Structure of Education in VenezuelaBasic Education
Primary education (educación básica) is compulsory from the age of six and free in public schools. Since 1981, the length of primary education has been nine years. Students can attend free pre-school classes if their parents so choose, but this is not compulsory.
Schools are administered and funded at either the national, state or municipal level. Curricular content is much the same at all schools due to strong central control. The school year extends from September through to June or July, and students are assessed on the basis of continuous assessment. Successful students are awarded the Certificado de Educación Básica (Basic Education Certificate).
In 2007, President Chavez introduced a new ‘Bolivarian’ curriculum for all schools in the country, including private ones. A law passed in 2009 granted greater control over curriculum development to the country’s Communal Councils, closely linked to the ruling party, prompting protests about the politicization of the school system. Proponents of the reforms have praised measures designed to significantly increase participation in poor areas of the country. To what degree the curriculum reforms have been implemented is somewhat unclear at this stage.
Secondary Education
Secondary education (educación media) follows the nine-year basic cycle and students follow either the academic stream (two years in length) or a technical/vocational stream, which is most commonly three years in length. Students receive technical and vocational instruction through the school system, or at vocational colleges operated by the Instituto Nacional de Cooperación Educativa. It is also offered at postsecondary level at university colleges, institutes of technology and university institutes. There are both public secondary schools (liceos) and private secondary schools (colegios). Approximately one in four students attend private schools at the secondary level.
The academic stream is subdivided into two options, with students choosing either a science or humanities option. In the technical/vocational stream, students choose from one of five options: agriculture, art, commerce, industrial studies, or social work. All programs are three years in length except commerce, which is two, and typically focused on technical career training.
The academic stream has traditionally been considered of higher prestige than the technical route, and approximately two-thirds of secondary students choose that path, most commonly in the science stream. In addition to specialization-specific subjects, all students must take: Spanish language and literature, mathematics, philosophy, Venezuelan history and geography, physical education and English.
Graduates of the academic stream are awarded either the Bachiller en Humanidades (Bachiller in the Humanities) or the Bachiller en Ciencias (Bachiller in Science). Graduates of the technical/vocational stream are awarded the Bachiller in their chosen field (Bachiller Industrial, Bachiller Comercial, Bachiller en Agropecuario, Bachiller Asistencial (social work) or Bachiller en Arte).
Graduates of both streams can apply for university entrance, although in the past the academic stream has been the traditional route to a university education. These norms have been broken down considerably in recent years under reforms instituted by former president Hugo Chavez that, among other things, ended the national college aptitude test and entrance examinations at public universities in a bid to lower barriers to entry for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. According to government figures, these access policies have had significant success, with the tertiary gross enrollment ratio (total tertiary enrollments as a percentage of the college-age population) rising from 28 percent in 2000 to 78 percent in 2009, well above the regional average of 39 percent.
Higher Education
Higher education in Venezuela is offered at universities, polytechnic institutes, university colleges, institutes of technology and private university institutes. The latter three types of institutions offer short-cycle sub-degree awards known as Técnico Superior.
The country’s six autonomous state universities are the oldest and most prestigious in Venezuela and operate as traditional multi-faculty institutions. They are all publicly funded and autonomously regulated. However, their right to administer their own selection processes was ended in 2009 in an amendment to the Organic Education Law. University stakeholders have been fighting hard in recent years to avoid further erosion of their autonomy by fiercely protesting various iterations of a proposed update of the 1970 law governing universities in the country. However, the creation and expansion of new public universities, in combination with new public funding policies, has left the autonomous universities severely underfunded and in a current state of flux.
Also largely autonomous from state control are 10 national experimental universities. These have a smaller number of faculties focused largely on technical and vocational subjects.
Newer public universities, such as the 200,000-strong Universidad Bolivariana – created by decree in 2003 – offer open admissions and are firmly under the control of the central government. These institutions have been the driving force behind the massive growth in tertiary enrollments over the last decade. At the University of the Armed Forces, for example, enrollment has reportedly grown from 3,200 in 2003 to 224,000 in 2007. Meanwhile, the private sector, which previously accounted for 40 percent of all tertiary enrollments, now teaches less than 20 percent of Venezuela’s student population.
Polytechnic institutes offer five-year programs in engineering and other technical fields and their awards are considered equivalent to university awards. The Ministry of Education directly administers these institutions.
Undergraduate Education
There are two main degree awards at the undergraduate level in Venezuela: the short-cycle técnico superior and the licenciado, the traditional first-degree university award. The former is awarded mainly by institutes of technology, university colleges, and university institutes, although some universities also run programs leading to the award.
The licenciado is typically awarded after five years of study, although a few programs of study are four years in length. The coursework for the licenciado is very specialized with little flexibility in course offerings.
Professional titles in fields such as dentistry, engineering, law and medicine are comparable to the licenciado and are typically five years in length. The professional title in medicine (Médico-Cirujano) is a six-year program.
Graduate Education
At the graduate level there are three main awards: diploma de especialista (specialist diploma) the magister, and the doctorado.
The specialist diploma requires one year of study after the licenciado and provides training in specialized professional fields.
The master’s degree requires two years further study after the licenciado and is offered in both academic and professional fields. Most magister programs require completion of a thesis.
The doctorate degree requires three years of study and is awarded by thesis only. Admission is open to holders of the magister.
