EducationinUSAvsBENIN

Houssou Atodjinou
Professor: R.W.W Greene
ENGN 101-4
Spring 2015

Education in USA vs. Republic of Benin Kautilya, an Indian philosopher, royal adviser, and professor of economics and political science very rightly underlined the importance of education, some two thousand years ago. He has highlighted the fact that education enriches people's understanding of themselves. He also strongly suggests that education is an investment in human capital, and it can have a great impact on a nation's growth and development (cite). However, the education system varies from one country to another, such as an American education and Benin education. The amount of time spent in school, the way education is funded and how testing is performed are three key differences between a Benin Education and an American education. The Republic of Benin is located between Nigeria and Togo in West Africa. It borders Niger and Burkina Faso in the north and the Bight of Benin in the south. The country has twelve
Political and administrative regions. The official language spoken in Benin is French. However, since the advent of Democracy in1990 the English language has been breaking grounds and American English has come to be the model of English that students, teachers and businessman and women are striving to identify with. In Benin, Education is compulsory for children aged between six and eleven. After spending two to three years in Kindergarten, it takes six years for students to complete and receive their primary school certificate. Overall it requires seven years to complete both Junior and Senior High School. At the end of the four first years of Junior High school, the students has to take the O-level ( Brevet d’Etudes du Premier Cycle: BEPC), Then after three years the students have to take the A level exam (Baccalaureate: BAC) which is the equivalent of the US High School Degree. Senior high school is at the end of the Grade thirteen, Benin students have to take the Baccalaureate to open the door of university studies. The Republic of Benin operates on a six, four, three, and four systems: Primary school is six years, junior high school is four years, senior high school is three years, bachelor degree is three years, and master degree is four Years. There are no school fees in Benin any longer. The education program adheres to the French model of six-four-three, and is compulsory from age six through to age eleven. This period is spent at primary school where children receive their foundation education. The following four years are spent at middle school where a general academic curriculum continues. At the end of this period, students write their “brevet d’etudes du premier Cycle examination” which is the equivalent of O-levels. Students who wish to pursue their academic options further proceed to senior high school for three years. After that, they still have to pass their baccalaureate examination which is the key to a student’s education at the university. If they prefer, they may go to one of five vocational schools spread across twelve provinces instead. Benin has reformed its vocational training system in line with urban demand for skilled labor. Notable among its strategies is a dual apprenticeship system, where theoretical education alternates with practical apprenticeship training. Benin Education Lower order tertiary institutions in Benin include a school of applied economics & management, a national school of administration and prosecutor training, a polytechnic, a teachers’ training school and several others. These are clustered in urban areas in wealthier provinces, and are largely inaccessible to the nation's poorer youth. In Benin the government doesn’t financier any student to go to school. Each parent financiers their kids to go to school or the student’s financier themselves. Benin doesn’t have any financial institution to help the parents or students to go to school. It is only middleclass who can go to school.
In Benin, the school system is a rigorous time in which students are pushed as hard as they can to get into the best possible college, and once accepted in one of the good colleges, students are pretty much guaranteed a good job once they graduate. The Benin system, performs worse on many subjects within tests. This is for a number of reasons. The grading scale runs from zero to twenty with twenty being the highest grade. A passing grade is ten, which is a fairly good grade. Twelve, would be considered a good grade. Fourteen to fifteen, would be an equivalent to a very good grade sixteen to seventeen and excellent grade: eighteen to twenty would be Further than excellent. Another reason is that in Benin, only the smarter children pass on from grade to grade, only the students that are smart enough to have made it through the other grades are being tested, while in America all students in the grade are tested. The official language spoken in America is English. The American education includes basic education, kindergarten to twelfth grade, also referred to as primary and secondary education, as well as post-secondary educational institutions such as universities, colleges, and technical schools funded and overseen by government rather than private entities. State education is both in its treatment of students and in that enfranchisement for the government of public education is as broad as for government generally. It is often organized and operated to be a deliberate model of the civil community in which it functions. Although typically provided to groups of students in classrooms in a central school, it may be provided in-home, employing visiting teachers, and/or supervising teachers. It can also be provided in non-school, non-home settings, such as shopping mall space. State education is generally available to all. In most countries, it is compulsory for children to attend school up to a certain age, but the option of attending private school is open to many. In the case of private schooling, schools operate independently of the state and generally defray their costs by charging parents tuition fees. The funding for state schools, on the other hand, is provided by tax revenues, so that even individuals who do not attend school help to ensure that society is educated. American students attend primary and secondary school for a combined total of twelve years. These years are referred to as the first through twelfth grades. Around age six, U.S. children begin primary school, which is most commonly called “elementary school.” They attend five or six years and then go onto secondary school. Secondary school consists of two programs: the first is “middle school” or “junior high school” and the second program is “high school.” A diploma or certificate is awarded upon graduation from high School. After graduating high school (twelfth grade), U.S. students may go on to college or university. College or university study is known as “higher education.” In America, anyone can apply to go to school, according to the availability of financial aid, they also provide free school transportation for middle and high school students. American education is a complex topic because a single school can draw upon resources from several different public and private institutions. For example, a student may attend a private high school whose curriculum must meet standards set by the state, some of whose science courses may be financed by federal funds, and whose sports teams may play on local, and publicly owned fields. Education is an aspect of the American society that is more open, more diverse and more inclusive than ever before in our history. Public education is changing for the better. On the other hand, there is much more to be done to fulfill the American promise of equal opportunity for all and to close the gaps between rich and poor, white and non-white. By continuing to adapt and improve the American system of education, the United States can become a stronger nation and continue to work with other nations to bring peace, prosperity and education to citizens throughout the world. The American Education System provides an equal opportunity for all children in the United States to get a quality education. Although it is not completely uniform across the country, with every state making its own guidelines, everyone is still presented with a chance to attend a public school from kindergarten through twelfth grade. This enables all children with an education to advance further in life. For giving everyone that opportunity this system should be praised, but in the system it also has many flaws. The lack of proper funding for schools, retirement of many quality teachers, and the rise of Internet schools to name a few.
American schooling concentrates on too much testing, and puts too much value into the tests which has created a problem in which many teachers now strictly teach to the materials on the test, creating better scores, but decreasing overall knowledge. American high schools are not as hard on the students, but the college education received may be more work and harder curriculum.
To conclude, the first time children are introduced to a formal education is in school. School years are the grounding years of one’s education that provides knowledge of the real world, it paves the way for a good career, and helps build character. No matter what country a child is educated in, it’s the number one foundation needed to create a strong nation.

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