Vocational Education in Europe

7/27/2019 Vocational Education in Europe

1/42

Structures of education,vocational training and

adult education systems in Europe

2003 Edition

European Commission

Directorate-General for Education and Culture


2/42

Information edited and published by the Eurydice European Unit Avenue Louise 240 B-1050 Brussels

Structures of Education,Vocational Training,and Adult Education,Systems in Europe

GERMANY2002/2003

Information provided by:

Eurydice Unit

Informationsstelle beimBundesministerium fr Bildung und Forschung

Heinemannstrasse 2D-53175 Bonn

Informationsstelle der Lnderim Sekretariat der Kultusministerkonferenz

Lennstrae 6D 53113 Bonn

Member of the CEDEFOP Documentary NetworkBIBB-Bundesinstitut fr Berufsbildung

Fehrbelliner Platz 3D 10707 BERLIN

If you wish to have more detailed information on education systems in Europe, we warmlyrecommend that you consult the EURYBASE database (http://www.eurydice.org) and the

CEDEFOP monographs (http://www.cedefop.eu.int)

EURYDICEURYDICE
http://www.eurydice.org/http://www.eurydice.org/http://www.cedefop.eu.int/http://www.cedefop.eu.int/http://www.cedefop.eu.int/http://www.cedefop.eu.int/http://www.eurydice.org/


3/42

GERMANY

Structures of Education, Vocational Training and Adult Education Systems in Europe. EURYDICE/CEDEFOP/ETF 2003

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................... 4

1. Responsibilities and administration............................................................... 71.1 Political background ......................................................................................................................71.2 Basis of the education system: principles and legislation ...................................................................71.3 Distribution of responsibilities for the organisation and administration of the education and training

system .......................................................................................................................................... 71.4 Inspection/supervision/guidance.....................................................................................................81.5 Financing....................................................................................................................................101.6. Advisory and consultative bodies.................................................................................................. 111.7 Private education......................................................................................................................... 12

2. PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION ...................................................................... 142.1 Organisation...............................................................................................................................142.2 Curriculum/assessment ................................................................................................................ 142.3 Teachers.....................................................................................................................................14

2.4 Statistics...................................................................................................................................... 15

3. COMPULSORY GENERAL EDUCATION (primary and lower secondaryeducation)............................................................................................... 16

3A PRIMARY EDUCATION................................................................................................................. 163A.1 Organisation.............................................................................................................................163A.2 Curriculum................................................................................................................................163A.3 Assessment/certification/guidance ..............................................................................................173A.4 Teachers................................................................................................................................... 173A.5 Statistics....................................................................................................................................18

3B SECONDARY EDUCATION ..........................................................................................................18

3B.1 Organisation............................................................................................................................. 203B.2 Curriculum................................................................................................................................ 203B.3 Assessment/certification/guidance............................................................................................... 203B.4 Teachers...................................................................................................................................213B.5 Statistics.................................................................................................................................... 21

4. POST-COMPULSORY SECONDARY EDUCATION ..................................... 224A GENERAL UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION (GYMNASIALE OBERSTUFE) .......................................224A.1 Organisation.............................................................................................................................224A.2 Curriculum................................................................................................................................224A.3 Assessment/certification/guidance ..............................................................................................234A.4 Teachers................................................................................................................................... 234A.5 Statistics....................................................................................................................................23

4B VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN FULL-TIME VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS ................................................. 244B.1 Organisation............................................................................................................................. 244B.2 Curriculum................................................................................................................................ 244B.3 Assessment/certification/guidance............................................................................................... 254B.4 Teachers...................................................................................................................................264B.5 Statistics.................................................................................................................................... 26

5. INITIAL VOCATIONAL TRAINING.............................................................. 275.1 Organisation...............................................................................................................................275.2 Education/training establishments................................................................................................. 275.3 Financing....................................................................................................................................285.4 Curriculum..................................................................................................................................285.5 Assessment/qualifications/guidance ..............................................................................................29

5.6 Trainers/teachers.........................................................................................................................295.7 Statistics...................................................................................................................................... 29


4/42

GERMANY


6. TERTIARY SECTOR................................................................................... 316A Non-university institutions.............................................................................................................. 31

6B University education...................................................................................................................... 316B.1 Admission requirements .............................................................................................................32

6B.2 Fees/financial support for students ..............................................................................................336B.3 Academic year .......................................................................................................................... 346B.4 Courses ....................................................................................................................................346B.5 Assessment/qualifications ...........................................................................................................346B.6 Teachers...................................................................................................................................356B.7 Statistics.................................................................................................................................... 36

7. CONTINUING TRAINING AND ADULT EDUCATION................................. 377.1 Legislative framework...................................................................................................................377.2 Administration............................................................................................................................. 387.3 Funding...................................................................................................................................... 387.4. Organisation..............................................................................................................................397.5. Statistics..................................................................................................................................... 40


5/42

GERMANY


INTRODUCTIONEurope is characterised by a very wide variety of education and training systems. In orderthat this diversity should be fully appreciated, EURYDICE, the information network oneducation in Europe, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training(CEDEFOP) and the European Training Foundation (ETF) regularly update a set of nationalmonographs entitled Structures of Education, Vocational Training and Adult EducationSystems in Europe.

Descriptions relating to individual countries in turn include basic information on theadministration and structure of their systems of education and initial vocational training at alllevels (from pre-primary to tertiary). Also included are descriptions of initial vocationaleducation and training in alternance and adult education and training within provision forlifelong learning. The initial and in-service training of teachers and their status are alsoconsidered.

The information is set out in accordance with a common structure to facilitate inter-countrycomparisons while ensuring that special features peculiar to each system are dulyemphasised.

The description for each country is preceded by a diagram of its education system. Hereagain, the way the diagrams are presented has, as far as possible, been standardised so thatcommon and differing features of the various systems can be more easily identified andcompared.

The first chapter within each country section is devoted to a short presentation of the countryconcerned, together with the basic principles governing its education and training, thedivision of responsibilities and then more specific information (relating to administration,inspection, financing, private schooling and advisory bodies). The major reforms of

education systems are also considered.The other chapters deal in turn with pre-primary education, compulsory and post-compulsoryeducation (general, technical and vocational provision entirely within schools). The way thesechapters are structured depends on each national context. Where pre-primary education isnot in reality separate from primary education, or where compulsory education spansdifferent levels, no artificial division has been created. In the case of all countries, a briefdescription of the aims and structure of the level of education concerned is followed byfurther headings devoted to the curriculum, assessment, teachers and statistics.

Initial vocational education and training in alternance is the subject of a chapter in its ownright. It includes all education and training for young people that is not essentially school-based, and thus covers for example apprenticeships based on the dual system pattern,sandwich course training and any other initiatives and experiments with major elements ofon-the-job experience.

This is followed by a chapter on tertiary education, in which a summary description issupplemented by sections on admission, tuition fees, the academic year, courses,qualifications and assessment. The chapter includes any initiatives implemented as part ofthe Bologna process.

The last chapter deals with continuing education and training for adults (whether in oroutside the labour market, employed or unemployed). It provides information on thepolitical, legislative and financial framework of this kind of education, on the authoritiesconcerned and their responsibilities, as well as on the general organisation of training foradults (types of institution, access requirements, programme objectives, the curriculum andquality assurance). There is also a brief description of guidance/counselling services, as well

as of questions relating to assessment and accreditation including the recognition of non-formal kinds of learning.


6/42

GERMANY


The situation regarding teachers is dealt with in a specific section for each level of educationdiscussed. Also provided are national statistics on the number of pupils, students, teachersand educational institutions and, where figures are available, on pupil or student/teacherratios, attendance and attainment rates or, yet again, on the choice of branches of study orareas of specialisation.

The National Units in the EURYDICE Network have drafted the descriptions for theircountries, each using the same proposed outline of content as a common framework. Theinformation on initial vocational education and training in alternance, and on adulteducation has been prepared in close collaboration with members of the CEDEFOP REFERNetwork (in the case of the European Union and EFTA/EEA countries) and the NationalObservatories of the European Training Foundation (ETF) in the case of the 12 candidatecountries. We are extremely grateful to them and to all those who were involved in thisproject in the EURYDICE European Unit in Brussels, CEDEFOP in Thessaloniki, and the ETFin Turin for their invaluable contribution to this fundamental source of information which isvital to a better understanding of education and training systems in Europe.

