Not everywhere education starts on the 1st of September and the differences in the meeting of the first day of school are different.
How 1 September is celebrated around the world
Poland
There are no celebrations, only teachers of the lower grades get a gift. Flowers are given only on Teachers’ Day – 14 October and on graduation.
Finland
Education starts at the age of 7. From 6 to 7 years most parents (95%) give their children to school preparation. compulsory education is 9 grades. Parents do not interfere in the educational process. Finnish children sit at desks from 15 August.
Czech Republic
Some schools organise concerts for pupils with animators and clowns. Children go to the first grade on the 1st of September, at the age of 6 after a compulsory talk with a psychologist who assesses readiness for school.
Norway
Children go to school at the end of April, from the age of six. There are no canteens here, so pupils bring from home classic sandwiches, an apple and a pack of juice or iced tea.
USA
Schools in the USA can choose the starting day of the school year within a fixed period – from mid-August to mid-September. On the first day of school, uniforms are optional and there are no lines or celebrations. Also, home schooling is common in the USA, so not all first graders rush to school on this day.
Australia
Education here begins in February, when summer ends.
Austria
For the youngest pupils senior pupils and teachers organise a concert and give a tour of the school.
New Zealand
Children go to school on the day they turn 5 years old. They are given a tour of the school.
Germany
There is no fixed date for Knowledge Day. In some parts of Germany the school year may start in August, in others in September. The first day of school in Germany is usually festive. There may be a church service, excursion to 3-4 classes for first-graders.
It is obligatory to solemnise the moment – a festive exit of new pupils accompanied by the class teacher to the classrooms from the common hall.
France
There is no specific start date, but usually the school year starts in September. At the beginning of the school year a solemn assembly is held, the school principal makes a solemn speech for first-graders, then the teacher collects his class by list and leads it to the room. It is not customary to give flowers here.
South Korea
Knowledge Day is celebrated in March. Children go to school at the age of 8 after a compulsory exam. Children with the best results get the right to choose an educational institution of their choice, others – by distribution. Therefore, parents who want their child to study in an elite school, are actively involved in their child’s education from the age of 5-6 years.
Israel
Education begins on the first of September, but the month has many days off. The festive ruler takes place during the second lesson, during which schoolchildren write wishes on balloons and launch them into the sky. Israeli students traditionally wear a T-shirt with the school’s emblem.
India
The school year also begins on 1 April. Children go to school at the age of 4. There are no celebrations or flowers. From an early age children are instilled with a love of labour and handicrafts, taught to earn a living and for school. In Indian educational institutions for this purpose there are special workshops with weaving machines and each schoolboy has to hand over his norm of cloth. The money from the sale of cloth goes to the needs of the school. Teachers are predominantly male.
Japan
The day of schooling falls on the 1st of April. The festive line-up takes place only for first grade pupils. Here everyone wears a school uniform, and it is forbidden by law to give gifts and flowers.
Cambodia
Children start school on the 1st of October. They go to school at the age of 4, and preparatory classes begin from 3. Teachers are given useful gifts.
16. Spain
Spanish children go to school at the end of September or beginning of October, when the main harvest work is finished. The day of the beginning of school is not considered a holiday and is held as a regular day. Spanish schoolchildren do not have diaries or grades in their notebooks, and if parents do not feel it necessary to know how their child is doing, they will not be informed of any progress or problems.