Education in Halland
Education in Halland is predominantly public, with Hallandic students receiving free education from primary to tertiary levels. With origins dating back to the earliest settlers of the country, the structure has grown organically based on the conditions present within the country, although it has been influenced by the models based elsewhere in the world, predominanlty in Euclea. It is today overseen by the Hallandic Ministry of Education across most of Halland, except for Fál, which as part of its autonomy, has powers over education.
As of the 2015 census, TBD students attend some form of educational institution, or about TBD% of the national population.
Overview
Grading
In Hallandic elementary schools, students are generally graded on a pass or fail system, focused more on attendance and whether they did their homework. However, from middle school onward, students are graded on a ten-point scale, based on how well they did on their assignments and exams, although due to the decimal point, it is a de-facto percentage system.
| Ten-point scale | Percent |
|---|---|
| 10.0 | 100% |
| 9.0-9.9 | 90%-99% |
| 8.0-8.9 | 80-89% |
| 7.0-7.9 | 70%-79% |
| 6.0-6.9 | 60%-69% |
| 5.0-5.9 | 50%-59% |
| 4.0-4.9 | 40%-49% |
| 3.0-3.9 | 30%-39% |
| 2.0-2.9 | 20%-29% |
| 1.0-1.9 | 10%-19% |
| 0.0-0.9 | 0%-9% |
Academic year
The academic year in Halland is divided into two semesters.
The first semester starts on the first Monday of September, and lasts until the second-to-last Friday of January. Following a week-long break, the second semester starts on the first Monday of February, and lasts until the last Friday of June.
Classes usually start at 8 am and end at 4 pm.
Educational stages
| Age range | Name | Categories | Mandatory? | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-3 | Nursery | Infant education | 
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| 3-5 | Kindergarten |
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| 5-6 | Preschool | 
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| 6-7 | Year 1 | Elementary school |
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| 7-8 | Year 2 |
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| 8-9 | Year 3 |
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| 9-10 | Year 4 |
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| 10-11 | Year 5 |
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| 11-12 | Year 6 | Middle school |
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| 12-13 | Year 7 |
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| 13-14 | Year 8 |
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| 14-15 | Year 9 |
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| 15-16 | Year 10 | High school |
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| 16-17 | Year 11 | High school | Technical school |
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| 17-18 | Year 12 |
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Pre-school education
Infant education in Halland is divided into three stages: Nursery, Kindergarten, and Preschool.
Nursery programs in Halland are available from as early as TBD weeks, up to three years of age, and are largely analogous to daycare programs in other countries.
When children turn 3 years of age, they are eligible to attend a kindergarten, which are generally attached to elementary schools, and are the equivalent of a preschool in many countries. In a kindergarten, children are taught basic skills, such as letters, basic vocabulary, and basic mathematics, as well as how to cooperate with other people. They are generally only taught in their "home language" (i.e. Estmerish or Ghailish).
At the age of 5, compulsory education begins in Halland, with students in Halland enrolling in a preschool, equivalent to a kindergarten in other countries. In a preschool, children build upon the skills learned in kindergarten, as well as learn how to read and write.
Elementary school
At the age of 6, children enter elementary school in Year One, with students being taught literacy in their home language, Hallandic history, art, physical education, sciences, and mathematics. With the exception of physical education and art classes, students generally stay with one teacher for the entire day.
Beginning in Year Three, students also begin learning a foreign language: in Fael, students learn Estmerish, while in the rest of Halland, students can learn either Caldish, Gaullican, or in some regions with a Nimarew-majority population, Nimarew. Certain schools may offer other languages. By Year Five, sex education begins to be taught in Hallandic schools in a comprehensive manner.
There are no standardized tests during elementary school until Year 6.
Middle school
While in most regions of Halland, middle school is just a continuation of elementary education, with students continuing to attend the same elementary school buildings, for the regions of Halland which have middle schools, students enter them in Year 6.
Beginning in middle school, regardless of whether students enter a separate middle school or continue to attend an elementary school, students attend more classes with their own teachers, and they can choose to take some elective classes, such as a foreign language (usually Gaullican or Auratian, although other languages may be offered), home economics, or industrial arts. However, they still spend much of their day with their homeroom teacher.
Once a year, students take exams to judge their proficiency in a given subject: although they are not standardized, virtually every school in Halland has some form of examination by this stage, with most students taking four exams per year: two mid-term exams, and two final exams per school year for each subject they take.
High school
In Year 10, students graduate from either elementary school or middle school, and begin attending high school.