Given the number of countries now covered (1) and the amount of data available, thedescription of each system of education and training may be consulted solely electronicallyon the website of the EURYDICE Network (http://www.eurydice.org), which brings it to theattention of the largest possible number of people and enables it to be updated on a moreregular basis.

Patricia Wastiau-SchlterHead of the EURYDICEEuropean Unit

Johan van RensDirector of CEDEFOP

Peter de RoijDirector of the ETF

June 2003

(1) The 30 European countries taking part in the EU Education Programme, Socrates.
http://www.eurydice.org/http://www.eurydice.org/


7/42

GERMANY


Organisation of the education system in Germany, 2003/0441 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 2710

DVORKLASSE / SCHULKINDERGARTEN

GRUNDSCHULE ORIENTIE-RUNGSSTUFE

GYMNASIUM

GESAMTSCHULE

REALSCHULE

GYMNASIALE

OBERSTUFE

UNIVERSITT / KUNSTHOCHSCHULE / MUSIKHOCHSCHULE

BERUFSAKADEMIE

FACHHOCHSCHULE

VERWALTUNGSFACHHOCHSCHULE

FACHOBER-

SCHULE

BERUFSFACHSCHULE

SCHULEN DES GESUNDHEITSWESENS

BERUFSSCHULE+BETRIEB

FACHSCHULE

HAUPTSCHULE

SCHULARTEN MIT

MEHREREN BILDUNGSGNGEN

KINDERGARTEN

>>

Pre-primary (school settings) - ISCED 0

Upper secondary general - ISCED 3

Compulsory full-time education

Primary - ISCED 1

Upper secondary vocational - ISCED 3

Compulsory part-time education

Single structure - ISCED 1 + ISCED 2

Post-secondary non-tertiary- ISCED 4Lower secondary general -ISCED 2 (including pre-vocational)

Pre-primary education(non-school settings) - ISCED 0

Tertiary education - ISCED 5A

Part-time or combined schooland workplace courses

Lower secondary vocational - ISCED 2

Tertiary education - ISCED 5B Additional year

Study abroad Source: Eurydice.


8/42

GERMANY


1. Responsibilities and administration

1.1 Political background

The Federal Republic of Germany had apopulation of approximately 82.4 million in 2001in a territory of 357,000 square kilometres, itssize having increased on 3 October 1990 as aresult of German unification based on a treatybetween the Federal Republic of Germany andthe German Democratic Republic.

Under the Grundgesetz (Basic Law), theBundestag (Federal German Parliament) andBundesrat (composed of members of governmentin the Lnder) are the constitutional bodies withlegislative authority. Executive functions in thefield of home and foreign affairs are carried outmainly by the Federal Government, insofar as theFederation enjoys relevant competence for thesefields of policy under the Basic Law. The federalgovernment comprises the Federal Chancellorand 15 ministers (2002). The Federal President isthe Head of State and is elected for a five-yearterm. The official language is German and

teaching is provided primarily in the Germanlanguage. The Basic Law guarantees freedom ofcreed, conscience, religion and ideologicalpersuasion. There is no established State church,and the Basic Law guarantees individual religiousfreedom and tolerance.

Since 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany ismade up of 16 Lnder (states), including fivewhich were reintroduced in the former GermanDemocratic Republic on the basis of theEstablishment of Lnder Act of July 1990. Boththe individual Lnderand the Federation possessthe quality of statehood. The predominantresponsibility of the Lnderfor education, scienceand culture (so-called cultural sovereignty Kulturhoheit) constitutes the key element of theirindividual statehood according to theconstitutional order established by the Basic Law.Each Land has its own constitution andgovernment. In 2001, the 16 Lnder weresubdivided administratively into 29 administrativeregions, 439 districts and 13,416 municipalities.

1.2 Basis of the education system:principles and legislation

According to the Basic Law, Germany is a

republic, a democracy, and a federal,constitutional and socially responsible State. Asfar as education is concerned, the Basic Lawguarantees among other things the freedom of artand science, research and teaching, the freedomof creed and conscience, the freedom to professa religion, the freedom to choose one'soccupation and place of study or training,equality before the law and the natural right ofparents to care for and bring up their children.

According to the Basic Law, Lnder areresponsible for exercising State powers andfulfilling State obligations. The Lnder are thusentitled to pass legislation where the Basic Lawdoes not confer legislative power on theFederation (Bund). The legal frameworkconditions for the education system areestablished in the constitutions and laws of theLnderon the individual areas of education.

1.3 Distribution of responsibilities for theorganisation and administration of theeducation and training system

The responsibility for the organisation andadministration of the education system isdetermined by the federal structure ofgovernment. Relevant legislation andadministration of the education system aretherefore primarily the responsibility of the Lnder.This is especially true of the school system, highereducation, and adult and continuing education.Under the Basic Law and the constitutions of theLnder, the Lnderare responsible for the entireeducation system. Schools are generally run by

their respective municipalities; higher educationinstitutions (HEIs) are run by the Lnder.

The Basic Law defines the scope of theFederation's responsibilities in the field ofeducation. These apply especially to the followingareas in education, science and research: out-of-school vocational training and continuingeducation, framework legislation on the generalprinciples of higher education, support fortraining, support for scientific research andtechnological development and training of thenext generation of scientists, youth welfare,protection for participants in distance learning,access to the profession for lawyers and themedical and nursing professions, measures topromote employment, and research into the labourmarket and professions. The Federation is also


9/42

GERMANY


responsible for legal framework provisions on civilservice employment generally and on thepayment of salaries and benefits to civil servants(e.g. teachers and professors). The Lnder thenmake these provisions more concrete by creatingand implementing the relevant Land legislation.

In order to provide the necessary degree ofshared characteristics and comparability in theeducation system, the Lnder governments alsocooperate amongst themselves, both in the areaof education for which responsibility fallsentirely to the Lnder and in areas regulated byfederal laws insofar as Land law is needed fortheir implementation and application. TheMinisters and Senators responsible for educationand training, higher education institutions,research, and cultural affairs in the Lnderworktogether in the Standing Conference of theMinisters of Education and Cultural Affairs of theLnder in the Federal Republic of Germany

(Stndige Konferenz der Kultusminister der Lnderin der Bundesrepublik Deutschland). TheConference of Ministers was established by anagreement among the Lnder and deals withcultural and educational issues of supraregionalsignificance with a view to reaching a jointposition and attending to matters of commoninterest. Cultural policy is interpreted broadly toinclude the areas of education, higher education,research, cultural affairs and sport. Thiscooperation has led to joint and comparabledevelopments in broad areas.

An agreement between the Lnderof 1964, last

amended in 1971, guarantees a uniformfundamental structure of the school system inGermany. Among other things, the agreementcovers the beginning and duration of full-timecompulsory education, the dates for the start andend of the school year, the duration of schoolholidays, the designation and organisation of thevarious types of educational institutions, the basicguarantee that pupils can transfer from oneschool type to another if certain preconditions arefulfilled, the beginning of foreign languagecourses and the sequence in which languages arelearned, the recognition of leaving certificatesand teaching qualifications, and the description

of the marking system used for school reports andteacher training examinations. In subsequentresolutions, the Standing Conference has definedadditional common features of the school systemand contributed to the mutual recognition ofqualifications awarded by general education andvocational training schools in all the Lnder.During the 1990s, the Standing Conference hasamong other things dealt primarily with theequivalency of general education and vocationaltraining and initiated a discussion processregarding further structural development of thedual system of vocational training.

In the area of higher education, the Lnderhaveconcluded an agreement on the standardisationof the Fachhochschule system and have reachednumerous further agreements concerning other

higher education institutions. The fundamentalreform of the structure of higher education hasconstituted an important topic in the StandingConference of Ministers. Cooperation betweenthe Standing Conference and the association ofhigher education institutions, as represented bytheir rectors and presidents (Hochschul-rektorenkonferenz), has created a link betweenthe government bodies which administer highereducation in the Lnder, on the one hand, andthe self-administration of the institutionsthemselves, on the other. This cooperation hastaken concrete form in agreements on the contentand organisation of academic examinations(Hochschulprfungen).

