Gymnasium (and variations of the word) is a term in various European languages for a secondary school (middle school and/or high school) that prepares students for higher education at a university. It is comparable to the US English term preparatory high school or the British term grammar school (although unlike its continental counterparts, the modern UK grammar school is a localized niche rather than the primary route to higher education). Before the 20th century, the gymnasium system was a widespread feature of educational systems throughout many European countries.
The word (), from Greek () 'naked' or 'nude', was first used in Ancient Greece, in the sense of a place for both physical and intellectual education of young men. The latter meaning of a place of intellectual education persisted in many European languages (including Albanian, Bulgarian, Bosnian, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, Estonian, Greek, German, Hungarian, Macedonian, Polish, Russian, Scandinavian languages, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian and Ukrainian), whereas in other languages, like English (gymnasium, gym) and Spanish (gimnasio), the former meaning of a place for physical education was retained.
School structure Because gymnasiums prepare students for university study, they are thus meant for the more academically minded students, who are sifted out between the ages of 10 and 13. In addition to the usual curriculum, students of a gymnasium often study Latin and Ancient Greek.
Some gymnasiums provide general education, while others have a specific focus. (This also differs from country to country.) The four traditional branches are: humanities (specializing in classical languages, such as Latin and Greek) modern languages (students are required to study at least three languages) mathematics and physical sciences economics and other social sciences (students are required to study economics, world history, social studies, or business informatics)
Curricula differ from school to school but generally include literature, mathematics, informatics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, art (as well as crafts and design), music, history, philosophy, civics/citizenship, social sciences, and several foreign languages.
Schools concentrate not only on academic subjects, but also on producing well-rounded individuals, so physical education and religion or ethics are compulsory, even in non-denominational schools which are prevalent. For example, the German constitution guarantees the separation of church and state, so although religion or ethics classes are compulsory, students may choose to study a specific religion or none at all.
Today, a number of other areas of specialization exist, such as gymnasiums specializing in economics, technology or domestic sciences. In some countries, there is a notion of , which is equivalent to beginning classes of the full gymnasium, with the rights to continue education in a gymnasium. Here, the prefix pro- is equivalent to pre-, indicating that this curriculum precedes normal gymnasium studies.
History In the central European, Nordic, Benelux, and Baltic countries, this meaning for gymnasium (i.e., a secondary school preparing students for higher education at a university) has been the same at least since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. The term was derived from classical Greek (), which was originally applied to an exercise area in ancient Athens. Here teachers gathered and gave instruction between the hours devoted to physical exercises and sports, and thus the term became associated with and came to mean an institution of learning.
This use of the term did not prevail among the Romans, but it was revived during the Renaissance in Italy, and from there it passed into the Netherlands and Germany during the 15th century. In 1538, at Strasbourg, Johannes Sturm founded the school that became the model of the modern German gymnasium. In 1812, a Prussian regulation ordered all schools with the right to send their students to the university to bear the name Gymnasium. By the 20th century, this practice was followed in almost the entire Austrian-Hungarian, German, and Russian Empires. In the modern era, many countries that have gymnasiums were once part of these three empires.
By country
Albania In Albania, a gymnasium () education takes three years following a compulsory nine-year elementary education and ending with a final aptitude test called . The final test is standardized at the state level and serves as an entrance qualification for universities.
These can be either public (state-run, tuition-free) or private (fee-paying). The subjects taught are mathematics, Albanian language, one to three foreign languages, history, geography, computer science, the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics), history of art, music, philosophy, logic, physical education, and the social sciences (sociology, ethics, psychology, politics and economy).
The gymnasium is generally viewed as a destination for the best-performing students and as the type of school that serves primarily to prepare students for university. While in European countries a gymnasium tend to be the highest level of high school, in Albania a gymnasium is used to describe high school as a general category. Three quarters of Albanian high school students attend a gymnasium, while just a quarter attend vocational schools. stats on Albania
Austria In Austria the has two stages, from the age of 11 to 14, and from 15 to 18, concluding with Matura. Historically, three types existed. The focuses on Ancient Greek and Latin. The puts its focus on actively spoken languages. The usual combination is English, French, and Latin; sometimes French can be swapped with another foreign language (like Italian, Spanish or Russian). The emphasizes the sciences. In the last few decades, more autonomy has been granted to schools, and various types have been developed, focusing on sports, music, or economics, for example.
