''Hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs'' (havo, meaning "higher general continued education" in Dutch) is a stream in the secondary educational system of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. It has five grades and is generally attended at ages of 12 to 17. It provides access to the hogeschool-level (

polytechnic Polytechnic is most commonly used to refer to schools, colleges, or universities that qualify as an institute of technology or vocational university also sometimes called universities of applied sciences. Polytechnic may also refer to: Educat ...

) of tertiary education. The first three years are the ''Basisvorming'' (literally "basis formation"). All pupils follow the same subjects:

languages Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

, history, arts and

sciences Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

. In the third year, pupils must choose one of four profiles. A profile is a set of different subjects that will make up for the largest part of the pupil's timetable in the fourth and fifth year. It is called the ''Tweede Fase'' (literally "second phase"). A profile specialises the pupil in an area, and some studies therefore require a specific profile. Students must also choose one to three additional subjects. Furthermore, Dutch and English, as well as some other subjects, are compulsory. In all profiles except ''Cultuur en Maatschappij'', mathematics is compulsory, but what is done for mathematics is different for each profile. This means that students who do "Economie en Maatschappij" do mathematics Alpha, which focuses more on statistics, and students who do " Natuur en Gezondheid and "Natuur en Techniek" do mathematics Beta, which focuses on algebra. Pupils still have some free space for electives, which is not taken up by compulsory and profile subjects. They can pick two subjects from other profiles. Sometimes, pupils choose more than two subjects, which can result in multiple profiles. * ''Cultuur en Maatschappij'' (literally "culture and society") emphasizes history, arts and foreign languages (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, German and less frequently Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese,

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

and West Frisian). The mathematics classes focus on

statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...

and stochastics. It prepares for artistic and cultural training at the hbo. * ''Economie en Maatschappij'' (literally "economy and society") emphasizes social sciences, economy, and history. The mathematics classes focus on statistics and stochastics. It prepares for social science and economy training at the hbo. * ''Natuur en Gezondheid'' (literally "nature and health") emphasizes biology and natural sciences. The mathematics classes focus on algebra and geometry. Since 2007, pupils who choose this profile are free to choose Mathematics-A (Wiskunde A), which focus on statistics. It is necessary to attend medical training at hbo. * ''Natuur en Techniek'' (literally "nature and technique") emphasizes natural sciences. The mathematics classes focus on algebra and geometry. It is necessary to attend technological and natural science training at the hbo.

External links

Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap
{{in lang, nl Dutch words and phrases Education in the Netherlands

See also

External links