In addition to defining the division ofresponsibilities as described above, the Basic Lawalso makes provisions for the Federation tocooperate with the Lnder, as in the joint task ofthe construction and expansion of higher

education institutions and university clinics. Inorder to coordinate this properly, the FederalGovernment and the governments of the Lnderform a planning committee for the construction ofHEIs. The Federation (Bund) can also enter intoagreements with the Lnder to cooperate oneducational planning and on the funding ofacademic and scientific research institutions andprojects of supraregional significance. The forumfor this cooperative activity is the Bund-LnderCommission for Educational Planning andResearch Promotion, in which the FederalGovernment and the governments of all Lnderare represented. In-company vocational trainingand vocational education in schools fall underseparate jurisdictions. The Federal Government isresponsible for drafting training regulations, whilethe Lnder create framework curricula in aFederation LnderCoordination Committee onthe basis of a procedure agreed upon by theFederation and the Lnder in 1972 to governvocational training in the dual system.

1.4 Inspection/supervision/guidancePre-primary educationPre-primary education in Kindergrten comesmainly under child and youth welfare services. Inmost Lnder, the Ministries of Youth and Social

Affairs bear legal responsibility, although in someLnderthis falls to the Ministries of Education andCultural Affairs. At local level, the Youth WelfareOffices (Jugendmter) bear overall responsibilityfor the operation of the institutions, and the YouthWelfare Offices of each Land (Landesjugend-mter) are responsible for providing Statesupervision of public and private Kindergrten.Only Vorklassen (pre-primary classes) for five-year-olds who have not yet reached compulsoryschooling age, and Schulkindergrten (school


10/42

GERMANY


kindergartens) and Vorklassen for those six-year-olds who have not yet attained a sufficient level toattend school are supervised by the schoolauthorities.

SchoolsAccording to the Basic Law and Lnderconstitutions, the entire school system comesunder the supervision and responsibility of theState. The Lnder Ministries of Education andCultural Affairs have ultimate authority in thesupervision and administration of institutionsproviding general and vocational education.School supervision includes the mandate to planand organise the entire school system. Theauthority of the Lnder extends not only to theorganisation of the schools themselves, thecontent of the courses and teaching objectives,but also to supervising the performance ofteachers and other teaching staff. Theeducational goals set down in school laws aregiven concrete form in curricula, for which theLnder Ministries of Education and Cultural

Affairs are responsible. The competent Lnderministries establish curricula for the subjectstaught at the different types and levels of school.These curricula are usually developed in specialcurriculum planning commissions by teacherswho are assisted by other specialists. Before acurriculum is implemented, there is a procedure,which assures the participation of associationsand representatives of parents, pupils andteachers. In order to implement the curricula for

the various subjects in the different types of schoolthe respective textbooks are used as learningmaterial in the classroom. These books must beapproved by the Ministries of Education andCultural Affairs and a list of approved books ispublished regularly. In December 2001, theStanding Conference of the Ministers ofEducation and Cultural Affairs (Kultusminister-konferenz) decided that priority would be given todeveloping measures to further improve andguarantee the quality of lessons and schools byintroducing compulsory standards andperformance-based assessment. The standardsspecify the knowledge, skills and abilities that

pupils should have acquired by the end of a givenyear.

The administration of schools generally has atwo-tiered structure, in which the Ministries ofEducation and Cultural Affairs of the Lnderformthe upper tier and the schools' offices(Schulmter) at the local, district, or communallevel the lower tier. As a rule, Grundschulen(primary schools), Hauptschulen (lower secondaryschools providing fundamental generaleducation) and special schools are supervised bythe schools' offices and the other schoolsincluding vocational schools by the Ministries of

Education and Cultural Affairs. In some Lnder,the schools' offices are responsible for all schooltypes in this two-tiered system. In the city-states,the school administration sometimes has only one

tier. In three Lnder, school administration isorganised in a three-tier system. In these cases,Gymnasien (lower and upper secondary schoolsproviding intensified general education),vocational schools (berufliche Schulen) Gesamt-schulen (comprehensive schools) and, in mostcases, Realschulen (lower secondary schoolsproviding extended general education) are usuallysupervised by middle-level authorities (regionalgovernments or upper level schools' offices(Oberschulmter)) or by the highest level(Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs)directly.

Private schools are also subject to statesupervision. For their school-leaving certificates tobe recognised, these schools must comply withthe relevant state regulations concerning thecourses taught, teacher qualifications, andexaminations. Regulations of the Lndergoverning these schools take their special

educational concerns into account.

In-company vocational trainingVocational education in schools is the exclusiveresponsibility of the Lnder, while the FederalGovernment is responsible for in-companyvocational training. Companies and vocationalschools do not provide education and training inisolation from one another. The courses they offerare coordinated in terms of content andorganisation within the framework of the dualsystem of vocational education and training. Thiscooperation, in which business and industry

including both employees and employers throughtheir public-law self-administered organisations also participate in vocational education andtraining, is institutionalised by law at the federal,Land, regional, and company levels.

At the federal level, the Federal Minister forEducation and Research is responsible forcoordination in the domain of in-companyvocational training. Representatives of employer'sassociations, trade unions, Lnder governments,and the Federal Government work together on anequal footing in the Federal Institute of VocationalTraining (Bundesinstitut fr Berufsbildung). The

Institute advises the Federal Government onmatters relating to vocational training. It alsoprepares training regulations for the in-companypart of vocational training to be approved by theFederal Government. The Federation and theLnder coordinate the training regulations withthe framework curricula for the vocational school(Berufsschule). At Land level, committeesconsisting of representatives of employers, tradeunions, and Lnderministries are formed to dealwith vocational education and training. Theyadvise Land governments in matters regardingvocational education. At regional level, theorganisations for business self-administration(chambers of industry and commerce, chambersof handicrafts, chambers of agriculture, chambersof independent professions) are responsible for


11/42

GERMANY


advising, supervising, and recognising in-company vocational training within the region onthe basis of relevant legislation. In firms providingtraining, elected labour representatives have theright to participate in planning and implementingin-company vocational training and in theappointment of trainers (Ausbilder).

Higher educationAs a rule, institutions of higher education have thestatus of a body corporate and are publicinstitutions under the authority of the Lnder. Theyhave the right of self-administration within theframework of legal provisions. The highereducation institutions draw up their own statutes,which then require the approval of the Land.Within the Lndergovernments, responsibility forhigher education institutions falls to the ministriesconcerned with science and research. In additionto the usual higher education institutions that areopen to all, the Federation and the Lnder arealso responsible for special higher educationinstitutions which only admit certain groups.

Among these institutions are the universities of theFederal Armed Forces (Universitten derBundeswehr) and those Fachhochschulen whichtrain Federation and Lnder civil servants. Inaddition, there are several church run institutionsof higher education and some privately run highereducation institutions.

The Higher Education Framework Act(Hochschulrahmengesetz) sets out the generalprinciples governing the course of studies,

teaching and research at higher educationinstitutions, access to studies, the staff and legalstatus of higher education institutions. The Lnderdefine the organisational and administrativedetails of higher education institutions in theirareas of jurisdiction on this basis and in thecontext of the Lnder laws governing highereducation. Modifications of the Higher EducationFramework Act in 1998 and 2002 have furtherextended the freedom of the Lnderto reform theorganisation and administration. As a result,modifications in laws governing higher educationto implement such reforms are either inpreparation or have already been enacted inmost Lnder.

In administrative matters there is a cooperativerelationship between the responsible Land ministryand the higher education institution. Within asingle administration, the latter's functions includeboth academic matters and governmental matterssuch as personnel, economic, budgetary andfinancial administration. Independent of this, theresponsible Land minister or government retainslegal supervision (Rechtsaufsicht; to some extentalso academic supervision Fachaufsicht), thepower to establish and organise institutions, andthe final authority in financial and personnelmatters.

