About education

In Asia, what is the education system like? Do you learn English there? Do you have a summer break, or any break? I'm just curious, seeing as how where I live in America right now, I am on a summer break.

I don't know if this applies to everywhere in East Asia, but in Vietnam, you usually have class really early in the morning until afternoon. Then, you can come back to take more classes or you can just chill. The school year is similarly like in America, with the 2-3 month summer break.

Learning English over there can almost be compared to the majority of us learning Spanish over here. I'm pretty sure education over there is more advanced in terms of learning more at an earlier age. Of course...this is only based on the majority.

I might be wrong...

yaya..in korea..if im right...its about the same...you get up early in the morning and get into gear for school...around 8 is when most secondarys start and end in the afternoon...like what sano said...you can stay at school to study over more into the later hours or go home like majority of students...and breaks are as often as it would be in america...

i dont think english learning is a must over in korea...just most of them tend to learn it because its like the most universal language...they have language learning sessions just like america would have as well...same layout and system if you were to learn something in the US...

and korea is really strict on education...they want every student to perform the best in the classroom to the best to their abilities....how good you do in primary(middle school lets say) determines which secondary you go to(thus the reason for the uniforms...that shows what school you attend)....certain exam scores put you in each category on which school you can go to...and the better you do on the exams...the better school you go to and more pathways open up towards you future career youre pursuing......like you see it on asian television, on a bunch of them head over heels on studying....this is why..

i guess korea is about the same as vietnam as sano explained...japan would be similar im assuming

Did you learn English in school (I'm assuming since it says you live in one of the Koreas)?
What I mostly want to know is if people learn English schools as something mandatory, since a lot of Asian members here speak English fluently.

Sanosuke wrote:

Learning English over there can almost be compared to the majority of us learning Spanish over here.

Meh.. it's smaller than it seems. Yeah, a lot of people are learning Spanish here, but if you're a star (like Justin Timberlake or Beyonce or Rhianna) you're not really expected to know Spanish; in fact, I hardly know any that speak Spanish that aren't of a Spanish background.

But it seems in Japan, almost everyone is able to say quite a few phrases. I'm not going to say it shocked me, but in Hana Yori Dango (if you watch it), there is an episode where Makino enters a beauty contest and one of the last tests is her fluency in English. I don't know about there, but here in the US, there wouldn't be a Spanish speaking contest.
Of course, I'm not proving your wrong Sano ( ) I'm just trying to compare. It seems a lot lot of people are speaking English over there. In my school, you're able to choose between taking Spanish, French, Latin, German, and Chinese. It seems more forced over there... like a "you have to take this or else you won't graduate" class.

DaAmainator wrote:

Sanosuke wrote:

Learning English over there can almost be compared to the majority of us learning Spanish over here.

Meh.. it's smaller than it seems. Yeah, a lot of people are learning Spanish here, but if you're a star (like Justin Timberlake or Beyonce or Rhianna) you're not really expected to know Spanish; in fact, I hardly know any that speak Spanish that aren't of a Spanish background.

But it seems in Japan, almost everyone is able to say quite a few phrases. I'm not going to say it shocked me, but in Hana Yori Dango (if you watch it), there is an episode where Makino enters a beauty contest and one of the last tests is her fluency in English. I don't know about there, but here in the US, there wouldn't be a Spanish speaking contest.
Of course, I'm not proving your wrong Sano ( ) I'm just trying to compare. It seems a lot lot of people are speaking English over there. In my school, you're able to choose between taking Spanish, French, Latin, German, and Chinese. It seems more forced over there... like a "you have to take this or else you won't graduate" class.

Maybe it's just because I live in an area where the Hispanics are the main minority.

My sister's friend was an exchange student from South Korea who spoke fluent English. I think most make an effort to learn English because of how important it is. She also was decent in French and Russian, I'm so jealous.

My Polish friend said he was required to learn several languages while in school in Poland. English was obviously included in the curriculum. I believe he spoke around 4-5 languages. Again, I'm so jealous!

