Suriname

Secondary education consists of junior secondary school and senior secondary school. In junior secondary school, students place in one of six streams according to how they perform on their sixth-grade examination. High scorers attend general junior secondary school, a four-year academic course that includes accounting, mathematics, physics, biology, and the like. Low scorers attend the junior secondary general vocational school and take a preprofessional course leading to further education. Those who do not qualify for the junior secondary general vocational school may attend one of the three-year junior secondary technical schools to learn carpentry, automobile mechanics, and other trades. Those with even lower scores attend an elementary vocational school to learn handyman skills; a vocational home economics school to learn homemaking; or a special education school. Of the 26,000 students enrolled in junior secondary education in 1994, some 49 percent attended a general junior secondary school, 31 percent were enrolled in the junior secondary general vocational school, and 19 percent were enrolled in the terminal vocational and technical options.

Students in the general junior secondary stream take an examination at the end of grade 10 to transfer to senior secondary school. In 1997, about 54.5 percent of the students passed, and 39.6 percent failed out of the 2,788 taking this examination. Students with the highest scores can enter a three-year academic stream, which offers courses leading to university study. Those with lower scores may enter a two-year senior secondary vocational stream, which prepares them for areas such as law and journalism. Those with lower scores can enter a four-year teacher-training college for primary-teacher training, or they can attend a commercial college to learn accounting, general management, or secretarial skills. Students who are even less academically able may attend a junior secondary level elementary vocational program, a vocational home economics program, or a special education program. Higher education is provided by the University of Suriname, the Academy of Arts, and the Advanced Teacher-Training College.