As regards supervision, institutions of highereducation establish curricula for all study courses,

which must be submitted along with new studycourses to the responsible Land ministry.Examination procedures are handled in differentways: for courses leading to a state examination(Staatsprfung), examinations are set by theminister responsible for the subject area. Forregulations governing examinations set by thehigher education institutions (Hochschul-prfungen), the institutions themselves issue theexamination regulations as in the case of studyregulations. These examination regulations thenhave to be approved by the competent Landministry. With a view to guaranteeing minimumstandards in terms of academic content and thevocational relevance of the qualifications from thenew Bachelor's and Master's study courses, inDecember 1998 the Standing Conference of theMinisters of Education and Cultural Affairs(Kultusministerkonferenz) adopted anaccreditation procedure in addition to state

approval. The organisation of the procedure waslaid down in the Standing Conference's resolutionof 24 May 2002, the Statute for an AccreditationProcedure for all Lnderand Institutions of HigherEducation (Statut fr ein lnder- und hochschul-bergreifendes Akkreditierungsverfahren).

Accreditation is performed by agencies that arerecognised in that capacity for a limited period oftime by an accreditation council (Akkreditierungs-rat) for all Lnder.

1.5 Financing

Public-sector (communal) Kindergrten arefinanced by the municipalities, the Land (grantsfor material and personnel expenses) and feesfrom parents. Private Kindergrten (such aschurch and parental initiatives) are also financedby the municipalities, the Land (grants for materialand personnel expenses) and fees from parents inaddition to the organising bodys own funds (20%on average). The amount of parentalcontributions varies in proportion to parentalincome. The Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt)pays such charges on behalf of the children ofparents of low-income groups. Thus, unlike theschool and higher education system, pre-primaryeducation is not provided free of charge.

As a rule, public sector schools are run by localauthorities (municipalities, districts, autonomouscities with the status of a district). This means thatthe local authorities are responsible for setting upand administering schools, which they must alsofund. State responsibility for running schools (i.e.the responsibility of a Land) is, with someexceptions, limited to schools whose catchmentarea and significance stretches beyond the

municipality, for example, schools with aparticular emphasis on training in the arts orsport, certain technical schools (Fachschulen),institutions of general education preparing adults


12/42

GERMANY


for higher education (Kollegs) and special schoolsrun under the auspices of the Land. In addition totheir responsibility for the schools' organisationand material needs, the organising body isresponsible for administrative staff (i.e. non-teaching staff), while the Lnder are generallyresponsible for the teaching staff.

In principle, attendance at all public sectorschools is free of charge. The learning materialspupils need at school are either provided free ofcharge or can be borrowed from the school. Incases where pupils are given material to keep,parents may sometimes be required to pay someof the costs, depending on their income. For adiscussion of the financing of vocational trainingin the dual system, see 5.4.

Higher education institutions receive the greaterpart of their resources from the Lnder, whichalso essentially determine the allocation of the

resources as state institutions of higher educationare financed by the Lnder.

The latter provide higher education institutionswith the necessary resources to perform their tasksout of the budget of the Ministry of Education orScience. Budget resources from the Lndercoverpersonnel and material expenses. They alsoinclude investments such as expenditure for plotsof land, buildings, initial construction costs andmajor equipment. Where total costs for theextension of existing buildings or new constructionof higher education institutions exceed a certainamount, the Federation will cover 50% of thecosts. Members of higher education institutionsare also entitled to carry out research projects inthe context of their regular duties that are notfinanced out of the budget but with resourcesfrom third parties such as organisations for thepromotion of research. For the discussion of feesin higher education, see 6B.2. The financing oftraining at professional academies(Berufsakademien) is divided between the Landand the training establishments. While the trainingestablishments bear the cost of training in abusiness, the study institutions providing thetheoretical part of the training are fully financedby the Land.

1.6 Advisory and consultative bodies

The Lnder have defined the organisation andduties of the consultative bodies in primary,secondary and tertiary education extensively inkeeping with the laws governing schools andhigher education institutions (Schulgesetze andSchulverfassungsgesetze, and particularly Schul-mitbestimmunggesetze, Hochschulgesetze, Berufs-

akademiegesetze and Ausfhrungsverordnungenand Wahlordnungen).

The consultative bodies in the school systeminclude teachers' conferences (Lehrer-konferenzen), in which teachers decide questionsinvolving teaching and education. Decisions bythe conference cannot, however, limit teachers'freedom with respect to the methodological and

teaching organisation of classes, in particular.The textbooks, which must be approved by theMinistry, are selected in teachers' conferences.Teachers' conferences also determine disciplinarymeasures up to the expulsion of a pupil from theschool in conflict situations. In several Lnder,representatives of parents (and pupils) have theright to observe or participate in teachers'conferences.

In addition to the teachers conference, there isalso usually a school conference (Schulkonferenz)to promote cooperation between the schoolmanagement and teachers, pupils and parents.

Teachers, parents and pupils are sometimesrepresented equally in a school conference, andteachers and/or parents sometimes have astronger representation. The scope of the schoolconference's right to advise and participate variesfrom Land to Land. The school conference canusually participate in the following areas of theschool: Organisation of school life and teaching,pupils safety (e.g. through measures designed toprevent accidents) and school events.

The school laws of the Lnder recognise pupils'participation rights in principle and regulate thecomposition and duties of the pupils'representative body (Schlervertretung). Topreserve their interests, pupils elect pupilrepresentatives for each year group on therepresentative principle. The pupils'spokespersons (Schlersprecher) form city ordistrict pupil councils (Kreisschlerrte) at city ordistrict level and a Land pupil council(Landesschlerrat) at Land level. The rights of thepupils' spokespersons include primarily thepresentation of common requests to their school,organisation of cultural, professional, social andsports events in the school area and participationin other consultative bodies.

Parents exercise their rights both individually onthe basis of their right as parents (Elternrecht) andcollectively through bodies representing parents(Elternvertretungen) and through representation inother school consultative bodies. It is generallytrue, however, that parents participate at twolevels within the school: at the lower level throughgroups representing the pupil's own class(Klassenelternversammlung, Klassenpflegschaft),and at a higher level representing the school as awhole (Schulelternbeirat, Elternvertretung). Inaddition, they can participate at the regional levelin individual Lnder(parent councils (Elternrat) atthe city, district and municipality level) and finallyat Land level (Landeselternbeirat, and in somecases also in parent associations for specific typesof school). At federal level, the parent councils atLand level (Landeselternbeirte) combine to form


13/42

GERMANY


the federal parent council (Bundeselternrat) toinform parents of developments in the area ofeducation policy and advise parents on schoolquestions.

No provisions are generally made to allowpersons or institutions other than teachers,parents and pupils in consultative bodies toparticipate in schools, with the exception ofvocational schools. Representatives of industry,the trade unions, churches, leading municipalassociations, institutes of higher education, youthgroups and individuals only have the right toparticipate at regional or Land level. At Landlevel, these representatives can participate inpermanent consultative bodies (Landes-schulbeirte) or in legally regulated ad hocsurveys in school issues of general orfundamental significance. Local and schoolcommittees can also invite their representatives atthe members' request to provide information or

advice.

As bodies corporate under public law and at thesame time State institutions, higher educationinstitutions have the right of self-management.

According to the federal Higher EducationFramework Act (Hochschulrahmengesetz) and thelaws governing institutions of higher education inthe Lnder, all members of a higher educationinstitution, i.e. all those whose chief employmentis with the higher education institution andenrolled students, are involved in the decision-making processes of the higher educationinstitution. This principle was maintained in the

modification of the Hochschulrahmengesetz in1998 and the resulting modifications in the lawsgoverning higher education institutions.

Up to now, two central collegiate bodies(Kollegialorgane) have usually been formed toestablish cooperation between the managementand members of the higher education institution.One of these collegiate bodies can be comparedto the Parliament of the higher educationinstitution (designated Konzil, Konvent orGroerSenat in the laws of the different Lnder). Its mostimportant duties include the election of themanagement of the higher education institution

and deliberations about the basic constitution orstatutes (Grundordnung) of the institution. Thesecond collegiate body (Senat) is responsible forall of the institution's current activities that are offundamental significance. Its most importantduties including formulating resolutions aboutnominations for the election of the highereducation institution's management and its draftbudget, the number of students to be admitted tofields with restricted access, the creation ofdepartments and scientific institutions, key issuesin research and the field of young scientists andartists, examination regulations, anddepartmental recommendations for the

appointment of professors. Despite theresponsibility of the central collegiate bodies, theindividual department carries out the highereducation institution's duties in its subject area.

