Germany Demographics

What is the population of Germany?

What are the health conditions in Germany?

How long do people live in Germany?

What are the health conditions in Germany?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

What is school like in Germany?

Can people in Germany read?

What is school like in Germany?

Classroom

In the classrooms, teachers are highly regarded, but the teacher-student and teacher-parent relationship can be somewhat casual and relaxed.

Computers play a big role in German education. Students are expected to use them to do homework, conduct research on the Internet, and may even learn to write their own programs in classes called “Informatics.”

Education Culture

Today, the schools are overseen primarily by the German states, with little federal government influence. Teachers are hired by the Ministry of Education and, once they prove themselves for a given time period, are essentially hired for life. The teachers participate in administration of each school, and the local town hires the janitorial and secretarial staff. Students help to clean up the classrooms and surrounding grounds. In school, as in much of German culture, cleanliness and order are important.

It is interesting to note that in September 2006, Germany disallowed families to home school their children.

Learning

Kindergarten is available for those who want it for children from age 3 to age 6. Grundschule (elementary school) begins at age 6 and lasts for 4 years. Although private schools are available, most children attend the state-sponsored schools because they are free, and the private schools require additional tuition and administrative costs. At age 10, a child has one of four basic educational options, depending on aptitude: Hauptschule (the least academic, it goes until grade 9), Realschule (until grade 10), Gymnasium (until grade 12 or 13; this is the primary track for students planning on university studies), or Gesamtschule (until grade 10, with all three of the other “tracks” available). Depending on the state, either the teachers or the parents in consultation with the teachers have the final say on which track each child should follow. After all but Gymnasium, students typically enroll in a vocational school where they are trained using a combination of on-the-job training and two days a week in the class. Gymnasium is capped off by taking a test (called Abitur) that determines whether a student may continue on to university studies, which are also free to those who qualify to attend.

The school year usually begins around mid-August and is divided into two semesters. Students typically have 12 weeks of holidays—6 in the summer, 2 at Christmastime, and the rest divided between spring (usually around Easter) and autumn (when children were often required to help with the harvest in days gone by). In some states, school is in session six days a week, Sunday being the only free day.

School normally starts at 8:00 a.m., and is often finished by noon for the younger classes and by 1:30 for children over age ten. There is usually a 5-, 10-, or 15-minute break after each subject (usually taught for 45 minutes), but students do not move to another class for the next subject. Instead, they stay in the same “home room,” and the teachers rotate to the students.

Some elementary schools begin teaching English as early as the first or second grade. At each secondary school, students usually study English for five years as a basic requirement. Some students will also study another language, depending on the state’s requirements. These other languages include French, Latin, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Russian, or ancient Greek. Because each state controls its own curriculum, moving from one state to another can be very difficult for children.

Grading is on a 6-point scale, with 1 being excellent and 6 being failing, or insufficient. Students who get a 6 are often required to repeat the grade level (approximately 5% of the students each year).

To School

Is Germany a safe place to visit?

Crime Information

Criminal Penalties