Name of Country

1. Philippines

Levels of Education
Kindergarten

Elementary

Description of Each Level

Junior High School

Senior High School

Special Features

Pre-elementary from age 5 years old.

The teaching in Kindergarten is built around six
domains.

6 years of elementary.
Aged from 6 to 11.
From grade 1 to 10 is a core subject of academic
subjects taught using the spiral progression
approach.
Science is taught only beginning Grade 3.
TLE is taught starting Grade 4 until Grad 10.
Concerned with the learners mastery of basic
skills and competencies.
From Grades 1 to 10 are the Language (Mother
Tongue, Filipino, and English), Math, Science,
Social Studies, Technology, and Livelihood
Education and Music, Arts, Physical Education
and Health.

Four years from junior high school

From Grades 1 to 10 are the Language (Mother
Tongue, Filipino, and English), Math, Science,
Social Studies, Technology, and Livelihood
Education and Music, Arts, Physical Education
and Health
From aged 13-15 years.

2 years of senior high school

Aged from 16-17 years.
The subjects are Languages (Filipino and
English), Math, Science, Social Studies combined
with TLE- career Pathways

Compulsory or mandatory
to undergo in this level.
Became mandatory in S.Y.
2012-2013.
Mother tongue is used as
the medium of instruction
from k to grade 3 and is
taught as a subject only in
grades 1, 2, and 3.

Those who wish to

continue
the
TLE
specialization they had in
Grade 9 and Grade 10 may
choose the techvoc track.

University

2. Australia

Primary

Focus on the specialization subjects that equip the

learner for the career path of his/her choice.
3- tracks- academic, techvoc and sports and art
Geared towards the consolidation of these
knowledge and skills mastered at the elementary
level and is focused on the equipping the learner
with employable gainful skills or preparing
him/her for middle level skills development or
higher education.
Supervised by an agency called the Commission
on Higher Education or CHED.
Most college degree programs are four years for
baccalaureate degrees.
Other highly specialized field take medicine and
law take around eight years to complete.
For technical vocation education or postsecondary education, there are two year courses.
After completing the bachelors or baccalaureate
degrees, courses in the masters program of two
years
Doctoral programs for three to five years are
offered by authorized and universities.

The entry age of compulsory education is 6 years

old
Provided by government and non- government
primary schools
The length of the program is six years old to
twelve years old children.
Children start primary school at the age of five
when they enrol in preparatory or kindergarten

Require
entrance
examination for admission
to
college
degree
programs.
Require
passing
a
licensure examination for
the specific profession,
examples are nursing
dentistry,
medical
technology, engineering,
medicine and teaching
given by the Professional
Regulation Commission
PRC while for the Law,
the examination is given
by the Supreme Court.

Junior high School

Senior High School

University

year.
The federal government provides supplementary
financial support.
Divided into junior high school (year7- year10)
and senior high school (year11-year12)
4 years from junior high school and 2 years from
senior high school.
The age level of junior high school is from 12 to
16 years old.
The government, non -government coeducational comprehensive/multipurpose high
school provides junior high school
A senior high school is provided for two years
after the junior secondary level.
Students are from 16 to 18 years old in this level.
It is no longer compulsory education.
It is being offered by government and nongovernment.
The federal government provides supplementary
financial support.
Academic year begins in March and ends in
November.
The language of instruction is English.
Begin with the undergraduate level.
The main stage of university education leads to a
bachelors degree.
Undergraduate studies last between three years,
( Arts, Science, commerce)
Four years (Education, Engineering)
Five years (Veterinary Science, Dentistry,
Architecture)

At the end of the junior

high school, a junior
secondary certificate of
education
(year
10
certificate) is awarded.

A
senior
secondary
certificate of education
(year12 certificate) is
awarded at the end of the
senior
secondary
education.

To be admitted, a Senior
Secondary of Education is
required.

3. Japan

Primary

Six years ( Medicine and Surgery)

Arts and Sciences usually offer either a bachelor
degree (Pass) obtained three years or a bachelors
degree (honours) obtained in four years.
A graduate with a bachelors degree can proceed
to one-year to two-year post graduate course
leading to a postgraduate diploma.
A student should qualified for a bachelors degree
(Honours) may proceed to masters degree.
A student who has qualified for a bachelors
degree (Honours) may proceed to study for a
doctorate usually Ph.D., higher doctorate in
Science (DSsc) or Humanities (DLitt) upon
submission of published work are awarded the
degrees.
Kindergarten
Elementary school (six years)
There are preschools (yochien) with mainly
female teachers.
Prefectural boards license teachers, appoint
teachers to public elementary and also license
preschools in their area.
Free and compulsory for children from 6 to 15
years old.
Classes are large and teaching methods are
usually lecture spend 243 days a year in school.
Standard curriculum includes Japanese language,
social studies, math and science along with art,
music, home economics, physical education with
the greatest emphasis on learning the Japanese
language.
Covers three years

Lower
school

Secondary

Upper
School

secondary

University

Cover grade seven, eight and nine.