The department council (Fachbereichsrat) is thebody responsible for all issues involving researchand teaching in the department. Thespokesperson for the department (Fachbereichs-sprecher or Dekan) who chairs the departmentcouncil is a professor who is a member of thedepartment council. Higher education institutionlaws of the Lnder that were modified in 1998and the modifications planned in certain Lndernow call in some cases for only one collegiatebody. The purpose of these modifications isabove all to strengthen individual highereducation institutions' ability to act by transferringresponsibility for decision-making to themanagement of the higher education institutionor the individual departments. A higher educationcouncil (Hochschulrat) or board of trustees(Kuratorium) has been set up in most Lnder toprovide external expertise to support themanagement of higher education institutions on

basic HEI issues and includes businessmen andscientists from other institutions.

Students generally form student bodies(Studierendenschaften) to handle mattersinvolving university policy, social and culturalissues affecting students, to manage the students'supraregional and international relations and tosafeguard student interests with regard to theduties of the higher education institution. Studentunions are subject to the legal supervision of themanagement of the higher education institution.

1.7 Private education

There are private schools in all sectors of theeducation system, albeit to differing degrees. TheBasic Law (Art. 7, paragraph 4) and in part therelevant provisions in the Lnder constitutionsexplicitly guarantee the right to establish privateschools. These state that private schools will beapproved if their teaching goals and equipmentand the academic training of their teaching staffare not inferior to that in public sector schools

and they do not promote any separation of pupilsbased on the economic status of their parents.

In order to ensure a diversified provision, the childand youth welfare law gives non-public bodies(freie Trger) in pre-primary education priorityover public organising bodies (municipalities). Asa result, approximately 66% of Kindergrten inthe Lnderin western Germany were operated byvoluntary organising bodies in 1998. By contrast,in the Lnder in eastern Germany, voluntaryorganising bodies were for historical reasons onlyable to achieve share of approximately 33% by1998.

In the primary sector, the creation of privateschools is only possible subject to strict conditions(Art. 7, paragraph 5 Basic Law), i.e. when the


14/42

GERMANY


school administration recognises a specialpedagogical interest, when the school is to becreated as a non-denominational school(Gemeinschaftsschule), denominational school(Bekenntnisschule) or school pursuing a certainideology (Weltanschauungsschule) and no publicschool of this type already exists in themunicipality. Private primary schools(Grundschulen) are therefore the exception. In thesecondary sector, a distinction must be madebetween two categories of private schools:

alternative schools (Ersatzschulen) the entirepurpose of these schools should be tosubstitute for public schools that already existor are planned in principle in the Land.Compulsory schooling can be fulfilled inthese schools.

complementary schools (Ergnzungsschulen) these schools supplement the public

education on offer by providing trainingcourses primarily in the vocational sector thatare not usually offered in public sectorschools.

The most important legal regulations are specialprivate school laws and financial aid regulations(Finanzhilferegelungen) in the form of laws andrulings by the Lnder. An Agreement concerningthe private school system by the StandingConference of the Ministers of Education and

Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz) of 1951guarantees common framework conditions in theLnder. There were 2,414 private generaleducation schools in 2001, which were attendedby 6.3% of pupils.

The higher education sector also consists

primarily of the State higher education institutionsof the Lnder. The creation of higher educationinstitutions by non-State organising bodies is notregulated explicitly by the Basic Law. Authority todo so can, however, essentially be derived fromthe general guarantee of the freedom of art,science, research and teaching anchored in theBasic Law. The Higher Education Framework Act(Hochschulrahmengesetz) and the laws governinghigher education in the Lnder establish theminimum requirements that must be met by non-State higher education institutions seeking Staterecognition. The decisive factor is evidence thatthe private higher education institution is

equivalent in value (not in kind) to State highereducation institutions. Of 355 higher educationinstitutions, only 86 in most cases smallinstitutions were private in 2000. They wereattended by 2.3% of all students.


15/42

GERMANY


2. PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION

Pre-primary education includes all institutions ofthe non-public and public youth welfare serviceswhich cater for children from the time they reachthe age of three until they begin school. Pre-primary education comes before the start ofcompulsory education, and is therefore not a partof the statutory school system. In Germany,attendance of pre-primary education institutions isentirely voluntary.

Kindergarten is the traditional form ofinstitutionalised pre-primary education for

children between the ages of three and admissionto school, which usually occurs at the age of six.Since 1 January 1996, every child ofKindergartenage has a legal claim to a place in aKindergarten. There are also other institutionsbesides Kindergrten in the field of pre-primaryeducation, but these are of only minorimportance in terms of the number of childrenattending.

For six-year-olds, who have reached compulsoryschool age but whose level of development doesnot yet allow them to cope with the challenges ofthe Grundschule, institutions of various names school kindergartens (Schulkindergrten) in someLnder and pre-primary classes (Vorklassen) inothers have been established and wereattended by 2,643 and 36,739 childrenrespectively in 2000. In most Lnder, the schoolauthorities are authorised by law to require thatsix-year-olds attend Schulkindergarten or pre-primary classes. These institutions, like theVorklassen for five-year-olds, have organisationallinks to Grundschulen.

For children aged five, who are not yet of schoolage and whose parents wish to provide them withspecial assistance and preparation for primaryschool (Grundschule), so-called preparatoryclasses (Vorklassen) are provided in individualLnder. Vorklassen in Grundschulen, which areattended by 1.7% of children aged five, are notcompulsory.

2.1 Organisation

Groups are of mixed ages for children of three tosix years. As a rule, supervision in the Lnder in

western Germany is provided in the morning fivedays a week; in some cases Kindergrten are alsoopen in the afternoon. Many Kindergrten nowtailor their opening hours more closely to families'

requirements than they did in the past andarrange the early-morning or lunchtimesupervision of selected children or groups.

2.2 Curriculum/assessment

Under the Child and Youth Welfare Act of 1990,institutions providing pre-primary education are

called upon to encourage the child's developmentinto an individually responsible and sociallycompetent person. Their function includes theeducation, supervision and general up-bringingof the child. Kindergrten are responsible forsupporting and supplementing the educationprovided in the family and for compensating fordevelopmental deficiencies in order to providechildren with the best possible opportunity fordevelopment and education. Children areencouraged through play and other activitiessuited to their age to develop their physical andmental faculties, to learn to live in society and inthe Kindergarten group, and to become used to

following a regular daily routine and basic rulesof hygiene. Kindergrten also have the function offacilitating children's transition to school byensuring an appropriate level of development.

No curricula in the scholastic sense of the wordare developed for the Kindergarten sector.Instead, the basic pedagogical concepts arederived from the personal ideological, religious orpedagogical orientations of the organising bodiesresponsible for the Kindergrten. The teachingstaff observe the children's development andreport any problems that arise in the group to theparents.

2.3 Teachers

Children in institutions of pre-primary educationare looked after primarily by state-recognisedErzieher (qualified youth or child care workers)and Kinderpfleger (children's nurses). Kinder-grten are often managed by state-recognisedSozialpdagogen (qualified youth and communityworkers).

The state-recognised teachers (Erzieher/-Erzieherinnen) are trained in Fachschulen frSozialpdagogik (technical schools providing


16/42

GERMANY


specialised vocational training for professions ineducational social work) at upper secondarylevel. Those wishing to enter this training coursemust hold at least the Realschulabschluss orequivalent, and have completed a relevantvocational training course of at least two years'duration or at least two years of work experience.Training lasts three to four years with full-timetraining at the Fachschule, and one practical yearin a pre-primary education institution, supervisedby the Fachschule. To work in Kindergrten, state-recognised Sozialpdagogen must have followedcourses at Fachhochschulen leading to a diplomaexamination (Diplomprfung). The training, whichincludes one year of practical training, lasts a totalof four years.

