Education in Meriad

Education in Meriad is mandatory for all children ages 6-18. The school year in Meriad runs from early September to late June the following year. The Christmas holiday from mid December to early January historically divides the Meriadni school year into two terms. Presently, the second term begins in the beginning of January.

The educational system is overseen by the Meriadni Office of Education. The Office of Education is currently headed by Director of Education Alan Osborne, who holds a seat in the Royal Cabinet.

Higher Education
Higher education is anything beyond upper secondary school, and normally lasts 3 years or more. To be accepted to most higher education schools you must have attained a diploma from graduating upper secondary school.

Higher education is broadly divided into:


 * State schools (Stálegsköl) provide relatively inexpensive education in basic higher-level subjects, such as math, the sciences, humanities, and education. State schools also offer a range of professional studies, such as law, medicine, psychology, and dentistry. While courses in a variety of other subjects are generally offered at state schools, achieving the necessary credits in non-standard subjects to achieve a vocational degree is highly irregular. State schools are funded in part by the Meriadni government, and have their budgets and course selections for each school year reviewed by the Office of Education. As of 2014, there were 39 state schools in Meriad.


 *  Universities are smaller, independent schools that focus on much more specialized subject areas, such as the arts, theology, and engineering. Most universities are totally unconnected from the government, and are therefore only loosely regulated. As of 2012, there were 241 private universities in Meriad.


 * Military colleges (mjálasköl) provide inexpensive education on a wide range of subjects, both generalized and vocational, and prepares students for service in the Armed Forces. Education is provided in a military environment, with increasing rank privileges being accorded to student as they progress through the four-year education. Following graduation from Military colleges, a minimum of eight years of active-duty service is required. Although the government does provide the majority of the funds for the operation of military colleges, the Office of Education has little control over military schools. The Meriadni Office of the Armed Forces instead directly controls the schools. At present, there are only three official military colleges in Meriad, although multiple other schools offer a military-style educational experience. The largest of these is by far Gröstavik Military Academy (commonly referred to as The Citadel).


 * Charter colleges are small, privately-run schools that offer truncated and inexpensive education in a variety of subject areas, allowing economically disadvantaged students to attend for several years before transferring to a higher-quality school for the final one to two years of vocational education. Charter schools generally have very small student bodies, as Meriad's relatively even wealth distribution makes demand for this style of schooling very low. As of 2009, there were 25 charter colleges in Meriad.