Secondary Education In Latin America Essay

Secondary Education in Latin America According to UNESCO Secondary Education Reform: Towards a Convergence of Knowledge Acquisition and Skills Development in 2005, secondary education is the “stage in the education continuum, following the primary level, accountable for the progress of the young during their adolescence”. During this level, values and attitudes formed during the primary level were firmly enriched together with the attainment of more knowledge and skills. In Latin America, secondary education is divided into two stages—the lower secondary stage and the upper secondary stage. Lower secondary stage is part of the fundamental primary education where a more diversified curriculum and intensive instructional materials were introduced

Instruction of this level is mostly offered by escuelas, institutos or colegios. Escuela and colegio both means school but the main difference is escuela is typically public or state-funded and colegio is typically private or paid schools. To enter the lower secondary education, students are required to complete their primary education and in some cases, pass the entrance examinations offered by the institutions. Major subjects offered in this level are technical sciences (biology, chemistry, physics), arts, technology, and foreign language. However, these subjects vary per state and is upon the discretion by the state department of education. Also in this level, students can choose to follow which track they want to pursue in the next levels. They might choose an academic strand (educación secundaria general) or a technical strand (educación secundaria técnica). Students will be awarded a Certificate of Secondary Education (Certificado de Educación Secundaria) and will be receiving an inclusive transcript which is a requirement for those who’ll apply for the upper secondary education. Upper secondary education or educación média superior in Mexico is said to be mandatory and lasts for three years