2.4 Statistics

Three- to six-year-olds attending kindergarten in

2000:

3 yearsold

4 yearsold

5 yearsold

number 439,000 628,000 643,000

Rates1 56.3% 82.9% 89.8%

Source: Grund- und Strukturdaten 2003

1 As a percentage of children in the same agegroup (excluding school children).


17/42

GERMANY


3. COMPULSORY GENERAL EDUCATION (primary andlower secondary education)

The Basic Law and Lnder constitutions includecertain fundamental provisions regarding theeducation system. The Lnder establish specificlegal regulations in a variety of laws(Schulgesetze, Schulverwaltungsgesetze, Schul-pflichtgesetze and Schulordnungen) governinggeneral education and vocational schools.

Compulsory schooling begins for all children atage six. It usually lasts nine years of full-timeschooling (10 years in Berlin, Brandenburg,Bremen and Nordrhein-Westfalen). Aftercompleting general compulsory education, youngpeople in upper secondary school who do notattend a full-time general education or vocationalschool are subject to part-time compulsoryeducation (Berufsschulpflicht). This usually laststhree years of part-time schooling according tothe duration of training in a recognisedoccupation requiring formal training. For youngpeople, who neither attend a school to continuetheir general education nor enter into the dualsystem of vocational training, individual Lnderimpose regulations to extend their compulsory

schooling in some type of full-time vocationalschool. Moreover, most Lnderallow pupils whoopt for a voluntary 10th year of education toacquire a secondary school qualification givingthem access to further education.

3A PRIMARY EDUCATIONPrimary education is provided at primary schools(Grundschulen) from the first to the fourth schoolyear (in Berlin and Brandenburg, the first to thesixth year). In the context of general compulsoryschooling, all children attend Grundschuletogether. Children are usually enrolled in the firstyear at age six and usually transfer to a secondaryschool after the fourth year (in Berlin andBrandenburg after the sixth year). The tasks andobjectives of the Grundschule are determined byits position in the school system. The Grundschuleis meant to carry children forward from learningby playing at pre-primary level to more systematicforms of school learning, and seeks to adapt thesubject matter taught and methods employed to

the pupils' requirements and capabilities. TheGrundschule lays the foundations for education insecondary schools and lifelong learning. Itendeavours to provide pupils with a structured

understanding of the impressions they gain fromthe world around them through experiences andto develop their psychomotor abilities andpatterns of social behaviour.

3A.1 Organisation

Teaching provision in schools is usually based onclasses organised by age group. The number ofweekly class hours increases at rates which vary,depending on the Land, from approximately20 hours in the first year to up to 27 hours perweek in the fourth year. One lesson usually lasts45 minutes.

The school year begins on 1 August and ends on31 July in the following year. The actualbeginning and end depend on the dates of thesummer holidays. The total annual duration ofschool holidays is 75 working days, plus about10 public or religious holidays. Teaching usuallytakes place five days a week, Monday to Friday,in the morning. Since there are lessons on two orthree Saturdays a month in some Lnder, theactual number of school days will increaseaccordingly. The total number of weekly lessons,however, will be the same with a five- or six-dayweek, as lessons which are not taught onSaturdays are distributed over the other class daysin the week.

3A.2 Curriculum

The acquisition of reading, writing, and arithmeticskills plays a central role in initial teaching atGrundschulen. Education is provided both inlessons focused on particular disciplines andsubject areas as well as in interdisciplinarylessons. The subjects taught at this level includeGerman, mathematics, Sachunterricht (whichprovides an introduction to social studies, history,geography, biology, physics and chemistry), art,music, sport, and, in most Lnder, religion.Increasingly, an opportunity for a first encounter

with a foreign language is offered from the thirdyear. These first steps in the learning of a foreignlanguage are characterised primarily by learningthrough play. Priority is given to the spoken use of


18/42

GERMANY


language and there is no assessment ofachievement.

3A.3 Assessment/certification/guidance

In Grundschule, as in all other types of schoolsand at all levels, each pupil's achievement iscontinuously monitored by means of written testsand an assessment of the pupils oral andpractical work. A summary of each pupil'sachievement is evaluated in the form of mid-yearand year-end reports. Before moving up to thenext year, a pupil must fulfil certain minimumrequirements in all relevant subjects. A markingsystem is used to assess achievement.

The Standing Conference of the Ministers ofEducation and Cultural Affairs has agreed todefine the marks as follows:

sehr gut (1) The mark sehr gut (very good)should be given for performance which iswell above the required standard.

gut (2) The mark gut (good) should begiven for performance which fully meets therequired standard.

befriedigend (3) The mark befriedigend(satisfactory) should be given for performancewhich generally meets the required standard.

ausreichend (4) The mark ausreichend

(adequate) should be given for performancewhich, although showing deficiencies, on thewhole still meets the required standard.

mangelhaft (5) The mark mangelhaft (poor)should be given for performance which doesnot meet the required standard, but suggeststhat the basic knowledge is there and that thedeficiencies could be made up in areasonable period of time.

ungengend (6) The mark ungengend (verypoor) should be given for performance whichdoes not meet the required standard andwhere even the basic skills are so incompletethat the deficiencies could not be made up ina reasonable period of time.

During the first two years ofGrundschule, in mostLnder pupils are assessed on the basis of areport in which the pupil's progress, strengths andweaknesses in each subject area are described indetail. From the end of the second year at theearliest, pupils receive certificates with marks,which allow the pupil's performance to bemeasured against the class average and thereforepermits a comparative assessment. All childrenprogress automatically from the first to the secondyear. From the second year of Grundschule,however, pupils are placed in the classappropriate to their level of attainment by beingpromoted to the next class or asked to repeat.

The transfer from Grundschule to one of thedifferent lower secondary school types whichpupils must attend at least until the completion oftheir full-time compulsory education (generallyuntil age 15), is dealt with differently dependingon Land legislation. Decisions regarding thepupil's future school career are taken on the basisof the recommendation of the Grundschule whichthe pupil is leaving. This is in any caseaccompanied by detailed consultations with theparents. The final decision is taken either by theparents or by the lower secondary school orschool supervisory authority.

3A.4 Teachers

Teacher training for all school types and teachingcareers is organised in two phases:

1. A course of study at a higher educationinstitution, e.g. university, technical university(Technische Hochschule/TechnischeUniversitt), college of education(Pdagogische Hochschule), college of art ormusic (Kunsthochschule, Musikhochschule),which is geared to the requirements of theteaching profession and the requiredcertificates, and includes student-teacherpractical training components as anintegrated part of the course;

2. A pedagogical-practical training programmein the form of a Vorbereitungsdienst(preparatory service) at teacher trainingcolleges and training schools.

This course of study leads to the First Stateexamination (Erste Staatsprfung) which serves asan entrance qualification for the preparatoryservice. Depending on laws specific to each Land,appropriate Diplom examinations can take theplace of the First State Examination in some cases(e.g. for teachers in certain subject areas atvocational schools).

Representing the second phase of teachertraining, the preparatory service(Vorbereitungsdienst) serves as practical teachertraining. This phase usually lasts two years andincludes, depending on the Land and type ofteaching career, the sitting in on lessons(Hospitation), guided and independent teachingat training schools, and studies in educationaltheory and subject-related didactics at teachertraining colleges where the experience gained inpractical situations is discussed and analysed ingreater detail. The preparatory service leads tothe Second State Examination (ZweiteStaatsprfung), which is the prerequisite but not

a guarantee for finally obtaining a teachingposition. Issues involving remedial instructionshould also be included in the training providedto teachers.


19/42

GERMANY


Training for teaching careers at Grundschulen,like all other teaching careers, is divided into twotraining phases. The first phase comprises aseven-semester course of study, which emphasisesboth educational science and practical teachingexperience. Specifically, students must studyprimary school didactics or two subjects with anoptional or major subject (including didactics).Possible options and specialisations aredetermined by the Lnder.

Teachers at public sector schools in the Lnderinwestern Germany are usually civil servants(Beamte). Their legal status is defined by the CivilService Code in the particularLand, which are inturn based on the federal Civil Service Framework

Act (Beamtenrechtsrahmengesetz). In the Lnderin eastern Germany, teachers usually have thestatus of employees.

