Education system is regarded to be the reflection of the general level of development of any state. Educational systems of the countries are created to offer education and training, generally for children and young people. A curriculum is aimed to define what students are going to study, realize and be capable to perform after the graduation. Education systems may be created with the aim to support ideas or ideals as well as knowledge, which is named “social engineering”.
This can outline in the political mistreatment of the system, predominantly in authoritarian countries. The assessment of the education systems of two countries is necessary to define all pros and cons of the educational approach, and in some measure evaluate the level of development.
Colombia
Education system in Colombia entails the formal and non-formal education. It is claimed, that formal is intended for nursery, elementary, high school and college education including technical education. The central aim expected is 11 grades (elementary school and mid high school). It should be stated, that state institutions provide only 50% of public education. The private schools and colleges offer the rest 50% and also entail an essential part of technical colleges and universities, because of the shortage of public resources predestined to tutoring. Non-formal education in Colombia is highly religion concentrated, and is represented with Sunday Schools.
The education sphere has increased rapidly at all extents since the early 1960s. By 1987 primary-school employment had increased more than twice, secondary-school staffing had six times increased, and university employment had increased fifteen times. The literacy rate was around 88 percent in 1987. Private schools included for fifteen percent of the education sphere employment at the primary level, forty percent at the secondary-school level, and sixty percent at the university level. But the essential reason for the quick expansion of the education structure was the enormous augment in public outlays for education.
Spanish is the state language, so all the education process is in Spanish. The education structure entails three levels: preschool, primary education and secondary education. Children below 6 enter the preschool. The primary education is obligatory and free. This level takes 9 years. Nevertheless, in rural districts the primary level is limited to five years, because of the poor qualification of the teachers. The secondary level takes about 6 years without professional training, and it is provided by 24 universities.
In general, the educational structure of the educational system in Colombia stays comparatively constant. Preschool or nursery school is predominantly represented by private institutions. A kid may enter it at the age of four and attend at least two years. Primary education starts with five years of elementary education and then four years of secondary education. After this fundamental succession, students advance to the next (second) level of secondary education, which lasts two years. In general, these six years of secondary education last jointly. After graduating that level, the students may bypass on to some type of technical or commercial education, or they can attend graduate courses.
The National Ministry of Education provides two alternatives for the school schedule. One of them starts in February, provides a four-week holiday in June and July, and terminates in November. The second starts in September, includes a four-week vacation in December, and terminates in June. Both variants entail 198 days.
In the 1980s, the executive office of the education system provided interaction between powers of central control and powers of regional decentralization in which political deliberations had a significant part. The complexity of this interaction included was probably best demonstrated by the issuance in 1968 of a declaration founding the structure of Regional Educational Funds (Fondos Educativos Regionales FER) as an all over attack on the country’s educational troubles.
Hypothetically, the public education structure had been a component in which the Ministry of Education adjusted prototypes and rules and arranged and controlled the day-to-day direction created at the local levels. Actually, a type of anarchy had appeared in educational system, in which the departmental and municipal structures had functioned with an amount of de facto independence that avoided the central power from efficiently using the material and HR hypothetically at its authority.
Puerto Rico
Education is a subject of high priority for Puerto Rico nowadays; it is obvious in the island’s overall literacy rate of nineteen percent and its budget for education, includes about forty percent of the entire budget. Education is obligatory between 6 to 17 years old.
Education in Puerto Rico includes three levels Primary (elementary school), Secondary (intermediate and high school), and Higher Level (undergraduate and graduate studies).
The nature of public education in Puerto Rico is highly centralized especially at the pre-university level, as curriculum elaboration originally takes place under the close and thorough control of the Commonwealth Department of Education. The University of Puerto Rico’s College of Education has imposed much authority in this sphere. Over the years central curricular creation has tended to relate to Puerto Rico different trends in fashion in the United States.
The long-standing Commonwealth political importance on financial planning has also acted a significant role in defining what subjects and disciplines should be extra funded with technology and now international experience exchange as the key to expand and improve. Without a doubt, the Department of Education is on the way of adjusting managerial means for the integration of private business and banking organizations currently. This is arranged to expand the cooperation in the area of employment within the organizations, included in the cooperation sphere.
Since past financial planning has not habitually produced the wished results, cynicism with regard to so restricted reliance on educational centralization made essential inroads for the 1990s currently. New schemes have appeared. The Universidad del Turabo, for instance, has made a strategy conclusion to open up spheres of close teamwork with the municipalities, mainly the towns of Cages and Kurabo. Lately an imposing sports complex, with an up-to-date stadium, has been built on its campus for its own funding, donations from the municipal administration, and from the Commonwealth. This complex is used by the university itself and by schools of the nearby towns.
Free public education is offered by the government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for basic, intermediate and high-school students. The school terms in Puerto Rico public schools start in August and finish in May. Education in the public school structure is performed in Spanish. English is studied as a second language.
The government-sponsored foundation is the University of Puerto Rico, with central campus at Rio Piedras (a part of the Metropolitan Area) and some regional campuses all over the rest of the island. Other central universities are the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Ponce. English-only courses are obtainable at some universities.
There are a few vocational and specialized establishments functioning on the territory of Puerto Rico. There are more than 50 institutions of higher education. Puerto Rico has attained one of the hugest college teaching rates in the world (6th) with 56% of its college-age students attending institutions of higher learning, in accordance with the World Bank data.
Conclusion
As it has been stated above – the education system may be regarded as the reflection of the overall social, financial and political situation of the country. The review of the educational structures of Colombia and Puerto Rico emphasized the fact, that these two states has different social and financial systems, and that the centralized regulation of the Puerto Rican education system is much more efficient, and assists to provide increased employment level because of the cooperation with the state and private institutions, who are really interested in the employment of young specialists.
The fact is that, cooperation with private sector provides an option for the education, as paid education is originally regarded to be more efficient, as private schools employ only highly qualified teachers. But on the other hand not everyone can afford private school, and the schools often can not afford cooperation with state institutions for special training or employment of the students.
References
Solís, José. Public School Reform in Puerto Rico: Sustaining Colonial Models of Development. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994.
Williams, Raymond Leslie, and Kevin G. Guerrieri. Culture and Customs of Colombia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.