| As old as China is, it has seen many political | | | | children enter primary education (elementary school). |
| structures and education platforms. Here is a guide to | | | | After completing elementary school, kids are then |
| education in China as it stands today. | | | | put into one of two types of secondary education: |
| We all know that both the government and | | | | either academic (preparing the students for higher |
| economic approaches of China are based on the | | | | education) or vocational secondary education which |
| communist way of thinking. While foreign to most | | | | prepares the students for work. |
| Westerners (in fact, to most everyone else in the | | | | China does also offer higher education. Students who |
| world), the communist way of life has been the basis | | | | attend college have the choice of going to a |
| for much of China's current ways of living. While this | | | | short-cycle school (two to three years, equivalent to |
| type of government definitely affects how the | | | | an associates' degree), or a regular college which lasts |
| population of China lives, it also affects some other | | | | three to four years and can end in a bachelor's |
| important aspects of the country. One way that this | | | | degree. Masters and PhD programs are also available. |
| can be seen is in the education of people in China. | | | | Finally, adult education (which also falls partially under |
| The education approach in China might be seen by | | | | higher education) offers programs such as Peasants' |
| some (especially those in the United States and | | | | Primary Schools, Workers' Primary Schools and |
| Europe) as being short. China only requires that each | | | | literacy training. These types of adult education are |
| child has nine years of formal education - this is far | | | | aimed at adults that may not have gone through any |
| less than the amount of schooling that is seen in | | | | formal schooling in their childhood - and they also |
| other countries, such as the 13 years in the US and | | | | include places such as correspondence colleges and |
| 14 years in Canada. The types of schooling offered in | | | | specialized schools for different industries and jobs. |
| China are broken into three areas: basic education, | | | | The education platform in China is well organized, and |
| higher education and adult education. Basic education | | | | while not exactly like schools found in the US, |
| starts with preschool or kindergarten, which lasts | | | | definitely rivals the schooling found in the rest of the |
| longer than it does in the US, with children entering | | | | (non-communist) world. Both adults and children are |
| this schooling program at around age three, and | | | | able to educate themselves to further their careers |
| staying in preschool until the age of six. At age six, | | | | and working life. |