Overview of Education System
Germany is a federal republic with 16 federal states. Each state has supreme legislative and administrative authority over all its cultural policy issues, including its education system. Each state regulates its own course curricula and schedules, professional requirements, teacher recruitment, and quality development in schools. Certain crucial aspects of the German school system, such as the definition of a grading scale, are standardized across the country through interstate agreements. In addition, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal Republic of Germany (abbreviated from this point as the Standing Conference) coordinates the activities of each of the 16 state Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs in education, science, research, and culture.
In this chapter, North Rhine-Westphalia, the largest state in terms of population, serves as an example in cases where the specificity of particular topics makes it impossible to give a universal description for all states, given the federated nature of educational policy and practice in Germany.
The majority of students in Germany are enrolled in state-sponsored public schools. In 2014–2015, approximately 91.2 percent of all students were enrolled in public institutions offering general education.7 In the case of primary school students, approximately 3.4 percent attended private schools.8 Some private schools or boarding schools are tuition-based. The states accredit, supervise, and, to a certain extent, subsidize all private schools.9
In 2004, the Standing Conference established national educational standards (Bildungsstandards), which all 16 states have committed to implementing. These educational standards specify the curricular elements for core subjects and serve as binding objectives for all states. The Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs in each state manages the curricula. As a result, almost every state has its own curricula for specific secondary school tracks, subjects, and grade levels.
The national educational standards determine the curricular objectives for primary school German language, which include writing and reading, among other compulsory subjects. The respective Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs in each state publish the compulsory curricula that are formulated in a general way, allowing teachers considerable freedom with regard to content and teaching methods. Teachers of a particular subject are encouraged to work together to reach a consensus on the instructional methods and assessment criteria used in subject-specific or generalized school curricula. The Institute for Educational Quality Improvement, established by the Standing Conference in 2003, monitors and evaluates progress toward meeting these standards with regular national and international assessments of student competencies.
Preprimary education in Germany primarily includes children ages 3 to 6. While not compulsory, preprimary education is a universal right in Germany. The child and youth welfare sector oversees preprimary education, which is provided mainly by childcare institutions (Kindergarten) caring for children up to age 6. In general, preprimary education is only partially state subsidized, although more states and communities have been fully subsidizing the final one or two years. Since 2009, cooperation between preprimary education institutions and primary schools has been compulsory. In 2004, the Standing Conference agreed on a binding framework for basic education in preprimary institutions, specifying language, reading and writing skills, mathematics, natural science, and informational technology, among others, as explicit educational areas.10 For children with migration backgrounds—which means that at least one parent or the student was born abroad—special assessment and support programs are in place to enhance German language competencies.
In most states, compulsory schooling begins between June 30 and September 30 the year a child turns 6 years old, and lasts for nine years of full time schooling (10 years in Berlin, Brandenburg, and Bremen; in North Rhine-Westphalia, the duration of full time compulsory education is nine years for the Gymnasium and 10 years for other school types providing general education). In some states, children who have not reached an adequate developmental level to start school by age 6 are accommodated within kindergarten or preschool classes (Vorklassen). Since 1992, flexible school entry (flexible Schuleingangsstufe) has been increasingly implemented across the states. This system allows students to complete the first two class levels of primary school in one, two, or three years.
Primary school is the first level of the compulsory education system and generally covers Grades 1 to 4 (ages 6 to 10). In two states, Berlin and Brandenburg, primary school covers Grades 1 to 6 (ages 6 to 12). Students must, in principle, attend the local primary school. However, in some states, parents are granted the right to be involved in choosing the primary school.
Throughout primary education, German (comprising instruction in reading, spelling, writing, and literature), mathematics, and integrated science (Sachunterricht, an integrated subject of natural and social sciences) are considered main subjects and are mandatory in all states. Art, music, physical education, foreign language instruction, and (in most states) religious education also are taught throughout primary school.11,12 The total instructional time, as well as subject-specific instructional time, differs among grades and across states. In North Rhine-Westphalia, German, mathematics, integrated science, and remediation courses are allocated roughly 60 percent (15 to 16 hours out of 25 to 26) of weekly instruction, with specific subject emphases largely depending on the individual teacher.13
Traditionally in Germany, instruction in primary schools is organized for half-day attendance. However, following a rather large federal initiative (€4 billion), 51.6 percent of all primary schools offered all-day schooling in 2013, which extends care and supervision for children outside lesson time and involves activities educationally related to morning lessons.14 Variations of all-day schooling include the following: fully binding, in which all students are required to attend; partially binding, in which only some groups of students must attend; or nonbinding, in which individual students may attend, based on parental discretion. In 2011, about 45.4 percent of all primary schools in Germany offered all-day schooling in a partially binding form, while 1.8 percent of all primary schools offered it in fully binding form.15
After completion of primary school, children are assigned to secondary school tracks (Bildungsgaenge) according to their ability level, based on prior achievement and predicted academic aptitude. Secondary education is divided into lower and upper secondary education. Lower secondary education starts at Grade 5 in 14 states (Grade 7 in Berlin and Brandenburg) and ends at Grade 9 or 10 (i.e., beginning at ages 10 to 12 and ending at age 15 or 16). While secondary school track options are diversifying, these are the three traditional, most assigned tracks:
- Basic general education (Hauptschulbildungsgang)—Covers Grades 5 (or 7) to 9 or 10, and its completion allows students to proceed to vocational training or higher types of secondary school
- Extensive general education (Realschulbildungsgang)—Covers Grades 5 (or 7) to 10, and its completion allows students to proceed to vocationally oriented upper secondary school (Fachoberschule), which may qualify students for universities of applied sciences
- In-depth general education (Gymnasialer Bildungsgang)—Covers Grades 5 (or 7) to 12 or 13, and its completion leads to acquisition of the General Higher Education Entrance Qualification (Allgemeine Hochschulreife, Abitur), which qualifies students for university and other tertiary education
The three above mentioned secondary school tracks are taught separately at specific types of secondary schools (Hauptschule, Realschule, or Gymnasium) or in parallel within schools that offer two or three of the tracks. In the 2012–2013 academic year, about 14 percent of German students in Grade 8 attended a Hauptschule, about 23 percent attended a Realschule, and about 36 percent attended a Gymnasium.16
Although these school types are the most common in secondary education, several others are available in the various states and may vary considerably from this structure. For example, some states offer comprehensive schools (Gesamtschule) that can substitute for at least two of the previously described school types. In 2012–2013, about 13 percent of German Grade 8 students attended such a comprehensive school.17
After completing lower secondary schooling, most students continue their education and follow different pathways for upper secondary schooling (ages 15 or 16 until 18 or 19). Assignment to the various types of upper secondary schooling depends on the qualifications obtained at the end of lower secondary education. One pathway for students is full time general education, comprising Grades 11 to 12 or 13, leading to a higher education entrance qualification. Another pathway includes full time vocational schooling, combined with vocational apprenticeship training at the workplace. Within this dual system, businesses providing apprenticeships contribute financially.18