| 1. No schooling or pre-primary – Pre-primary education is defined as the initial stage of organised instruction, designed primarily to introduce very young children to a school-type environment, that is, to provide a bridge between home and a school-based atmosphere. |
| 2. Schools for persons with special needs – This is the practice of educating students with special needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs. |
| 3. Primary - Primary education begins at age of five or six and lasts six years. Programmes at the primary level generally require no previous formal education, although it is common for children to have attended a pre-primary programme before entering primary education. Primary education mainly includes learning to read, write and mathematics. |
| 4. Secondary (general) - Secondary education generally continues the basic programmes of the primary level, although teaching is typically more subject-focused, often employing more specialised teachers who conduct classes in their field of specialisation. Secondary education may either be terminal, that is, preparing students for entry directly into working life and/or preparatory, that is, preparing students for post-secondary education. This level usually consists of five years of schooling. This includes Junior Lyceum, Area Secondary, Opportunity Classes and Grammar schools. |
| 5. Foundation or introductory courses at MCAST which last one year or less – These include basic courses offered by MCAST leading to one or more advanced courses. |
| 6. Secondary vocational – This includes trade schools and apprentice schools at secondary level |
| 7. Post-secondary general - Instruction is often more organised along subject and teachers typically need to have a higher level, or more subject-specific, qualifications than at secondary. The entrance age to this level is typically 15 or 16 years and consists of two years of schooling. This includes Junior College, Higher Secondary, Upper Secondary, Matriculation Certificate courses at MCAST. |
| 8. Post-secondary vocational before the year 2000 (excluding ITS) - This includes pre 2000 schools such as Fellenberg Training Centre (e.g. City and Guilds, OTD,HTD), Technical Institute (e.g. ESTS, TAS), Industrial Training Centre, School of hairdressing, Pre-Vocational schools, Secretarial school, Dockyard school, School for Kindergarten Assistants. |
| 9. Post-secondary vocational courses of two years or less - These include courses offered by MCAST and ITS covering the same subject but do not include foundation or introductory courses and other similar courses offered by private institutions. |
| 10. Post-secondary vocational courses offered longer than two years – Such courses are typically shorter than those of tertiary level and focus on practical, technical or occupational skills for direct entry into the labour market, although some theoretical foundations may be covered in the respective programmes. These include ITS courses, MCAST courses and other courses offered by private institutions. |
| 11. Tertiary – Tertiary education is largely theory-based and is designed to provide sufficient qualifications for entry to advanced research programmes and professions with high skill requirements, such as medicine, dentistry or architecture. Tertiary programmes have a minimum cumulative theoretical duration of three years’ full-time equivalent. Tertiary education includes university diploma, first degree or equivalent (e.g. Teacher’s training college, ACCA, MIA, ACII, ACIB), post-graduate diploma or certificate (e.g. PGCE), Masters degree and PhD. |