Реферат: Education System In Honduras

2. Primary education

Primary education is compulsory and lasts 6 years. This level consists of two cycles, each of three years duration. In order to democratize education and to improve the retention rate, examinations for promotion have been eliminated. The practical areas of learning receive special attention.

In Ukraine primary education is also compulsory, but it lasts 3 or 4 years and is not divided into cycles. Actually, primary education is not separated from the secondary one and is considered to be the first stage of it. During these years children mostly improve their reading, writing and counting skills.

3. Secondary education

Secondary education starts at age of 13 and is aimed at further development of the cultural, scientific and practical knowledge received at the primary level, and at preparation for higher education and training for work. To achieve these objectives, secondary education is divided into two cycles – the common cycle and the diversified cycle. The common cycle lasts for 3 years. Besides further cultural, scientific and practical knowledge, students receive vocational guidance similar to that of the education-apprenticeship. The diversified cycle lasts for 3 years, except for the Bachillerato course which lasts only 2 years. This cycle comprises several streams, namely: primary schoolteacher training (3 years); the Bachillerato (sciences and humanities) course; technical education – 3 years for bachilleros and 4 years for qualified workers (peritos) including the common cycle level. Peritos are trained in areas such as auto mechanics, general mechanics, carpentry, electronics, home economics, agriculture and cattle breeding, medicine (assistant nurses). On the bachiller level, courses are offered in agriculture, medicine, nurses training, arts, musical education, etc.

One of the most striking characteristics of secondary education is that almost 80% of the total enrolment was absorbed by private secondary schools in urban areas, and that the remaining 20% were in government secondary schools, also in urban areas.

Retention rates at this level are considerably higher than in primary education due to better organization and administration of the system and to an increase in investment in the education of those enrolled.

Teachers for secondary education are trained at the Escuela Superior del Profesorado in a three-year post-secondary course.

In Ukraine secondary education starts at the age of 10 or 11 which is the 5th grade and lasts until the age of 17 (the 12th grade). Pupils are taught a wide range of subjects, both humanities and sciences. Less attention is given to technical subjects, but after the 9th grade children can enter technical schools and study until the graduation age to receive special secondary education. Nowadays many schools have biases, for example there are schools with a foreign language bias, a mathematics bias, a medical bias and so on. Unlike the Honduran secondary education, the Ukrainian one is not divided into cycles. Most schools are maintained by the state, thought private schools are gaining more and more popularity. A lot of secondary graduates in Ukraine proceed to higher education.

4. Higher education

Higher education is of two types: Universidad (University) and Escuela Nacional (National School). The latter covers such areas as secondary school teacher-training, forestry, agriculture and medicine. Higher education is provided by public and private universities and specialized institutes and schools. The UNAH is autonomous and draws its funds from government grants, fees and gifts. It is responsible for higher education through the Claustro Pleno, the Consejo de Educación Superior, the Consejo Técnico and the Dirección de Educación Superior. The Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Public Education. There is a national school of forestry, a national school of agriculture and a school of music. There are 16 private universities, as well as a Catholic university that belongs to the Archidiocis of Tegucigalpa. The Escuela Agrícola Panamericana is a private international institution which is governed by a board of trustees, comprising members from different countries.

The first stage of higher education leads after three or four years to the first degree of Bachillerato universitario and Licenciatura or to a professional qualification. The Bachillerato universitario is mainly conferred in technological fields. The Licenciatura is awarded after four years in Nursing, five years in Economics, Business Administration, Accountancy, Law, Engineering, Journalism, Mathematics and Natural Sciences. All students at the UNAH spend the first year (for medical students, two years) in the Centro de Estudios Generales.

The second stage of university studies leads to the degrees of Maestría and Doctorado (Profesional). The Maestría is conferred after two to three years’ study following upon the Bachillerato universitario or Licenciatura. A Doctorado (Profesional) is conferred in Pharmacy and Dentistry after six years and after seven years in Medicine.

The third stage lies in obtaining the degree of Especialidad. It is only conferred in Medicine to holders of the Título de Doctor. It requires 30 credits and three years’ internship. The University-level Doctorado PhD is conferred after two years of study and each university has a different specialty of PhD.

In terms of internal efficiency, higher education suffers from some of the same problems as does the rest of the educational system. The ratio between the number of enrolled students in a given year and the number of graduates six years later comes down to an average of 9.3 for a five-year period.

There are many more universities in Ukraine than in Honduras, and the level of higher education is higher in general. Universities are mainly located in large regional centers, and usually there’s more than one university in one city. Students get a Bachelor’s degree after 4 years of studying, and then they have to study a year more for a Specialist’s degree or 2 years more for a Master’s degree. Then they can continue their scientific career by writing a PhD thesis. Universities are mostly maintained by the state, and there are comparatively few private universities.

5. Adult education and professional training

Besides the formal education system described above, adult education and professional training are provided both by the Ministry of Education in 4-year accelerated primary education courses and by organizations such as the National Institute of Agriculture (INA), the National Institute for Vocational Training (INFOP), the National Junta for Social Welfare, the Army, radio schools, and others.

In the absence of centralized and systematic statistical data, it is difficult to analyze statistically the present situation in adult education and professional training. Instead, brief descriptions follow of programs carried out by the Ministry of Education and other agencies.

a) The Literacy and Adult Education Directorate in the Ministry of Education plans and implements various out-of-school education activities at the national level, including professional training in dressmaking, floriculture, carpentry, cosmetics, etc., functional education conducted by 3 regional teams in the rural settlements of La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula and Choluteca, and literacy programs.

b) PROCARA, a program of training for agrarian reform, is carried out by the National Agrarian Institute (INA) with the assistance of FAO. Funded by UNDP, it is aimed at training peasants in the social and technical aspects of the agrarian reform and providing incentives and skills needed to organize co-operatives.

c) The aim of the Institute for Vocational Training (INFOP) is to manage, co-ordinate, plan and control vocational training in all sectors of the economy, in accordance with the national plans for economic and social development.

d) The National Committee for Social Welfare is a semi-autonomous organization whose programs include community development, family protection, literacy, and health.

e) Radio schools (Escuelas Rafionicas) are operated by a private institution which coordinates its activities with the Literacy and Adult Education Directorate of the Ministry of Education. The content of the program includes literacy, techniques in agriculture and guidance in using the credit system operated by the institution.

f) Many other programs in the field of adult education and professional
training are sponsored by various organizations, including the Ministry of National Resources, the Family Planning Association and the National University.

CURRENT TRENDS IN EDUCATION

Recognizing the existence of the shortcomings which have heretofore inhibited the development of the educational system, the Government of Honduras has embarked on the road to improvement of the existing situation. The National Commission for Educational Reform has elaborated a program of changes which are being gradually introduced into the educational system.

Development of education in rural areas has high priority. The program is designed to adapt the educational structure and content to the development process and the agrarian reform. Greet importance is placed on “nuclearization” which will enable incomplete primary schools which do not yet offer six grades to be gradually completed. It is also hoped that those schools, called “nucleos” will integrate formal and non-formal education activities and thus become community development centers.

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