Responsibility for educational oversight in Germany has to
lie primarily with the states while the federal government
only has a minor role. Optional kindergarten education is
provided for all children between three and six years old,
after which school attendance is compulsory for ten to
thirteen years. Home-schooling is not permitted in any of
the German Bundesländer except if a child is suffering from
some illness that makes it impossible for him or her to
attend school. There are also rare cases where foreign
families living for a short time in Germany have been
granted exemption from compulsory schooling to homeschool
their children in their own language. Primary education
usually lasts for four years and public schools are not
stratified at this stage. In contrast, secondary education
includes four types of schools based on a pupil's ability as
determined by teacher recommendations: the Gymnasium
includes the most gifted children and prepares students for
university studies; the Realschule has a broader range of
emphasis for intermediary students; the Hauptschule prepares
pupils for vocational education, and the Gesamtschule or
comprehensive school combines the three approaches. There
are also so called Förderschulen where ca. every 21. pupil
is put into. They couldn't be integrated in other schools
because they are bodily disabled or have a learning
disablity. In order to enter a university, high school
students are required to take the Abitur examination,
however students possessing a diploma from a vocational
school may also apply to enter. A special system of
apprenticeship called Duale Ausbildung allows pupils in
vocational training to learn in a company as well as in a
state-run school. Although Germany has had a history of a
strong educational system, recent PISA student assessments
demonstrated a weakness in certain subjects. In the test of
31 countries in the year 2000, Germany ranked 21st in
reading and 20th in both mathematics and the natural
sciences, prompting calls for reform.
German school system
Grundschule (Elementary school) can be preceded by voluntary
Kindergarten or Vorschulklassen (preparatory classes for
elementary school) and lasts four or six years, depending on
the state.
Parents who are looking for a suitable school for their
child have a considerable choice of elementary schools in
Germany today:
State school in their neighborhood (the huge majority in
Germany)
or, alternatively
Waldorf School (187 schools in 2003)
Montessori method school (272)
Freie Alternativschule (65)
Protestant (63) or Catholic (114) parochial schools
After Grundschule (at 10 years of age), there are basically
four options as to secondary schooling:
Hauptschule (the least academic, much like a modernized
Volksschule [elementary school]) until grade 9.
Realschule (in Saxony Mittelschule [middle school]) until
grade 10.
Gymnasium (Grammar School) until grade 12 or 13 (with Abitur
as exit exam, qualifying for university).
Gesamtschule (comprehensive school) with all the options of
the three "tracks" above.
After all of those schools the graduates can start a
professional career with an apprenticeship in the
Berufsschule (vocational school). The Berufsschule is
normally attended twice a week during a two, three, or
three-and-a-half year apprenticeship; the other days are
spent working at a company. This should bring the students
knowledge of theory and practice. Notice that the
apprenticeship can only be started if a company accepts the
apprentice. After this (s) he will be registered on a list
at the Industrie- und Handelskammer IHK (board of trade).
During the apprenticeship (s) he is a part-employee of the
company and receives a salary from the company. After
successful passing of the Berufsschule and the exit exams of
the IHK, he/she receives a certificate and is ready for a
professional career up to a low management level. In some
areas the apprenticeship is teaching skills that are
required by law (special positions in a bank, assistance of
a lawyer ...).