Structure of Education in VenezuelaBasic Education
Primary education (educación básica) is compulsory from the age of six and free in public schools. Since 1981, the length of primary education has been nine years. Students can attend free pre-school classes if their parents so choose, but this is not compulsory.
Schools are administered and funded at either the national, state or municipal level. Curricular content is much the same at all schools due to strong central control. The school year extends from September through to June or July, and students are assessed on the basis of continuous assessment. Successful students are awarded the Certificado de Educación Básica (Basic Education Certificate).
In 2007, President Chavez introduced a new ‘Bolivarian’ curriculum for all schools in the country, including private ones. A law passed in 2009 granted greater control over curriculum development to the country’s Communal Councils, closely linked to the ruling party, prompting protests about the politicization of the school system. Proponents of the reforms have praised measures designed to significantly increase participation in poor areas of the country. To what degree the curriculum reforms have been implemented is somewhat unclear at this stage.
Secondary Education
Secondary education (educación media) follows the nine-year basic cycle and students follow either the academic stream (two years in length) or a technical/vocational stream, which is most commonly three years in length. Students receive technical and vocational instruction through the school system, or at vocational colleges operated by the Instituto Nacional de Cooperación Educativa. It is also offered at postsecondary level at university colleges, institutes of technology and university institutes. There are both public secondary schools (liceos) and private secondary schools (colegios). Approximately one in four students attend private schools at the secondary level.
The academic stream is subdivided into two options, with students choosing either a science or humanities option. In the technical/vocational stream, students choose from one of five options: agriculture, art, commerce, industrial studies, or social work. All programs are three years in length except commerce, which is two, and typically focused on technical career training.
The academic stream has traditionally been considered of higher prestige than the technical route, and approximately two-thirds of secondary students choose that path, most commonly in the science stream. In addition to specialization-specific subjects, all students must take: Spanish language and literature, mathematics, philosophy, Venezuelan history and geography, physical education and English.
Graduates of the academic stream are awarded either the Bachiller en Humanidades (Bachiller in the Humanities) or the Bachiller en Ciencias (Bachiller in Science). Graduates of the technical/vocational stream are awarded the Bachiller in their chosen field (Bachiller Industrial, Bachiller Comercial, Bachiller en Agropecuario, Bachiller Asistencial (social work) or Bachiller en Arte).
Graduates of both streams can apply for university entrance, although in the past the academic stream has been the traditional route to a university education. These norms have been broken down considerably in recent years under reforms instituted by former president Hugo Chavez that, among other things, ended the national college aptitude test and entrance examinations at public universities in a bid to lower barriers to entry for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. According to government figures, these access policies have had significant success, with the tertiary gross enrollment ratio (total tertiary enrollments as a percentage of the college-age population) rising from 28 percent in 2000 to 78 percent in 2009, well above the regional average of 39 percent.
Higher Education
Higher education in Venezuela is offered at universities, polytechnic institutes, university colleges, institutes of technology and private university institutes. The latter three types of institutions offer short-cycle sub-degree awards known as Técnico Superior.
The country’s six autonomous state universities are the oldest and most prestigious in Venezuela and operate as traditional multi-faculty institutions. They are all publicly funded and autonomously regulated. However, their right to administer their own selection processes was ended in 2009 in an amendment to the Organic Education Law. University stakeholders have been fighting hard in recent years to avoid further erosion of their autonomy by fiercely protesting various iterations of a proposed update of the 1970 law governing universities in the country. However, the creation and expansion of new public universities, in combination with new public funding policies, has left the autonomous universities severely underfunded and in a current state of flux.
Also largely autonomous from state control are 10 national experimental universities. These have a smaller number of faculties focused largely on technical and vocational subjects.
Newer public universities, such as the 200,000-strong Universidad Bolivariana – created by decree in 2003 – offer open admissions and are firmly under the control of the central government. These institutions have been the driving force behind the massive growth in tertiary enrollments over the last decade. At the University of the Armed Forces, for example, enrollment has reportedly grown from 3,200 in 2003 to 224,000 in 2007. Meanwhile, the private sector, which previously accounted for 40 percent of all tertiary enrollments, now teaches less than 20 percent of Venezuela’s student population.
Polytechnic institutes offer five-year programs in engineering and other technical fields and their awards are considered equivalent to university awards. The Ministry of Education directly administers these institutions.
Undergraduate Education
There are two main degree awards at the undergraduate level in Venezuela: the short-cycle técnico superior and the licenciado, the traditional first-degree university award. The former is awarded mainly by institutes of technology, university colleges, and university institutes, although some universities also run programs leading to the award.
The licenciado is typically awarded after five years of study, although a few programs of study are four years in length. The coursework for the licenciado is very specialized with little flexibility in course offerings.
Professional titles in fields such as dentistry, engineering, law and medicine are comparable to the licenciado and are typically five years in length. The professional title in medicine (Médico-Cirujano) is a six-year program.
Graduate Education
At the graduate level there are three main awards: diploma de especialista (specialist diploma) the magister, and the doctorado.
The specialist diploma requires one year of study after the licenciado and provides training in specialized professional fields.
The master’s degree requires two years further study after the licenciado and is offered in both academic and professional fields. Most magister programs require completion of a thesis.
The doctorate degree requires three years of study and is awarded by thesis only. Admission is open to holders of the magister.
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