All teachers are required to undergo in-service

training, the intention being to ensure thatteachers keep abreast of developments in theirfields and to offer them an opportunity to obtainadditional qualifications. The In-Service TrainingInstitutes for the Teaching Profession establishedby the Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairsoffer a wide range of courses which addressproblems specific to individual types of schooland class levels, as well as those of more generalsignificance, including legal matters and schooladministration.

The children usually have only one teacher duringthe first two years, but from the third year pupilsare increasingly taught by other subject teachers,in order to prepare pupils for secondary schoolwhere they will have a different teacher for eachsubject.

3A.5 Statistics

Pupils, teachers and schools in the primary sector,2001

Grundschulen Pupils Teachers* Schools

2001 3,211,299 159,935 17,175

* Full-time equivalents

Source: Statistische Verffentlichungen derKultusministerkonferenz, No. 164, and Grund-und Strukturdaten, 2001/2002.

Primary schools are attended by all children in therelevant age group. The average number ofpupils in each Grundschule class for all of theFederal Republic came to 22.2 in 2001. Thepupil/teacher ratio in Grundschulen came to 20.1

pupils per teacher in 2001.

3B SECONDARY EDUCATIONGeneral lower secondary schools build on the

primary education provided at Grundschulen. Inmost Lnder, these are the Hauptschule,Realschule, Gymnasium, and Gesamtschule. Inrecent years, some Lnder have introduced newtypes of school with different names dependingon the Land. These new school types combine theeducational paths of the Hauptschule and theRealschule in one organisational and educationalunit. Depending on the Land they are calledeither the Mittelschule, the Sekundarschule, theRegelschule, the Integrierte Haupt- undRealschule, the Verbundene Haupt- undRealschule, the Regionale Schule and theErweiterte Realschule.

The principle underlying the different types oflower secondary school and the courses theyteach is to give pupils a basic general education,combined with an element of individualspecialisation in line with the support andadvancement of the pupil according to his or herperformance. In the fifth and sixth years,regardless of how the school is organised, there isa phase of particular support, observation andorientation towards a further choice ofeducational path with its own subjectspecialisations. In some Lnder, this orientationphase in the fifth and sixth years is established as

a separate stage independent of the differentschool types. From the seventh year, the differenttypes of schools and educational paths areincreasingly differentiated in terms of whichsubject areas are offered, what is required interms of specialisation, and which certificates aresought. In more advanced classes, the form eacheducational path takes and the acquisition of theproper skills for a particular certificate becomeincreasingly important in shaping the individualpupil's school career.

a) School types offering one educational pathSchool types offering one educational path arethe Hauptschule, the Realschule and theGymnasium.

HauptschuleThe Hauptschule provides pupils with afundamental general education. In its normalform, it comprises the fifth to the ninth year. InLnder where the Grundschule lasts six years orwith an orientation stage independent of the typeof school, it begins in the seventh year. In Lnderwith ten years of compulsory schooling, the

Hauptschule includes the tenth school year.

In Lnder where compulsory education coversnine years, pupils have the option of attending a


20/42

GERMANY


voluntary tenth year at the Hauptschule to acquirea further qualification (e.g. the extendedHauptschulabschluss). The Hauptschule alsooffers particularly able pupils the possibility, undercertain conditions, of attaining the MittlererSchulabschluss at the end of this tenth year.

RealschuleThe Realschule offers pupils an extended generaleducation. The normal form ofRealschule coversthe fifth to tenth year of school (in LnderwhereGrundschule lasts six years orwith an orientationstage independent of the type of school, theseventh to tenth year). In addition, there is athree- or four-year Realschule course for pupilswho, after the sixth or seventh year at aHauptschule, wish to transfer to Realschule.

The Realschule leaving certificate permits atransition to training courses resulting directly in

vocational qualifications or to school typesproviding a higher education entrancequalification, as described below within thecontext of the different school-leavingqualifications awarded at the end of lowersecondary school (see 3B.3).

In four Lnder (Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, and Thringen), the Realschule as such isnot offered in the lower secondary school system,but the Realschule leaving certificate can bechosen alongside the Hauptschule leavingcertificate at Erweiterte Realschulen (in Saarland),Mittelschulen (in Sachsen), Sekundarschulen (in

Sachsen-Anhalt), and Regelschulen (inThringen).

GymnasiumGymnasien offer pupils an intensified generaleducation. Gymnasien normally cover the 5th tothe 13th year, or where Grundschule lasts forsix years or there is an orientation stageindependent of the school type the 7th to the13th year. In Sachsen and Thringen, Gymnasiencover the 5th to the 12th year. In Baden-Wrttemberg, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-

Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Saarland and

Sachsen-Anhalt, the transition to an eight yearGymansium educational path is gradually beingmade. Pupils obtain the general higher educationentrance qualification (allgemeine Hochschulreife)by passing the Abitur examination at the end of13 or 12 school years.

At the end of the tenth year ofGymnasium, pupilswho have achieved at least pass marks in allrelevant subjects obtain the entitlement toproceed to the upper level of Gymnasium(Berechtigung zum bergang in die gymnasialeOberstufe).

b) School types offering more than oneeducational pathThe school types offering more than oneeducational path differ from Land to Land andinclude the Gesamtschule, the Mittelschule, theRegelschule, the Sekundarschule, theVerbundende Haupt- und Realschule, theIntegrierte Haupt- und Realschule, the RegionaleSchule and the Erweiterte Realschule. Describedbelow are the Gesamtschule and, by way ofexample, a school type offering both Hauptschuleand Realschule paths which was created after therestoration of German unity in 1990 in one of theLnderin eastern Germany (Saxony).Gesamtschule

Alongside the Hauptschule, the Realschule andthe Gymasium, there are Gesamtschulen in allLnderwith one exception, although they are rarein some Lnder. The kooperative Gesamtschule(cooperative type) combine Hauptschule,Realschule and Gymnasium education in oneorganisational and educational unit. Pupils arestreamed according to their intended finalqualification (Hauptschulabschluss, MittlererSchulabschluss, entitlement to proceed to thegymnasiale Oberstufe).

Integrierte Gesamtschulen (integrated type)constitute an educational and organisationalentity. In some subjects, pupils are taught in setson at least two different levels that are defined

with reference to the curriculum of the chosencourse. Integrierte Gesamtschulen can also awardlower secondary school certificates and entitlementsafter the ninth and tenth school years (see 3B.3).

MittelschuleThe Mittelschule in Sachsen is a differentiatedlower secondary school type, which offers generaland vocationally oriented courses and providesthe prerequisites for vocational qualifications. Inaddition to this, at the beginning of the seventhschool year pupils are required to choose specificoptions. These options (technical, economic,social/home economics, language, music, sport)each occupy three teaching hours a week. Afterthe successful completion of the ninth schoolyear, pupils acquire the Hauptschulabschluss, andif they perform particularly well they may beawarded the qualifizierende Hauptschulabschluss(qualifying Hauptschule leaving certificate). Uponsuccessful completion of the tenth year and thefinal examination the pupil acquires theRealschulabschluss.


21/42

GERMANY


3B.1 Organisation

Teaching provision in schools is usually based on

classes organised by age group. In certainsubjects and types of school offering more thanone educational path, lessons can also be taughtin sets on the basis of ability especially in years7 to 10.

As a rule, pupils attend a total of 28 hours oflessons in compulsory subjects and compulsoryoptions in the years 5 to 6, and 30 hours in years7 to 10 irrespective of school type. The durationof one lesson, the distribution of class time intoweeks of five or six days and the beginning andend of the school year can be seen in thedescription of the Grundschule (see 3A.1).

3B.2 Curriculum

Subjects taught at the Hauptschule includeGerman, a foreign language, mathematics,physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history,Arbeitslehre (pre-vocational studies) and socialstudies, music, art, sport, religion and, in someLnder, domestic science and economics.Mathematics and foreign language (usually

English) courses are frequently taught in setsaccording to the pupil's aptitude. The aim of thisis to better accommodate differences in pupillearning ability, making it possible for more pupilsto gain a further qualification (e.g. the qualifiedHauptschulabschluss), as well as to facilitate theirtransition to other types of secondary school.

