Education in the Socialist Republic of Malgrave

Education in the Socialist Republic of Malgrave was compulsory from the age of three until the age of eighteen. It was provided by public schools under the direct oversight of the Ministry of Education. The Socialist Republic prided itself in possessing a well-funded educational system, with teachers being the front of centre of many works of propaganda.

Unlike the United Kingdom of Malgrave, the Socialist Republic did not put an immense amount of social pressure on students to enter into traditional tertiary education and it routinely criticised the United Kingdom for doing so. Instead, the Socialist Republic put an element of pride into Technical Worker Universities which they claimed helped instil a sense of pride and allowed workers to operate at a greater level efficiency.

Still, a section of the population still considered traditional academic success to be a source of pride and competition to get into the most prestigious universities in the country was fierce. Such a phenomenon was widely satirised in popular films and television shows at the time, with characters going to over the top and comedic lengths to secure their child's place in university.

History

Education was initially carried over from discussions that took place during the Conference of Asola, however, following an internal review in 1941 a series of reforms were passed which changed the educational system.

Firstly, the Finishing School was scrapped entirely and replaced with an additional two years of secondary school. It was argued that creating separate schools for the last two years was inefficient, and including them in secondary schools raised the question of simply merging them together. Yearly Aptitude Tests that were mandatory in Primary, Secondary and Finishing Schools were also scrapped and replaced with an assessment performed by the teacher.

Compulsory School Divisions

Nursery School

The Socialist Republic of Malgrave wished to push forward a liberational effort in parenthood, with people being free to choose to return to employment or raise their child personally. As a result, the Socialist Republic reformed the nursery school system from being compulsory to being optional and made it illegal for employers to discriminate against parents who decided to take a break from the workforce to help raise a child.

Nurseries within the Socialist Republic did not focus intensely on strict educational criteria, with creative play being preferred across the country. It was understood that making learning an entertaining experience would help students later on in life, and a focus on creativity would help promote mental wellbeing and help with future social interactions.

Pre-School

Pre-School in the Socialist Republic was slightly more serious, as it was first time that students were taught the basics of Malgravean Ancient, Maths and some other subjects like science and history. Select Pre-Schools also taught basic phrases in Breheimian. Students in Pre-School were taught using creative games, and singing and dancing formed a large part of pre-shool education. Today, even after the collapse of the Socialist Republic these song and dances are still fondly remembered by former students.

Primary School

Malgraveans entered primary school in the Socialist Republic at the age of six.

Malgraveans enter primary school after graduating from preschool which is typically at the age of six, although, this can be sped up or delayed depending on academic performance.

The following subjects are taught at primary school:

• Malgravean Ancient
• Mystrian Common
• Breheimian
• Mathematics
• Science
• Art
• Music
• Engineering
• Physical Education
• Social Solidarity
• Markism-Chmielism.
• Religious Education

The majority of these subjects were taught primarily by the class teacher, however, subjects like physical education, foreign languages and Markism-Chmielism were taught by specialised teachers. Teachers in the Socialist Republic were well-respected and the profession was highly paid, as a result the job was highly sought after and courses in the appropriate university were super competitive.

Secondary School

Malgraveans in the Socialist Republic typically entered into Secondary School at the age of twelve, although, this could be delayed or advanced depending on the students performance in school. Initially students had to pass an entrance exam to qualify for secondary school education, however, this was scrapped in 1941 following a review of educational practices in the country.

At 16 students in the Socialist Republic transitioned to the final years of their compulsory education. In the United Kingdom this would be the point that they would transfer to a specialised finishing school, however, these schools were abolished in the Socialist Republic in 1941 in order to save resources and the classes were rolled into standard secondary schools.

The latter years were designed to both teach students the knowledge that they needed to pass their entrance exam and the required life skills needed to thrive in society beyond their immediate school years, as a result classrooms taught a variety of intellectual and more common skills like household cooking. All of these classes were less formal compared with previous years, with students being encouraged to challenge teachers and fellow students whenever they felt comfortable and monitored classroom debates were common across the Socialist Republic.

Students were also expected to attend after-school tutoring sessions called Additional Learning Experience (ALE) which were commonly referred to as pressure schools by students. ALE's varied per day either covering a singular subject or multiple core subjects, although, unlike their counterparts in the United Kingdom were regulated quite heavily by the government and prevented from operating past 10pm.

Tertiary Education

Technical Worker Universities

Technical Worker Universities (TWU were established in the Socialist Republic in 1938, as a continuation and advancement of the Trade School model that operated within the United Kingdom. TWUs were established to serve school graduates who didn't intend to enter the traditional university system but instead gain employment in parts of the economy that didn't require a university agree. Additionally, the TWUs were established to enhance the efficiency of these sectors by providing additional training and experience to workers before they officially entered the workforce.

Each TWUs had facilities that specialised in almost all non-university professions that existed in the Socialist Republic, however, the most popular courses were in construction, machinery and mining. TWUs also taught electricians, secretaries, cooks, waiters and specialised artists.

TWUs required no entrance examination, and provided students with free accommodation and meals. A large attraction for TWUs for parents was the mentorship programme present which was thought to prevent excessive social drinking which was common in traditional universities, and employment after attendance was typically guaranteed for all successful graduates. It was also popular with students, as mentors often had decades worth of experience and helped students settle into prospective workplaces.

After the collapse of the Socialist Republic, the Technical Worker Universities were absorbed into the United Kingdom. TWUs are still immensley popular within these regions, although, they are sometimes looked down on by other parts of the country.

University

The Socialist Republic didn't place as much social pressure on its population to attend university, however, to some attendance in a prestigious university was seen as crucial to advancing in society, especially, those who wished to gain employment within the government or another career path which required a traditional university education. Still, the Socialist Republic attempted several campaigns to reduce social pressure and anxiety over university places, although, this was only partially successful and many films and televisoin shows were made satirising and mocking parents that placed undue pressure on their children.

Universities in the Socialist Republic maintained an open and relaxed atmosphere, with students being encouraged to challenge their professors and put forward their own proposals. It was not an uncommon sight to have students presenting their own theories to their fellow students during alloted hours, although, this was more common on more scientific-focused courses.

The Socialist Republic overall advertised the image of the student challenging the future, and a few propaganda posters produced in the 1970s underscored this as a reason for the country being on course to achieving full socialism by the year 2000.

Criticism

Historians have since criticised the Socialist Republic for mandating the teaching of Markism-Chmielism, as a form of ideological education, although, they also praise the Socialist Republic for taking concrete action to avoid academic burnout, with measures that have yet to be successfully employed in the United Kingdom.