Donovon-Bozu wrote:

Did you learn English in school (I'm assuming since it says you live in one of the Koreas)?
What I mostly want to know is if people learn English schools as something mandatory, since a lot of Asian members here speak English fluently.

actually no...i moved to the US when i was about 4 and ever since ive learned english from the people here...ive gotten good enough to say im fluent at it...

and its not mandatory...its like...well many people in asian countries want to pursue careers in other countries than their own native country...and since english is well understood in numerous countries throughout the world...thats the easiest to place to start...

and once you know one...you kinda get the urge to learn more...like me par exemple...i know 4 languages...on the verge of five once i start taking japanese classes...i know korean, english, french, and chinese...knowing plenty of foreign is only beneficial in having a good job...it opens up so many passages on how your career path shapens out..so thats why lotsa asian countries and all other countries strongly advise on taking foreign language classes as you grow up...

ugh, I wish my school offered more languages (only French, Spanish, and Italian are offered).

Once I finish this year, I'll have taken four years of Spanish, and it's safe to say that I am in no way fluent. Unfortunately, do to scheduling issues and the fact that the Spanish teachers in my school for Spanish 5 and AP Spanish are really creepy/strict, I'm not taking it next year. I do, however, plan to take Japanese when I go to college (if not sooner) and I also plan to learn other languages. I hate how foreign languages aren't a major part of education in America. It's a shame that this is one of the only countries where a person can be considered well educated if he/she knows only one language.

Philippines

classes starts June and ends March

Summer break is April - May

^_^

the schedule would be from 6AM-12:30, then next shift, 12:30-7:30

We have English as our secondary language

Your school schedule is strange to me, in the US, it's simply:
classes start either in september and end in June, or start in august and end in may (depending on which region you live in). Summer break is from May/June - august/sept.
Our school hours are only 6 hours! (Yes, we in America stupid compared to other countries )

I could never survive in the Phillipines. 11 HOURS!?

^ Donovon

ahh, nope, it's not 11 HOURS

i just stated the schedules, but it's just 6.5 hours

it's because we cannot accomodate ALL students in one shift, so it's divided, morning and afternoon shift

get it?

raul27 wrote:

it's because we cannot accomodate ALL students in one shift, so it's divided, morning and afternoon shift

get it?

Ah, yeah. My dad lived when there were baby boomers and he said that some areas in America did something like that temporarily: take shifts due to the influx of students.

^

THAT'S IT

most schools here in the philippines are like that, private schools are different, they have different schedules but same opening/closing for school year

Since Hong Kong was onced controlled by Britain, people over there start learning English at elementary school. I don't know if it's mandatory to be very fluent but they stress the importance of English over there a lot. Plus, a lot of western people go there to either live or for vacation, so English words are everywhere and I'm pretty sure the police there can speak pretty good English.

Very similar to South Korea, the competition is extremely stressful. Parents spend so much money just so you can go to a high rank Pre-School and set up a good beginning enviroment. I don't really like how the schools are ranked like 3-star or 4-star 'cause it means if you end up in a 3-star school, then you get a lower level of education which means you have to try and work even harder. :/

It's scary, don't know if it's true, but a couple cases tells about students suiciding because they couldn't make it to a good enough school or go to college. >.>

Oh, education ain't free. Millions of HK money are spent just on one kid's education.

s0ysauce wrote:

I don't really like how the schools are ranked like 3-star or 4-star

Whoa, that's weird. It's like a hotel or restaurant. That's not cool. It means the rich kids get even richer! But in the US public school system, you have to got to school where your area is. So, if you live in the so-and-so district you have to go to so-and-so school. So, in a way, America is also that way, in the case that, where the better homes are, there's going to be better schools.

I wonder... Hey, people from not the US: do they have the public school system in your countries?

Yeah...it seems that in every Japanese show or anime or manga I've seen or read, they always have the uniform going to the prep / private schools...

There are public schools, but you still have to wear uniforms.
Uniforms at school =/= Private School
Just most of the time in America.

I went to school in South America (Peru) and it was, but I already knew english, so advantage~~
So, I'm positive that English is required everywhere else on the planet. (Exaggeration)

Some schools/countries just teach it better. (Japan is one of, if not the, lowest ranking in teaching english in the world.)