edu 304 - comparative education - National Open University of Nigeria

3.4.3 The Primary Education
Primary Education in America is the education given to the
children which has the duration of six years. The purpose of American
primary education includes:
(a) turning out well-adjusted citizens
(b) helping the children to be active participants in the building
of
their own lives and also to assist them in understanding the
roles expected of them in establishing a better American
society.
The primary school subjects include: Mathematics, Science,
Geography, History, Social Studies, English language, English literature,
French, German and Spanish. However, religious subjects are not
included in the school curriculum as Americans have freedom of
worship. In the primary schools, the promotion of the pupils is always
based on continuous assessment and not on any promotion examination.
It is the duty of the Local Schools Board to provide some of the school
materials.
A public primary school is headed by the principal who is the
administrative head of the school. While the primary school teachers are
expected to have a university degree, the principals are in addition
expected to have master’s degree of educational administration and
supervision.
The failure of the Federal Government to include Religious
Instructions in the school curriculum was one of the reasons that forced
the Catholic to establish their own schools where religious instruction
was included in the school curriculum. By implication, there are both
private and public primary schools in America.
3.4.4 Secondary Schools in America
Secondary education in America is the type of education given to
the adolescents on the basis of three years in the Junior Secondary School
and three years in the Senior Secondary School. This can be referred to
as 3 - 3 secondary education system.
The aims and objectives of American Secondary Education include:
(a) Creating a strong egalitarian society where everybody will have
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