Introduction to Education System in the UK
The education system in the UK provides a full-time education from ages 5 to 16, to both national as well as foreign children, either permanent or temporary for more than a year. State schools are completely free and are attended by almost 94 % of the total population. Education is a must in the UK till 16 years of age; students may then decide to continue their studies for a further two years (sixth form) i.e. an A level qualification
The rest of the children attends about 3200 private fee schools that cover both international and foreign schools. 80% of the children from these schools go for higher studies, others move in different professions depending on circumstances. (British Life & Culture, 2009)
For higher education a 3-year bachelor’s program can be the initiator which continues to postgraduate programs like Master Degree, a royal charter is required to issue an official degree and almost all degrees are financed by the state.
Introduction to Education System in the U.S
Primary education in the US, according to the state, begins between 5 and 7years of age. Compulsory education in the US ends in between the age of 16 and 18 years of a student’s age. School education continues up to the age of 18 i.e. 12th year of school education is compulsory for every student. Without having a high school degree students can not receive certificates or recognition from any institute. Students having a different set of aptitudes can graduate before and after the required age of education.
Higher Education in the US is referred to as post-secondary studies i.e. formal education after secondary education which may include a degree program or a certification program depending on the interest of the pupil in a specific field. (Education System In US, 2009)
Education Service In US & UK (Primary)
The education system within both the country has been a debatable discussion for quite a time. The system has played a vital role in narrowing down children’s perspectives, reduced their intelligence, and eventually destroys their future objectives. In other words, this system fails to qualify institutionally not only for both the countries as well as for children’s education and to their lives, to some extent.
Concerned people think that the curriculum in the UK has been politicized, as the education department has been playing an important part in micro-management of schools, by focusing on literacy along with numeracy and excessive use of testing has reduced chances of learning for children. Children around the country also denied the rich curriculum including history, geography, art & music.
About 200,000 children have been awarded wrong grades in important subjects like Math and English curriculum tests, these highlights indicate government having a standard that is not worthy for children in terms of their growth moral and ethical.
Similar is the case with the US curriculum, most of the children are unable to read properly and the answers seem to be obvious, they are not taught in the right manner to decode sentences. The curriculum is a failure for another reason that teachers are not taught in the right manner during the training sessions that how to teach children reading in a manner, they can easily decode the words according to their required understanding level. (I’ll spell it out: 2009)
Preferable Curriculum
According to researches, it has been reported that people performing in UK or British curriculum performs better in gearing up people in a manner that fulfill requirements of modern life, than those who performs in the US curriculum in most of the regions in the world as there are no curriculum exams in the US like the UK. In the US teachers have to formulate their tests that are not up to date & specific to current market requirements. These tests don’t result in a product candidate for the modern world.
The primary curriculum in the UK can be considered as a better competitor in producing the right resources by developing ethically sound & dynamically flexible students for the growing needs of the professional environment in the coming years.
Adaptive Measures
The new flexible curriculum should be introduced which assures engagement of staff using innovative use of time in a manner that children are highly motivated and adaptive to become independent learners. The government of England has taken effective actions to improve lesson plans & tighten structures of their lesson to emphasize literacy as well as numeracy policies. This step of government has helped in rising the standard to an extent to a platform where children can learn according to the required developmental needs of the modern world. (Effective Use of Curriculum: 2009)
Other measures include the introduction to change the national curriculum in a manner it is appropriate as well as effective and can help children to achieve their objectives. Since the introduction of the National curriculum in the year 2000, there have been changes in both the national and global context of the curriculum. Globalization had its marks on economical factors and it had a severe impact on the democratic profile of the region.
To ensure a smooth transition from primary to secondary several recommendations are prescribed by the local body to provide teachers flexibility within a richer curriculum, along with the opportunity for children to learn in six different areas of learning and apply their knowledge and skills accordingly in their relative field of interest. (Rose Curriculum Report, 2009)
Conclusion
Range of social, economical and ethical qualities are essential for children health which they are required to acquire as a responsible citizen of 21st century & these are only possible if certain measures are adapted in a manner that is highly effective & reasonable according to the global requirements of the era to bring sustainability and a change which is accepted & appreciated by children from both primary and secondary grades in gearing up themselves for the betterment of modern society. This is where the primary curriculum of the UK has played an important role for students by ethically developing their personality, the concerns and modern idealistic world demands such people who have the attitude of being flexible and adaptive to change without any guidance.
Such flexible and adaptive characteristics of an individual with upcoming economical trends, demands professionals of almost all fields with strong communication skills, mathematics & increased ability to work in a dynamic environment cooperatively, are core requirements of survival in the new era, these features are lacking in the current primary curriculum of US and have its roots within the primary curriculum of UK.
Apart from the betterment of society, these measures can also bring a certain change in the character of an individual by sharpening it in a manner its highly flexible according to the dynamic requirements and concerns of the modern world, creating and developing awareness to work and social norms in a specialized manner to gear up according to the modern world.
References
Educational Services: I’ll spell it out: if children can’t read, lives are ruined (Minette Marrin). Web.
Educational Services: Rose Curriculum. (2008). Web.
Educational Services: One Minute News (BBC). (2007). Web.
Educational Services: Effective Use of Curriculum (Final Report). (2007). Web.
Educational Services: Summary: Interventions & Options (Angela Overington). (2008). Web.
Educational Services: British Life & Culture (No Date). Web.
Educational Services: Educational Graph (No Date). Web.
Educational Services: Educational System In Uk (No Date).
Educational System in USA (No Date). Web.
Education Studies Secondary Education In US (No Date). Web.