Szkoła

Today's word is "szkoła" (schko-wah). "School." Education in Poland starts at the age of 5-6 with Kindergarten ("zerówka"), then primary school ("szkoła podstawowa"). At the end of 6th grade, students take a mandatory exam that will determine the middle school ("gimnazjum") where they will be accepted. Students attend this school until the 9th grade, when they take another exam to determine the secondary school they will attend. Most common are three years in a high school ("liceum") or four years in a vocational school ("technikum"). Both end with a final examination ("matura") and may be followed by several forms of upper education, leading to B.A. ("licencjat") or B.S. ("inżynier"), Master's ("magister"), or Ph.D. ("doktor").