Detailed Description of Education at New Landing

Education on Pern is taken very seriously. It�s often in debate about whether time and resources should be spent on education and job training that takes energy away from thread defense. So far the pro-education camp has held out, and schooling hasn�t relaxed since the pass began.

Learning starts young. Toddlers attend preschool type classes in the creche. In more rural areas, there is no official preschool, but mothers often get together and form playgroups with youngsters.

At age 5, official classroom education begins. Because of the boom of Pern-born children, classes are larger than what would be ideal, with sometimes 30 to 40 children to one teacher. Children have one teacher throughout their 5-hour school day, although specialists often come in to aid instruction, and advance to the next grade level at the end of the calendar year. Children are taught a wide variety of subjects over the next six years. History, geology, basic mathematics and science are among the most common subjects. Classes of children often seen on field trips where they learn to identify Pernese plants and animals. In the last two years, more survival techniques have been included in curriculum. Even the youngest of children are taught what to do if they are caught out during Threadfall. The first aid training given to older children now includes education on how to treat Threadscores.

Age 12 marks the end of general primary education. School years are now divided into four quarters, where students take four to five classes. They are taught more advanced science and mathematics, and have some choice in what classes they elect to take to narrow their studies. To receive credit for a class, students are expected to complete all assignments and pass an exam. At age 16 standard public education is complete and students are expected to choose which direction they�d like to take their studies.

Those eager to join the labor force may do so at this point, although students are encouraged to continue taking some classes until they are 18. Depending on what field they chose to go into, they will likely have to undergo some training with a specialist in that field, such as construction. If someone wishes to go into a specialization such as glass blowing or carpentry, their best bet is to find someone to take them on as an apprentice. For other career tracts, such as culinary or childcare, one would start with rather menial work such as washing dishes or changing diapers and gradually get promoted to more important jobs.

Many wish to go into agriculture. New Landing offers classes in all aspects of farming that are taken by all ages. If one wishes to become a farmer, he or she generally continues to take classes for two to four years while also working at an established farm to gain real life experience. No exams or certification is required to become a farmer.

There has been a boom in interest and need for sled pilots and support mechanics. The training program accepts students as young as sixteen for their training program. Because they are desperate for pilots, the program has become condensed and can be completed as soon as two years, although it can take as long as four if one is studying it on the side. (Many choose to become both a pilot and study another skill.) Students first learn sled maintenance and then practice flying on simulators. After passing intermediate simulator tests, students began flying with experienced pilots. Near the end of the training program, students begin to fly Thread with seasoned pilots to supervise. Students must pass an advanced exam involving written questions and demonstration in the simulators and real sleds before being certified to fly solo.

Jobs like computer programmers/technicians, nurses, hydroponic engineers, medics (EMT/paramedics), teachers generally require four additional years of education then the student must pass an exam to be certified, or the equivalent of a BA degree. For about one to two years before and after their final exam they usually will work with a specialist in their chosen career before being turned loose and allowed to work independently. Students who fail their exams can take them again at the end of the next academic quarter.

More advanced careers require longer years of education. Such jobs include medical doctors, veterinarians, specialized scientists such as geneticists or botanists, and psychiatrists. Students must first spend about four years getting the equivalent of an undergraduate degree in a general study such as biology, Terran history, or psychology. After completing their �undergraduate� studies and passing a final exam, students spend about another three to four years, depending on the career, studying their specialization. They take classes and train individually or in small groups with seasoned adults in their chosen career. After seven to eight long years of study, students take an exam to gain certification to practice unsupervised. The only exception is medical doctors, who must do a �residency� and practice with supervision for three or four more years.

Education is still very important despite Thread is ravaging the land.

Help is always needed, so in addition to attending classes students are expected to job shadow and provide assistance where ever it is needed at as young as fourteen. This gives them real life, working experience and helps take a small burden off the overworked folks who are trying to cope with Threadfall and often raising a family on top of their regular careers.