Gymnasium (school)
Gymnasium is a term in various European languages for a secondary school that prepares students for higher education at a university. It is comparable to the US English term preparatory high school or the British term grammar school. Before the 20th century, the gymnasium system was a widespread feature of educational systems throughout many European countries.
The word γυμνάσιον, from Greek γυμνός 'naked' or 'nude', was first used in Ancient Greece, in the sense of a place for both physical and intellectual education of young men. The latter meaning of a place of intellectual education persisted in many European languages, whereas in other languages, like English and Spanish, the former meaning of a place for physical education was retained.
School structure
Because gymnasiums prepare students for university study, they are thus meant for the more academically minded students, who are sifted out between the ages of 10 and 13. In addition to the usual curriculum, students of a gymnasium often study Latin and Ancient Greek.Some gymnasiums provide general education, while others have a specific focus. The four traditional branches are:
- humanities
- modern languages
- mathematics and physical sciences
- economics and other social sciences
Schools concentrate not only on academic subjects, but also on producing well-rounded individuals, so physical education and religion or ethics are compulsory, even in non-denominational schools which are prevalent. For example, the German constitution guarantees the separation of church and state, so although religion or ethics classes are compulsory, students may choose to study a specific religion or none at all.
Today, a number of other areas of specialization exist, such as gymnasiums specializing in economics, technology or domestic sciences. In some countries, there is a notion of , which is equivalent to beginning classes of the full gymnasium, with the rights to continue education in a gymnasium. Here, the prefix pro- is equivalent to pre-, indicating that this curriculum precedes normal gymnasium studies.
History
In Central European, Nordic, Benelux and Baltic countries, this meaning for "gymnasium" has been the same at least since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. The term was derived from the classical Greek word γυμνάσιον, which was originally applied to an exercising ground in ancient Athens. Here teachers gathered and gave instruction between the hours devoted to physical exercises and sports, and thus the term became associated with and came to mean an institution of learning.This use of the term did not prevail among the Romans, but was revived during the Renaissance in Italy, and from there passed into the Netherlands and Germany during the 15th century. In 1538, Johannes Sturm founded at Strasbourg the school which became the model of the modern German gymnasium. In 1812, a Prussian regulation ordered all schools with the right to send their students to the university to bear the name of gymnasium. By the 20th century, this practice was followed in almost the entire Austrian-Hungarian, German, and Russian Empires. In the modern era, many countries which have gymnasiums were once part of these three empires.
By country
Albania
In Albania, a gymnasium education takes three years following a compulsory nine-year elementary education and ending with a final aptitude test called. The final test is standardized at the state level and serves as an entrance qualification for universities.These can be either public or private. The subjects taught are mathematics, Albanian language, one to three foreign languages, history, geography, computer science, the natural sciences, history of art, music, philosophy, logic, physical education, and the social sciences.
The gymnasium is generally viewed as a destination for the best-performing students and as the type of school that serves primarily to prepare students for university. While in European countries a gymnasium tend to be the highest level of high school, in Albania a gymnasium is used to describe high school as a general category. Three quarters of Albanian high school students attend a gymnasium, while just a quarter attend vocational schools.
Austria
In Austria the Gymnasium has two stages, from the age of 11 to 14, and from 15 to 18, concluding with Matura. Historically, three types existed. The Humanistisches Gymnasium focuses on Ancient Greek and Latin. The Neusprachliches Gymnasium puts its focus on actively spoken languages. The usual combination is English, French, and Latin; sometimes French can be swapped with another foreign language. The Realgymnasium emphasizes the sciences. In the last few decades, more autonomy has been granted to schools, and various types have been developed, focusing on sports, music, or economics, for example.Belarus
In Belarus, gymnasium is the highest variant of secondary education, which provides advanced knowledge in various subjects.The number of years of instruction at a gymnasium is 11. However, it is possible to cover all required credits in 11 years, by taking additional subjects each semester.
