School in Chile

In Chile, the school year starts in March. The first half of the year ends in July. The second half of the year runs from August to November or December. The children have to go to preschool at the age of 5 and then start school at the age of 6. Schooling is compulsory for twelve years. The school day begins around 8 a.m. If you are not there then you have bad luck, because the doors are then closed and you get an entry.

As a penguin to school

The pupils usually wear a school uniform – each school decides for itself. Traditionally, the school uniform is blue and white. Boys wear a blue jacket over a white shirt or T-shirt, while girls wear a kind of dress without sleeves or a skirt. There are also blue sweaters. Because of these colors, the elementary school students are affectionately called “penguins”. Elementary school students also wear a type of smock over their clothing. It is either white or light brown for boys and blue and white checked for girls. They look like a lab coat. By the way, this tradition also exists in neighboring Argentina.

Top grade 7

Grades are given in Chile from 1 to 7. 7 is the best grade, a 4 is needed to pass. 1, 2 and 3 are therefore called the “red notes”. The top marks 5, 6 and 7 are also called “blue marks”. Another system with only four grades is often used in primary school: MB means muy bueno, which means very good. A B stands for Bueno: Good. An S is Suficiente (sufficient) and an I is Insuficiente (insufficient).

From “children” to high school

The last year before school is called kínder in Chile – the word is derived from the German word kindergarten. This year has been mandatory for all children in Chile since 2015. Primary school in Chile lasts eight years, divided into two times four years. The secondary school lasts another four years.

A change is planned for 2017, after which the primary school will then last six years and the secondary school also six years, making a total of twelve again. After 12 years you can do the Abitur. If you want to study, you have to take an entrance test at the university.

To school or not

93 percent of the children go to school. The children who do not go to school come from particularly poor families. They live in the country or in the slums of the cities.

Private schools

Wealthier families often send their children to private schools, which cost money to attend. However, some families also run into debt in order to be able to send their children to private schools, because these are much better equipped than public schools. Out of 100 high school students, 55 attend a private school and only 45 attend a public school. In 2006 and 2011 there were major protests by school and university students in Chile against the unjust education system.

Problems

Why is the earth shaking in Chile?

Earthquakes are common in Chile, a country located in South America according to globalsciencellc. Mostly there are small tremors. The earth trembles several times a month and that’s what the Chileans call it: temblor. A great earthquake is then the terremoto. You never know when another one will come. The modern buildings are built in such a way that they usually don’t collapse even then, but older buildings are at risk. A subsequent tsunami often poses even greater danger: a huge water wave that follows the earthquake and then rolls towards the coast.

Why do earthquakes keep coming back? This is because two tectonic plates meet here: the Nazca plate and the South America plate. Displacements of the plates lead to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis.

The worst earthquake that has ever been measured in the world occurred in 1960 in Chile. It was 9.5. More than 1,600 people died and about two million were left homeless. Most people died in the earthquakes of 1868 and 1939, namely 25,000 and 28,000.

But even in recent times there have been repeated fatalities. In 2010, more than 500 people died. In September 2015, 11 people died in an earthquake north of Santiago and the destruction caused by the following tsunami was huge. 180 buildings were also destroyed, mostly simple adobe houses.