Pre-school education. According to the statistics, about 70% of children aged 5 are enrolled in kindergartens. The system provides nursery (1 to 3 yrs) and kindergarten (3 to 6 or 7 yrs) services in urban areas, relieving working mothers from daytime childcare needs.
Secondary school. The eleven-year school term is split into elementary (grades 1-4), middle (grades 5-9) and senior (grades 10-11). Compulsory Basic Education lasts for nine years. Graduates of this level may continue their education at senior high school to receive secondary general education. They may also enter an initial vocational school or non-university level higher education institutions. Children are accepted to first grade at the age of 6 or 7, depending on individual development of each child. Children of elementary classes are normally separated from other classes within their own floor of a school building. They are taught, ideally, by a single teacher through all four elementary grades (except for physical training and, if available, foreign languages). Starting from the fifth grade, each academic subject is taught by a dedicated specialty teacher. The school year extends from September 1 to end of May and is divided into four terms. Study program in schools is fixed; unlike in some Western countries, schoolchildren or their parents have no choice of study subjects. Students are graded on a 5-step scale, ranging in practice from 2 ("unacceptable") to 5 ("excellent"); 1 is a rarely used sign of extreme failure. Teachers regularly subdivide these grades (i.e. 4+, 5-)