Primary Education
General Basic Education lasts 10 years and begins at age 5. The first year, while compulsory, is referred to as pre-primary (preparatory ) education.
Secondary Education
General Unified Education, also known as the Baccalaureate *Bachillerato" level, lasts three years.
Vocational Education
Technical Baccalaureate programs last three years and consists of general education subjects and additional specialization subjects, especially in the final year.
Tertiary Education
The primary university is Universidad San Francisco de Quito in the city of that name. While highly regarded locally it scores poorly in international rankings. It was founded in 1988 as a non-profit organization to plug a gap in the country’s education system.
There were originally just 3 colleges (business, applied sciences, communications and culture). Over the years a fuller spread has been added.