In high school, students go from class to class, no longer staying in any one class for most or all of the day. While there are certain mandatory courses, such as mathematics, fine arts, history, sciences (chemistry, physics, and biology), geography, literature, Estmerish language, and a second language (Caldish in Fael, and a foreign language), students are free to select courses, which vary by school: while some classes, such as physical education, computer science, and home economics are offered at virtually all schools in Halland, other classes, such as photography, may only be available at certain schools in the country.
Once a year, students take exams to judge their proficiency in a given subject: although these exams are not standardized, every school in Halland has some form of examination by this stage, with most students taking four exams per year: two mid-term exams, and two final exams per school year for each subject they take. At the end of Year 12, students take the National Exam for Secondary Schools, commonly known as NESS, which tests their proficiency in various fields. Students can practice for the NESS at the end of Year 11, and if one fails the NESS, they may redo it after paying a fee. If one passes the NESS, they can go on to post-secondary education.
If one passes the NESS, students get a secondary degree, which allows them to go to a post-secondary institution.
Technical school
For those who choose to enter technical school in Year 11 (outside of Fál), students choose a field for which they would like to enter after completing technical school.
Unlike high schools, which focus on academic work, technical schools focus more on professional work. To this end, while students still learn the mandatory classes that are taught in high schools for half of the day, the other half is focused on how to prepare themselves for the field that they wish to work in: thus, for example, if a student wants to be a mechanic, they would learn how to use machine tools, how to weld, how to repair things, and so on.
Like high schools, they have exams for students to judge their proficiency in a given subject, but technical schools also have a year-end project for students to demonstrate their proficiency in a given field. As well, like high schools, students at a technical school participate in the National Exam for Secondary Schools, which tests their proficiency in various fields. Students can practice for the NESS at the end of Year 11, and if one fails the NESS, they may redo it after paying a fee. If one passes the NESS, they can go on to post-secondary education.
Students at a technical school get both a secondary degree, which allows them to go to a post-secondary institution, and a technical degree, which allows students to go straight into the workforce.
Post-secondary education
| Age range | Categories | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-19 | Medicine | Licentiate | Bachelor's | Polytechnic | |
| 19-20 | |||||
| 20-21 | |||||
| 21-22 | |||||
| 22-23 | Master's degree | ||||
| 23-24 | Master's degree | ||||
| 24-25 | Specialization | Doctorate | |||
| 25-26 | Doctorate | ||||
| 26-27 | Residency | ||||
| 27-28 | |||||
| 29-30 | Doctorate | Post-doctorate | |||
| 30-31 | Post-doctorate | ||||
| 31-32 | |||||
| 32-33 | |||||
| 33-34 | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
Universities
After finishing secondary education, students can go to one of the eighty-four universities in the country. Universities in Halland are mostly public, offering degrees in a wide array of fields depending on the university in question, although medicine, economics, law, chemistry, biology, physics, sociology, education, and mathematics are almost universally offered.
In a university setting, students enroll for a degree, with students primarily taking a class for that degree. Students are required to take a certain number of optional courses related to the themes of the course, and students may take optional courses that are unrelated to the degree.
While in most cases, students can study for four years to get a licentiate or a bachelor's degree, and then study two more years to get a master's degree, before spending another four more years to get a doctorate, and another four for a post-doctorate, it takes six years to get a medical degree, two years to specialize in a specific field of medicine, two years in residence, and then another four years to get a doctorate.
Tuition at public universities are free to all Hallandic citizens who pass the National Exam for Secondary Schools, while for private universities, students have to pay to attend.
Polytechnics
After finishing secondary education, students can go to one of the twenty-one polytechnics in the country. Polytechnics predominantly offer engineering degrees and degrees in fields traditionally associated with technological colleges.
Like universities, students at a polytechnic enroll for a degree, with students primarily taking a class for that degree. Students are required to take a certain number of optional courses related to the themes of the course, and students may take optional courses that are unrelated to the degree.
However, unlike universities, students spend five years to get a polytechnic degree. After this period, they can spend two years to get a master's degree, and then four more years to get a doctorate. After this, they can spend four more years doing a post-doctorate.
Community colleges
Community colleges are only found in Fál. In Fál, students who finished secondary education can take a course at a community college, which corresponds to the technical schools found in the rest of Halland.
During those two years, students at a community college focus on how to prepare themselves for the field that they wish to work in: thus, for example, if a student wants to be a mechanic, they would learn how to use machine tools, how to weld, how to repair things, and so on. Unlike technical schools, students almost exclusively learn how to prepare themselves for the workforce.
Tuition is free for all residents of Fál, although for students outside Fál, they will have to pay a fee to attend.