Primary and secondary education

Primary education takes 8 years to complete and is intended for pupils aged 4 to 12. It consists of 2 phases:

• The 1st phase is called kleuteronderwijs (kindergarten). It takes 2 years to complete (kleuter A and kleuter B).
• The 2nd phase is called Gewoon Lager Onderwijs (GLO). It lasts 6 years and is concluded with an exam for the Getuigschrift van het Gewoon Lager Onderwijs.

Secondary education lasts 6 or 7 years and consists of 2 phases as well:

• lower secondary education; and
• upper secondary education.

Lower secondary education

In Surinam, lower secondary education is called: Voortgezet Onderwijs voor Junioren (VOJ). It is intended for students aged 12 to 15. There are 2 types of lower secondary education:

• general lower secondary education, concluded with exams for a MULO-diploma A/B;
• vocational lower secondary education. In Surinam, this is called lager beroepsonderwijs (LBO). Within this type of lower secondary education, there are various specialisations and diplomas (LBO-A, LBO-B and LBO-C). Because we do not often see these diplomas, we will not describe them further.

Upper secondary education

In Surinam, upper secondary education is called: Voortgezet Onderwijs voor Senioren (VOS). It is intended for students aged 15 to 18. There are 2 types of upper secondary education:

• general upper secondary education, concluded with exams for 1 of the following diplomas:
  • a Diploma Hoger Algemeen Voortgezet Onderwijs (H.A.V.O); or
  • a Diploma Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (V.W.O.);
• vocational upper secondary education (MBO). Please see Secondary vocational education for a description of the corresponding diplomas.

When pupils conclude primary education, they get a Getuigschrift van het Gewoon Lager Onderwijs.

• Duration : 8 years.
• Content: primary education.
• Diploma: Getuigschrift van het Gewoon Lager Onderwijs.

This is the diploma of general lower secondary education. In Surinam, this type of lower secondary education is called: Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (MULO).

• Duration: 4 years.
• Content: general education subjects. In the 3rd year, students choose a subject cluster and take subjects belonging to that cluster:
  • MULO-A: languages and business subjects; or
  • MULO-B: science subjects, such as biology, chemistry and physics.
• Admission requirements: a Getuigschrift van het Gewoon Lager Onderwijs.
• Function of the diploma: access to upper secondary education (H.A.V.O. or V.W.O.) and secondary vocational education.
• Diploma: one of the following diplomas:
  • MULO-diploma A; or
  • MULO-diploma B.

This is 1 of the possible general upper secondary education diplomas. Students take their education at a school that is accredited to offer H.A.V.O.

• Duration: 2 years (after 4 years of lower secondary education).
• Content: 6 exam subjects, including Dutch and English.
• Admission requirements: a MULO-diploma A/B and an entrance exam.
• Function of the diploma: access to profession-oriented bachelor’s programmes.
• Diploma: Diploma Hoger Algemeen Voortgezet Onderwijs (H.A.V.O). Sometimes, ‘(H.A.V.O.)’ is not mentioned on the diploma.

This is 1 of the possible general upper secondary education diplomas. Students take their education at a school that is accredited to offer V.W.O.

• Duration: 3 years (after 4 years of lower secondary education).
• Content: 7 exam subjects, including Dutch and English.
• Admission requirements: a MULO-diploma A/B and an entrance exam.
• Function of the diploma: access to research-oriented and profession-oriented bachelor’s programmes.
• Diploma: Diploma Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (V.W.O.). Sometimes, ‘(V.W.O.)’ is not mentioned on the diploma.