Pancyprian Gymnasium, the oldest still operational high school in Cyprus, founded in 1812.
General Secondary Education in Cyprus spans a six-year program designed for students aged 12 to 18. This educational phase is divided into two main cycles: the lower secondary and upper secondary cycles, aiming to develop students' intellectual, social, and personal skills, ensuring they are well-prepared for further education or entry into the workforce.
Gymnasium serves as the lower secondary level and includes grades 7 to 9, catering to students aged 12 to 15. This stage provides a broad general education and prepares students for the more specialized upper secondary level.[1][2]
Lyceum (or Technical/Vocational School) is the upper secondary level, encompassing grades 10 to 12 for students aged 15 to 18. Students can choose between general education at Lyceum or vocational training at Technical/Vocational Schools. The curriculum at Lyceum focuses on preparing students for higher education, while vocational schools provide specialised training for specific careers.[3]
Some schools (ex. Pancyprian Gymnasium) may offer both the Gymnasium and Lyceum cycles.
Schedule
The school year begins in early September until late May, which is split into two semesters, with the first from the beginning of the school year until early January and the second from mid January until the end of the school year. Final exams take place after the end of the 2nd semester, around late May to early June. Classes are held from 07:30 until 13:35, Monday through Friday. Lesson periods are 45 minutes (on a 7-period day) and 40 minutes (on a 8-period day). There are three breaktimes per day, totalling to around 45-50 minutes everyday. In total, 38 lesson periods occur every week for gymnasium, and 37 for lyceum.[1]
Lessons
Gymnasium
In Gymnasium, a total of 38 lesson periods are taught weekly. Physics and Chemistry are introduced in Grade 8, while Geography is taken away at Grade 9, for the rest of Secondary education.
Written examinations must be taken by all students at the end of each academic year. For Grade 7 the examined subjects are: Modern Greek and Mathematics. For Grades 8 and 9 the examined subjects are: Modern Greek, Mathematics, History and Science (Physics, Biology, Chemistry).
In grade 10 (1st lyceum grade), students must choose 1 out of 4 available courses. Each course has 2 advanced subjects. At the end of grade 10, students are examined on modern Greek, 2 advanced and 1 common core subjects that come along their course. The course chosen in grade 10 determines the "direction" (course) the students are eligible to take in grades 11 and 12.
In grade 11, students must choose 1 out of 6 available "directions". To enter a specific direction, you must have taken the relevant exam(s) in the subject(s) which the direction requires. The exams you must have taken for each direction are already examined in the corresponding grade 10 courses. You have the ability to enter any grade 11 direction from any grade 10 course, though students may have to take extra exams if the direction you wish to follow is outside of the scope of the course you already followed. This system has been criticised for being flawed and harsh for students, as many will have to pay for private lessons to cover the subject they must be examined in to enter the direction they wish, since they hadn't done the relevant advanced lessons in their course.
In grade 12, students continue the direction they chose in grade 11, though the ability to change directions remains, so long they have taken the relevant exams in the subjects required.
Lyceum: An indicative certificate (for those who successfully pass grades 10 and/or 11) or a School Leaving Certificate (Apolytirion), for those who graduate, is awarded at the end of the school year to all successful students. The School Leaving Certificate is a qualification for employment in office work.[8]
Technical/Vocational Education: After successfully completing the program, students of TVE are awarded a School Leaving Certificate (Apolytirion), which is recognized as equivalent to a SLC of any lyceum.
Action - Creativity - Social Contribution programme
The Lyceum Programme "Action – Creativity – Social Contribution" (ACS) is organized by the school and is approved by the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth.[9] The program is optional for all students, though a certificate of participation is given to all students at the end of every year. The activities that have been organized by schools so far, are now regulated, enriched and upgraded through this program.
Uniforms
Uniforms are compulsory.[10] The uniform is regulated by each school, thought most follow the following regulation:
White, dark blue, grey or black shirts
Jeans or trousers in the previous colours
Sweatpants in the previous colours (PE only, or during colder months only)
Private lessons (Frontistiria), outside of school, are very common in Cyprus. Some students prepare for external exams, usually GCE A´ and O´ Levels through private tuition, to ensure access to foreign universities, especially in the UK. Many students, especially in Lyceum, take private lessons to aid for difficult subjects taught in school.[10]
Access to higher education
Access to Public Tertiary Institutions in Cyprus and Greece can be achieved through the National Entrance exams, while the School Leaving Certificate (Apolytirion) can ensure access to private tertiary institutions.[11]
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