In Belarus, gymnasium is generally viewed as a destination for the best-performing students and as the type of school that serves primarily to prepare students for university.
Czech Republic and Slovakia
In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, gymnázium is a type of school that provides secondary education. Secondary schools, including gymnázium, lead to the maturita exam.There are different types of gymnázium distinguished by the length of study. In the Czech Republic there are eight-year, six-year, and four-year types, and in Slovakia there are eight-year and four-year types, of which the latter is more common. In both countries, there are also bilingual and private gymnáziums.
Germany
German gymnasiums are selective schools. They offer the most academically promising youngsters a quality education that is free in all state-run schools. Gymnasiums may expel students who academically under-perform their classmates or behave in a way that is often seen as undesirable and unacceptable.Historically, the German Gymnasium also included in its overall accelerated curriculum post-secondary education at college level and the degree awarded substituted for the bachelor's degree previously awarded by a college or university so that universities in Germany became exclusively graduate schools. In the United States, the German Gymnasium curriculum was used at a number of prestigious universities, such as the University of Michigan, as a model for their undergraduate college programs.
Pupils study subjects such as German, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geography, biology, arts, music, physical education, religion, history and civics/citizenship/social sciences and computer science. They are also required to study at least two foreign languages. The usual combinations are English and French or English and Latin, although many schools make it possible to combine English with another language, most often Spanish, Ancient Greek, or Russian. Religious education classes are a part of the curricula of all German schools, yet not compulsory; a student or their parents or guardians can conscientiously object to taking them, in which case the student is taught ethics or philosophy. In-state schools, a student who is not baptized into either the Catholic or Protestant faiths is allowed to choose which of these classes to take. The only exception to this is in the state of Berlin, where the subject ethics is mandatory for all students and religious studies can only be chosen additionally. A similar situation is found in Brandenburg where the subject life skills, ethics, and religious education is the primary subject but parents/guardians or students older than 13 can choose to replace it with religious studies or take both. The intention behind LER is that students should get an objective insight on questions of personal development and ethics as well as on the major world religions.
For younger students nearly the entire curriculum of a gymnasium is compulsory; in higher years additional subjects are available and some of the hitherto compulsory subjects can be dropped, but the choice is not as wide as in other school systems, such as US high schools.
Although some specialist gymnasiums have English or French as the language of instruction, at most gymnasiums lessons are conducted in Standard German.
The number of years of instruction at a gymnasium differs between the states. It varies between six and seven years in Berlin and Brandenburg and eight in Bavaria, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg among others. While in Saxony and Thuringia students have never been taught more than eight years in Gymnasium, nearly all states now conduct the Abitur examinations, which complete the Gymnasium education, after 13 years of primary school and Gymnasium combined. In addition, some states offer a 12-year curriculum leading to the Abitur. These final examinations are now centrally drafted and controlled in all German states except for Rhineland-Palatinate and provide a qualification to attend any German university.
Italy
In Italy originally the ginnasio indicated a type of five-year junior high school and preparing to the three year Classical Lyceum, a high school focusing on classical studies and humanities. After the school reform that unified the junior high school system, the term ginnasio stayed to indicate the first two years of Liceo Classico, now five years long. An Italian high school student who enrolls in Liceo Classico follows this study path: Quarta Ginnasio, Quinta Ginnasio, Prima Liceo, Seconda Liceo and Terza Liceo. Some believe this still has some sense, since the two-year ginnasio has a differently oriented curriculum from the Liceo. Ginnasio students spend the majority of their schooling studying Greek and Latin grammar, laying the bases for the "higher" and more in depth set of studies of the Liceo, such as Greek and Latin literature and philosophy.In July 1940 the fascist Minister of National Education Giuseppe Bottai got a bill of law approved that abolished the first three years of the gymnasium and instituted a unique path of studies for children aged from 12 to 14. The last two years of the gymnasium kept the previous denomination and the related scholastic curriculum for the following decades.