<s docid="FBIS3-3910" num="34"> Learning English and computers, courses traditionally first introduced for junior middle school pupils or college students, starts in the first year in private schools, officials said.</s>

<s docid="FT911-788" num="15"> Hong Kong has adopted elements of British and Chinese thinking towards education.</s>

<s docid="FT911-788" num="16"> Exams are very important and some students face exams or important tests every six to eight weeks.</s>

<s docid="LA111889-0098" num="48"> Along with vocational skills, secondary school students each year must study English, Swahili, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, history, geography and religion.</s>

<s docid="LA111889-0098" num="49"> Each term they are tested in 12 subjects.</s>

<s docid="LA111889-0098" num="97"> By changing its curriculum toward more vocational subjects, Kenya is improving the working skills of its students.</s>

<s docid="FT942-14900" num="19"> Computer training begins at the age of four and Mr Er's ministry is investing SDollars 750m to equip every school with a computer room and language laboratory.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="28"> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE FINAL REVISION: WHAT EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The national curriculum must be studied in all state schools in England and Wales, by children aged 5-16.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="29"> Its compulsory core subjects are English, mathematics, science and design & technology.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="30"> Subsidiary subjects are modern languages (compulsory only from age 11), information technology and physical education (both compulsory throughout); and history, geography, art and music (optional from age 14).</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="31"> Children are expected to have been taught certain subjects and topics by the end of 'key stages' one (at age 7), two (11), three (14) and four (16).</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="32"> At the end of each key stage, children must be assessed on whether they have reached defined attainment targets.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="33"> This is checked by pupils' coverage of 200 'level descriptions' which describe the level they should have reached.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="34"> Assessment in each subject follows a 10-level scale.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="35"> The aim is for the most able to reach level 10 by age 16.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="36"> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- At key stage one (age 7): ----------------------------------------------------------------------- English: pupils must be introduced 'with appropriate sensitivity' to the importance of standard English.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="37"> Maths: emphasis is on mastering basic arithmetic (addition, division, subtraction, multiplication).</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="38"> Science: pupils should be taught about 'systematic enquiry', and science 'in everyday life'.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="39"> Basic biology and physics.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="40"> The main changes: Tougher on traditional grammar than before.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="41"> Proposals to correct pupils for speaking non-standard English, even in the playground, have been dropped.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="42"> Study of specifically British history compulsory for the first time.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="43"> In science, study of electricity is now compulsory.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="44"> In maths, children must learn to work without calculators.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="45"> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- At key stage two (age 11): ----------------------------------------------------------------------- English: pupils to learn to plan, draft, revise, proof-read and present written material, and read 'a range of modern fiction by significant children's authors'.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="46"> Maths: applied mathematics, including interpreting basic statistics, probability theory, and building 2- and 3-dimensional shapes.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="47"> Science: work on materials, building simple electrical circuits, basic astronomy.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="48"> Technology: pupils to work with 'a range of materials and components', and recognise hazards.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="49"> The main changes: There is to be more emphasis on mental arithmetic in maths and less work on nutrition in science.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="50"> Work on energy and resources deferred until secondary school.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="51"> The requirement to study the history of technology dropped.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10306" num="52"> Pupils are to attempt a recognised version of a team game in PE.</s>

<s docid="FBIS3-46429" num="13"> Article Type:BFN [Text] Beijing, 18 January (ZHONGGUO XINWEN SHE)--Since Deng Xiaoping said that "the popularization of computers must begin with the children" 10 years ago, more than 3 million primary and middle school students have received computer training, which is gradually becoming part of primary and middle school education in China.</s>

<s docid="FT931-14358" num="15"> He is urging schools to teach children for the government's recommended minimum number of hours - 21 for five to seven-year-olds and 23 1/2 for eight to 11-year-olds - amid concern that a significant minority are teaching for less.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10308" num="13"> Sir Ron's new curriculum answered the most serious criticisms from teachers' unions but also shifted towards a more traditional emphasis in several areas including standard English, basic arithmetic, British history and team sports.</s>

<s docid="FBIS3-26642" num="33"> He fully affirmed Shunping County's practice of introducing vocational education in certain stages of elementary education in rural areas, and of training large numbers of a new type of peasants who possess both an elementary education and a certain level of farming skills.</s>

<s docid="FBIS3-1640" num="15"> The meeting, which was held to draw up a blueprint for the province's education in 1994, also allows private schools to pay more attention to the teaching of foreign languages, computer science and art in their syllabuses, provided that they also meet the education standards established by the state.</s>

<s docid="FT944-10257" num="14"> It holds to the main principles laid out in a preliminary revision in May: many areas have been slimmed down, and the core subjects English, mathematics and science have been strengthened, as have information technology courses.</s>

<s docid="FT943-4850" num="9"> He also compared the results from last year with the recommendations of the Dearing report on the school curriculum, published last May, about how pupils' time should be divided between subjects.</s>

<s docid="FT943-4850" num="10"> Time devoted to science doubled, although with only nine minutes a day it was still receiving only half the time recommended by Sir Ron Dearing.</s>

<s docid="FT943-4850" num="11"> History and geography, which did not figure at all in 1986, took about four minutes a day last year, still only a quarter of the recommendation.</s>

<s docid="FT943-4850" num="12"> The biggest increase, from seven minutes to 28 minutes, was in the time children spent having their activities explained to them.</s>

<s docid="FT943-4850" num="13"> This occupied almost as much time as science, history, geography and reading combined.</s>

<s docid="FT943-4850" num="14"> To compensate for these increases, time allocated to art and craft fell from 39 minutes to 17 minutes.</s>

<s docid="FT943-4850" num="15"> Using computers to study other subjects occupied two minutes a day - less than a quarter of the Dearing recommendation of nine minutes.</s>

<s docid="FT943-4850" num="16"> One surprise was that time spent reading increased very little, from six to eight minutes a week.</s>

<s docid="FT943-4850" num="17"> Moreover, the extra time was devoted to pupils reading to each other, not to adults.</s>

