Macedonia - Secondary Education

Secondary school education is provided by high schools, technical and other vocational schools, and art secondary schools. Education at a Gimnazija lasts four years, from ages 15 to 19. In the second half of the fourth year, pupils are supposed to write a project (maturska tema), defend it, and pass a written examination in their mother tongue on literature. The final examination is the Matura and, after completing and passing all of the items above, students will receive their diploma.

The technical schools (tehnicki ucili&NA;te) and other vocational schools (ucili&NA;te za zanimanja) train technicians for different professions—medical, financial and others. Students who attend technical schools usually attend from ages 15 to 18, whereas students who attend vocational or art schools (umetnicko ucili&NA;te) attend from ages 15 to 19. In some schools, there are programs of shorter duration (from several months to three years of training) for different occupations and crafts. Entry to higher education is on the basis of the Secondary School Diploma, the Matura, plus an entrance examination.