Men compose two-thirds of the teachers in this
level.
Class size average is 38 and the periods are fifty
minutes long.
Offer academic, technical and vocational
programs.
The first year courses include Japanese language,
English, Science and Math
Vocational
course
includes
information
processing, navigation, fish farming, ceramics and
business English.
Ranked based on their success in placing
graduating students into prestigious universities.
Junior colleges for women who want to pursue
courses stress home economics, nursing, teaching,
humanities and social studies.
Private institutions make up 80% of university
enrolments although the public schools have the
most prestige.
Students called ronin, which originally meant
samurai.
Sixty percent of the universities have graduate
schools, but only seven percent graduate gets
masters degrees.
Included in the national curriculum which covers
children aged 3-5 years, but does not have a
strong mandate as to what needs to happen during
these years of schooling as it is not yet mandatory.
Six year of school make up the primary grades
which is devoted to development of cognitive

To
get
into
the
universities, the student
must take two exam; the
first one is a national
achievement test and the
second one given by the
university itself which is
highly competitive.

skills.

Three years

Three years

Six years

Pre-school from 5 years

Junior middle school

Senior middle school

University, varieties of
technical
and
vocational school

The average number of students to a teacher in

every classroom is 18 to 1 in primary schooling.
Compulsory for all children from age 6 to 16,
eligible for free education if they are New
Zealand citizens or residents, or if they qualify as
domestic students.
There is a national curriculum which is a set out
as a learning requirements for all state school.
The core subjects include English, Health and
Physical Education, Language, Mathematics and
Statistics, Science, Social Science, Technology,
and The Arts.
Requires all children aged six years and over to be
in schools.
Most begin as they turn five years old.
For the first three years in primary education, one
grade level each year, children are moved to

4. China

Primary

5. New
Zealand

Early Childhood
Primary School

The school is highly

centralized. The course
syllabi are written by
scientists and professors
hired by the National
Educational Commission.
Students wishing to attend
university must pass one
of the two versions of the
National
University
Entrance
Examination.
The quality and reputation
of the school will depend
on the number of students
passing the examination.

another five more years before going to secondary

school.

Intermediate School

Secondary School

Not always applicable as some primary schools

include these years.
Year 7-8 from the age of 11-13 years.

The average number of students to a teacher in

every classroom is 15 to 1.
May add other subjects such as accounting, art
history, media studies and specialized studies and
language studies.
Students progress through five levels and must
stay until age 17-18.
First two years of secondary grade 9- grade 10, all
students learn English, Mathematics, Science and
Technology, Social studies, art, physical education
and health education.
Optional subjects in the first two years of
secondary schools may include economics,
history, geography, electronics, sewing, keyboard
skills, drama, journalism, French, Japanese, and
Maori.
In the last 3 years of secondary school, there is a
wide range of subjects to choose from.
Year 12 and 13, the last two years may suit
overseas students who wish to progress to tertiary
education in New Zealand.
Open to anyone who meets the common standards
prescribed by the New Zealand Qualification
Authority.
Have higher entry criteria for specific courses like
medicine, dentistry.

There
is
National
Certificate in Educational
Achievement in New
Zealands
national
qualification for secondary
students.
There are three NCAE
qualifications: Level 1,
Level 2, and Level 3.

Can

work

towards

University

Academic year starts in March to November

however there are also courses in the universities
that start in July.
Summer Semester maybe available.
New Zealand Institutes of Technology and
Polytechnics are state owned.
Offer courses that are equivalent in merit to those
offered as degrees in universities.
20 polytechnic and technology institutes in the
country.
They also offer short term courses that may begin
any time of the year.
Merged with regional universities.
Course content and start dates are synchronized
with the universities.
Close relationship between the colleges of
education and the Ministry of education in the inservice training of teachers which are available on
site or on line.
Short term is being offered for the professional
development of teachers.
Have extended their services to public schools in
their areas.
The public school teachers also in the
development of the pre service teachers by acting
as a mentor during their teaching practicum.
There are 800 private education providers in the
country many of which are offering short term
English Language courses.
Offer courses in specific areas like business,
computing and design.
Private training institutions are registered and
accredited by New Zealand Qualification
Authority.

bachelor, masters and

doctoral degrees as well
diploma at various level.

Private
Training
Institutions and English
Language Programs.