Education Lecture

Most of the Western countries have the highest levels of higher education, and the United Kingdom is no exception.

The English education system requires students to complete coursework up until the age of 16. After that, it is up to the student whether they continue on to prepare for university. Although it is possible to go to university even if you don’t originally elect to, there is a significant amount of catching up to do, as well as a more limited availability when entering the college. At the age of 16, students who decide to attend university have to pick generally three topics they’ll spend the next two years—or their “A-level” courses—and their whole collegiate academic career studying. Most American students change their majors a minimum of three times even after starting at university. The idea that someone who is 16 years old can narrow their career field to three major topics is beyond foreign to the American mind, and it borders on the ridiculous to us. However, it works brilliantly in the United Kingdom, and England has one of the most comprehensive and efficient education systems in the world.

The primary and secondary schools of England have even more interesting distinctions from America. First and foremost, the term public school could not carry any more different meaning in England. Public schools are exclusive, expensive, ludicrously-wealthy boarding school for the rich or powerful. Parents who send their kids to these schools pay for much more than a good education. They’re also paying for the prestige, connections, and reputations that go with these types of schools. Private schools are a cheaper alternative but, while still offering a good education, don’t carry nearly the reputation of public schools. England’s equivalent to America’s public schools are called comprehensives, and are generally looked down upon by the upper class, due to various issues that go along with state schooling. Despite that, 87% of all children in England go to comprehensive schools because they are free and they work.

Every country approaches education differently, and often the values and beliefs of the country are most clearly manifested in the academic realm. In America, the country places a great deal of value on individuality and the ability for each person to pursue and become whatever they want, even if that changes every semester. In the United Kingdom, the emphasis is on an efficient, quick, thorough education to get the young population trained and entered in the workforce at an earlier age. Each system has its benefits, but it’s interesting to question which one, if either, is the superior system. As a criminal justice major when you talk about juveniles and minors who have run into the law most lack even the minimum education requirements, which is tragic.