How much do you really know about schools around the world apart from different curriculums? There is a whole lot more beyond the books and buildings that you probably don’t know of. Here are some interesting facts about schools from around the world that might blow your mind:
1. In Australia, the School of the Air broadcasts lessons via radio signals to far-flung pupils living in remote areas.
2. Summer holidays last from the middle of December to early March in Chile, giving children three months off.
3. Even if it’s a weekend or a holiday, Russian children always start school on ‘Knowledge Day’, which is 1st September.
4. China is the country where kids get most homework. Teenagers in Shanghai do a staggering 14 hours a week at the kitchen table.
5. The country with the shortest school year and the longest school day is France.
6. Children in Germany are given a special cone called a Schultüte full of pens, pencils, mini books, snacks and other presents that can only be opened when they start school.
7. Canadian kids are taught a lot of their lessons in both French and English.
8. In Brazil, where lunch is an important event, children start school at 7am and at noon go home to eat with their parents.
9. The children in Holland all start school on their fourth birthday so there’s always someone new in class.
10. England is home to the world’s old boarding school – The King’s School in Canterbury, which despite being established in 1567, provides a full modern education, complete with up-to-date, quality equipment and supplies.
11. A school in Germany has been built to look like a giant white cat.
12. Finland has one of the oldest school starting ages in the world, as well as one of the most successful education systems. It’s seven years old.
13. Boys and girls are educated separately in Iran until they reach university. Even teachers must be of the same gender as the classes they teach.
14. In Kenya, children don’t have to go to school but most of them do.
15. Because of the flooding problems faced by the country, Bangladesh has no fewer than 100 boat schools. Each one has internet access, a library and is solar powered.
16. One of the subjects taught in Icelandic schools is knitting.
17. The primary school is Phumachangtang, Tibet, is thought to be the highest school in the world at 5,373 metres above the sea.
18. Students in South Korea are expected to stay and help clean and tidy the classroom when lessons are over.
