Equivalency

An Equivalency is a certification awarded to people in the United Empire of Earth UEE upon completion of their secondary education. It can be earned through the completion of an upper or full secondary UEE-certified education program or through passing a group of subject tests issued by the UEE government. All civilians in the UEE must earn their Equivalency in order to pursue post-secondary education, enter the armed services, or earn full Citizenship. Equivalency courses are offered by public and private schools or the military for (potential) recruits.

Overview

As outlined by the Common Laws, all people born in the UEE have the right to an education. Between ages 13 to 14, the majority of students in the UEE begin their secondary education at public schools overseen by teachers employed by a planet's Governors Council. Classroom size and teaching style vary from planet to planet, but all students are required to complete a standardized exam that has been standardized according to UEE educational requirements. Most students are awarded their Equivalency between ages 17 and 18.

People in the UEE who don't have access to planet or colony-provided secondary education are able to complete their secondary education programs through the same educational programs that are provided to public school students via Glas or computer system. Rural students often complete their education through Spectrum-guided learning programs. Without a teacher to set the pace, provide lectures, or to address questions, self-guided students are free to achieve Equivalency whenever they have completed their program.

Private and military academies also offer courses in secondary education. The teacher- to- student ratio in these academies is generally smaller than that of public schools, and the education is more personalized. However, these courses are not government provided. All students must pay tuition, either out of pocket or through grants and scholarships.

History

During the Human Colonial Expansion Era (2380 - 2530), secondary education was required by law for all children born within the United Nations of Earth (UNE). As more planets were discovered and colonized, the law became difficult to enforce. Children born to the first settlers of early colony worlds who could not be sent back to more developed parts of the UNE for their education were home-schooled, if they were schooled at all. To address this gap in education, in 2464 the UNE released a standardized set of computer-based learning modules called the Educational Equivalency Curriculum (EEC). These modules replaced in-person education on worlds where teachers and schools were not yet available. Those who successfully completed the program were awarded an Educational Equivalency Degree (EED), or Equivalency, which certified that the holder had completed all secondary-level education requirements under UNE law.

The Equivalency was intended to be a temporary replacement for in-person education until colony worlds established stable local governments. However, as intersystem expansion continued, more and more Humans completed their secondary education via EEC. When the Common Laws were established in 2526, the United Planets of Earth (UPE) designated the EEC as the standardized secondary education curriculum. The provision of a formalized education and offering Equivalency exams became the responsibility of all local governments.

During the Messer Era (2546 - 2792), the EEC was edited multiple times to indoctrinate the populace into pro-Messer ideology. Xenology and sociology modules were increasingly seeded with anti-alien, pro-Human thought. The history module was especially edited; key events in Ivar Messer's rise to power were presented as the plans of aliens seeking to destabilize the government. Events directly perpetrated by the Messers or their agents that could not be blamed on aliens, such as military action against Human-led protests, were not taught at all.

Following the fall of Linton Messer XI in 2792, all EEC modules were recalled by the new government and were completely revised. Secondary school was suspended until a new version of the EEC with a detailed history on the Messer Era was released in 2794.

The EEC is updated and revised once every ten years.

Examples

 * Russel Valem, who was described as a "wunderkind" passed his equivalency at the age of 12.
 * Ex-criminal Jenk Gallen passed the equivalency exam at the age of 31.