Belarus In Belarus, gymnasium is the highest variant of secondary education, which provides advanced knowledge in various subjects. The number of years of instruction at a gymnasium is 11. However, it is possible to cover all required credits in 11 years, by taking additional subjects each semester. In Belarus, gymnasium is generally viewed as a destination for the best-performing students and as the type of school that serves primarily to prepare students for university.
Czech Republic and Slovakia
In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, (also spelled gymnasium) is a type of school that provides secondary education. Secondary schools, including , lead to the exam. There are different types of distinguished by the length of study. In the Czech Republic there are eight-year, six-year, and four-year types, and in Slovakia there are eight-year and four-year types, of which the latter is more common. In both countries, there are also bilingual (Czech or Slovak with English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, or Russian; in Slovakia, bilingual are five-year) and private .
Germany
German gymnasiums are selective schools. They offer academically talented students a quality educationPISA 2003 – Der Bildungsstand der Jugendlichen in Deutschland – Ergebnisse des 2. internationalen Vergleiches Ehmke et al., 2004, In: PISA-Konsortium Deutschland (Hrsg.): PISA 2003 – Der Bildungsstand der Jugendlichen in Deutschland – Ergebnisse des 2. internationalen Vergleiches, Münster/New York: Waxmann, S. 244 that is free in all state-run schools (and generally not above €50/month cost in Church-run schools, though there are some expensive private schools). Gymnasiums may expel students who academically under-perform their classmates or behave in a way that is seen as undesirable and unacceptable.
Historically, the German also included in its overall accelerated curriculum post-secondary education at college level, and the degree awarded by them substituted for the bachelor's degree (Baccalaureate):de:Bakkalaureat section 'Geschichte' ('History') accessed 3/14/2012 previously awarded by colleges and universities, leading universities in Germany to became exclusively graduate schools. In the United States, the German Gymnasium curriculum was used at a number of prestigious universities, such as the University of Michigan, as a model for their undergraduate college programs.
Pupils study subjects such as German, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geography, biology, arts, music, physical education, religion, history and civics/citizenship/social sciences and computer science. They are also required to study at least two foreign languages. The usual combinations are English and French or English and Latin, although many schools make it possible to combine English with another language, most often Spanish, Ancient Greek, or Russian. Religious education classes are a part of the curricula of all German schools, yet not compulsory; a student or their parents or guardians can conscientiously object to taking them, in which case the student (along with those whose religion is not being taught in the school) is taught ethics or philosophy. In state schools, a student who is not baptized into either the Catholic or Protestant faiths is allowed to choose which of these classes to take, if any. The only exception to this is in the state of Berlin, where the subject ethics is mandatory for all students and (Christian) religious studies can only be chosen additionally. A similar situation is found in Brandenburg, where the subject life skills, ethics, and religious education () is the primary subject, but parents/guardians or students older than 13 can choose to replace it with (Christian) religious studies or take both. The intention behind LER is to provide students with an objective insight on questions of personal development and ethics, as well as on the major world religions.
For younger students, nearly the entire curriculum of a gymnasium is compulsory; in higher years, additional subjects are available and some of the hitherto compulsory subjects can be dropped, but the choice is not as wide as in other school systems, such as US high schools.
Although some specialist gymnasiums have English or French as the language of instruction, at most gymnasiums lessons (apart from foreign language courses) are conducted in Standard German.
The number of years of instruction at a gymnasium differs between the states. It varies between six and seven years in Berlin and Brandenburg (primary school is six years in both as opposed to four years in the rest of Germany) and eight to nine in Bavaria, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg among others. While in Saxony and Thuringia students have never been taught more than eight years in Gymnasium (by default), nearly all states now conduct the examinations, which complete the Gymnasium education, after 13 years of primary school and Gymnasium combined. In addition, some states offer a 12-year curriculum leading to the . These final examinations are now centrally drafted and controlled () in all German states except for Rhineland-Palatinate and provide a qualification to attend any German university.
Italy