Educational System in Poland

For the youngest children (from 0 to 3 years) the education is optionally and the parents can send them to the nurseries or children clubs. It isn't free so parents must pay for it. The children from 3 to 5 years ago can study in the kindergarten which is obligatory only for children that have are 5 years old. It is free only if the child stays there for 5 hours or less, but parents must pay for dinner. After that, children go to the primary school which is obligatory, free and lasts 6 years. Primary school is divided into 2 cycles of 3 years. After the 1 cycle, at the age of 8, children have to write an international exam and after the 2 cycle they write another one international exam and then they receive a certificate. Children that are 12 years old go to the middle school that lasts 3 years. Middle school is obligatory and free. At the end of this study, children write an exam that have consists of 3 parts : humanistic part that has questions from Polish language, history, society science and arts, mathematics; the nature part that has questions from biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy, geography and mathematics and the 3rd part relates to the foreign language and students can choose from English, French Spanish, German, Russian or Italian. Results of this exam influence the acceptance in next school further education. Children that are 15 or 16 years old can choose one of the three types of schools: secondary school, technical school and basic vocational school. Those schools are free. Secondary school lasts 3 years and after that students must write the national exam if they want go to the university. Technical school lasts 4 years and it is something between secondary school and basic vocational school. Here students have general classes and technical classes that prepare them for their future profession that they choose. After this school, students can write the international exam (matura)(the school leaving exam?) which is obligatory if they want go to the university and the professional exam, so they can start to work in the chosen profession. Basic vocational school lasts 3 years and students have special classes related to their profession and they must do some hours as an internship. After this school, they can't take the matura exam, so they can't go to the university but they must take an exam related with that profession if they want to work in that field. Universities are optionally and students can go there after passing the international exam (matura). Generally, universities are free and the studies last 3 years (1th cycle) and 2 years (2th cycle).