their strengths. The Singapore schools strive to provide students with a broad-based education, focused on both academic and non-academic areas to ensure that students have a broad range of experiences and full opportunity to develop the skills and values needed in life. Education in Singapore continued
For more information please visit: |
Chinese Taipei |
Located in Asia, Chinese Taipei's education system offers compulsory education from grades one through nine with two years of pre-school and three years of secondary education available. Currently, the educational system in Chinese Taipei is structured so that students are capable of twenty-two years of formal education. The system includes two years of preschool education, six years of primary schooling, three years of junior high school, two years of senior high school, four to seven years of college or university, one to four years of a graduate school program, and two to seven years of a doctoral degree program.
Education in Chinese Taipei continued
For more information please visit: |
Thailand |
Thailand is located in Southeast Asia and has a decentralized public education system that provides free, compulsory education to all elementary and secondary students six to twelve years of age. Its education budget is 27 percent of the national budget. The Government is determined to launch educational reforms with the aim of developing Thailand as a knowledge-based society, a pre-requisite for becoming a knowledge-based economy. The reforms will provide the Thai public with equal access to life-long education and training, enabling them to acquire knowledge and capital to generate income and to eventually pull the country out of the economic and social crisis. Education in Thailand continued
For more information please visit: |
The United States of America |
The United States of America, located in North America, has a decentralized public education system that provides free, compulsory education to all elementary and secondary students. Most Americans attend 13 years of primary and secondary school (K-12). Students first attend kindergarten, followed by "elementary" school. Next they go to "middle school" or "junior high school," and then "senior high school" (often called "high school"). The federal government has a leadership role in education, although most of the funds allocated for education are spent by the states. State and local authorities make most of the decisions about education in the United States. Education in the United States continued
For more information please visit:
|
Viet Nam |
Viet Nam is located in Southeast Asia. It has a centralized public education system that provides free education to all children from 6 to 14 years of age. Viet Nam aims to foster an improvement of general knowledge, workforce training, and talent in people through educational development. The economy aims to imbue a sense of creativity and independence in a culturally sensitive and traditionally minded Vietnamese people. Education in Viet Nam continued
For more information please visit: |