Subjects at Realschulen include German, foreignlanguage (usually English), mathematics, physics,chemistry, biology, geography, history, politics,music, art, sport, and religion. In the seventh oreighth year, pupils must take from three to sixhours per week of optional courses in addition to

the compulsory subjects. According to theirpersonal inclination or aptitude, pupils canchoose these courses to strengthen theirknowledge of certain compulsory subjects or canchoose new subjects, such as a second foreignlanguage (usually French) from the seventh oreighth year.

Subjects at Gymnasium in the fifth to tenth yearsof Gymnasium which form part of lowersecondary education include German, at leasttwo foreign languages, mathematics, physics,chemistry, biology, geography, history, politics,music, art, sport and religion. In the ninth andtenth years, pupils usually receive two to fivehours each week of teaching the subjects in thecompulsory elective field (e.g. a third foreignlanguage, sciences, artistic subjects).

Teaching in integrierte Gesamtschulen combinesthe three educational paths of the Hauptschule,the Realschule and the Gymnasium. Setting ofpupils on the basis of ability levels begins inmathematics and first foreign language in year 7,in German usually in year 8 or, at the latest, inyear 9 and in at least one science subject (physicsor chemistry) in year 9 at the latest. All pupilsusually continue to be taught together in socialscience subjects, art, music, sport and religiousinstruction. Gesamtschulen in kooperativer undintegrierter Form (cooperative and integratedcomprehensive schools) can award all lowersecondary school leaving certificates at the end ofyears 9 and 10 (see 3B.3).

3B.3 Assessment/certification/guidance

For a description of assessment in the form of acontinuous assessments, mid-year and year-endreports and the system of marks, see chapter3A.3 on the Grundschule.

Qualification at the end of year 9At the end of year 9, pupils in all Lnderhave theoption of acquiring a first general qualification,called a Hauptschulabschluss (Hauptschuleleaving certificate) in most Lnder. As a rule this

certificate is granted after year 9 if at least asufficient standard has been reached in allsubjects. In the types of school in lower secondaryeducation where courses are organised overmore than 9 years, a corresponding qualificationcan be obtained in most of the Lnderif the pupilhas reached a certain standard. This first generalqualification is primarily used as a basis forvocational training in the dual system. In addition,under certain circumstances it is the requirementfor admission to Berufsfachschulen and to theBerufsgrundbildungsjahr(basic vocational trainingyear). It is, moreover, the requirement for lateradmission to certain Fachschulen (technicalschools providing continuing vocational training)and to institutions offering secondary educationfor adults (Zweiter Bildungsweg).

Qualification at the end of year 10The so-called Mittlere Schulabschluss can beobtained in all Lnderat the end of year 10. Inmost Lnder this qualification is called theRealschulabschluss (Realschule leavingcertificate). This leaving certificate can beobtained at the Realschule if pupils have achievedat least a sufficient standard in all subjects at theend of the 10th year. Subject to the satisfaction ofcertain performance criteria, the MittlererSchulabschluss can also be obtained at the end ofyear 10 at other lower secondary schools and,


22/42

GERMANY


given appropriate records and marks, at theBerufsschule. It entitles the holder to proceed tofurther full-time courses in upper secondaryeducation, e.g. special Berufsfachschulen and theFachoberschule and is also used to grantadmission to vocational training in the dualsystem.

Entitlement to proceed to the gymnasialeOberstufePupils at Gymnasien or at Gesamtschulen whohave followed a Gymnasium-type course areentitled to proceed to the gymnasiale Oberstufe ifthey attain a certain standard in all subjectsusually at the end of the 10th year of theGymnasium or of the Gesamtschule. An entrancequalification required for transfer to thegymnasiale Oberstufe can, however, also beobtained by way of a Mittlerer Schulabschluss(Realschulabschluss) of a certain merit or, undercertain circumstances, via qualifications from anupper secondary vocational school. To guaranteethe quality of lessons and schools provided, in2002 the Lnder decided to introduce nationaleducation standards. Standards currently beingdrawn up for Hauptschule leaving certificates willbe binding on all Lnderfrom 2004 onwards.

3B.4 Teachers

Teacher training for a teaching career in lowersecondary schools is provided, as for all teachingcareers, in two training phases (see 3A.4.). Thefirst phase usually comprises a seven to ninesemester course of study of at least two subjectareas, educational sciences and subject-orienteddidactics. In addition, students must participate ina practical training period in a school lastingseveral weeks; the course of study should alsoinclude a guided didactic or subject-orienteddidactic practical training period.

The professional status of teachers and in-service

teacher training are also described in section3A.4.

3B.5 Statistics

Pupils, teachers and schools in the lower

secondary sector, 2001.

Lower secondaryeducation

Pupils Teachers* Schools

Orientation stage,independent ofschool type

387,365 22,707 2,211

Hauptschule 1,115,646 74,117 5,446

School types withmore than oneeducational path

440,515 29,957 1,776

Realschule 1,277,468 67,788 3,465

Gymnasium 1,628,501 91,379 3,168

IntegratedGesamtschuleincludingindependent Waldorfschools

505,618 35,600 956

* Full-time equivalents.

Source: Statistische Verffentlichungen derKultusministerkonferenz, No. 164, and Grund-und Strukturdaten, 2003.

The following overview shows the proportion of

pupils in the eighth year in each of the varioustypes of general lower secondary school existingin the majority ofLnderin 2001:

Hauptschulen 22.7%

School types with more than one educationalpath

8.9%

Realschulen 24.4%

Gymnasien 29.5%

Integrated Gesamtschulen 8.9%

There was an average of 24.5 pupils in eachclass in the entire Federal Republic in 2002. Thepupil-teacher ratio in lower secondary schoolscame to 19.5 pupils per teacher in 2001.


23/42


24/42

GERMANY


Each of these three subject areas must berepresented in the school record of each pupilup until the end of the upper secondary level ofthe Gymnasium and in the Abiturexamination.Religious education and sport are usually addedto the compulsory subjects. German, a foreignlanguage and mathematics must always be takenthroughout the qualification period, and theresults achieved must be taken into account in theAllgemeine Hochschulreife certificate. To a limitedextent, these three subject areas can be replacedby courses with related contents.

Up to two-thirds of the teaching takes place inbasic courses. Pupils are required to choose atleast two intensified courses, one of which mustbe either German, a continuation of a foreignlanguage, mathematics, or a natural science. IfGerman is the first intensified course,mathematics or a foreign language must beincluded among the four subjects taken in the

Abiturexamination. New subjects offered at theupper level of the Gymnasium, among themforeign languages and vocational subjects, maybe offered as the second intensified course.Some Lnder restrict the choice of intensifiedcourses to specific subject combinations.

In some Lnder, integrated comprehensiveschools (integrierte Gesamtschulen) include the11th to 13th years in addition to lowersecondary level which are organised along thesame lines as the gymnasiale Oberstufe.

4A.3 Assessment/certification/guidance

At the gymnasiale Oberstufe, performance isassessed using a points system, which in turncorresponds to the conventional six-mark scale.

Mark 1 corresponds to 15/14/13 points,depending on the trend of marks.

Mark 2 corresponds to 12/11/10 points,depending on the trend of marks.

Mark 3 corresponds to 9/8/7 points, dependingon the trend of marks.



Mark 6 corresponds to 0 points.

The upper level of the Gymnasium ends with theAbiturexamination. Candidates are examined inat least four subjects, namely the two intensifiedones and another in which they take written

and, in some cases, oral examinations, as wellas a fourth subject which is examined onlyorally. All three subject areas mentioned abovemust be represented on the examination.

German or a foreign language is a compulsoryexamination subject. Depending on the laws ofeach Land, either a fifth subject tested by meansof a written or oral examination, or a speciallearning achievement (besondere Lernleistung),which must be documented in writing, may alsobe included in the Abitur examination. Theparticular learning achievement is supplementedby a colloquium. Candidates who are

Date post:	14-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	tojinbo
View:	224 times
Download:	0 times

Vocational Education in Europe

Documents