The Educational System in Germany   Term Paper ID:27883 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Overview & analysis of Germany's educational system. Describes effects of historical events such as World War II, & the re-unification of Germany. Also discusses the current state educational system.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Overview & analysis of Germany's educational system. Describes effects of historical events such as World War II, & the re-unification of Germany. Also discusses the current state educational system. Paper Introduction: GERMANY The Federal Republic of Germany has carried its educational system over into the newly-unified Germany. The traditional educational system in Germany was developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and codified by the Weimar Republic in the early decades of this century. The Nazis altered the traditional structure to suit their own concepts. Educational reform followed the war, and attempts were made in 1953 to make the educational system more uniform throughout the Länder. More sweeping reforms were instituted in the 1970s. However, each of the Länder (divisions of the country similar to counties) is largely autonomous in education, making it impossible to gain a consensus regarding uniformity for the school system. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. This prepares the student for the middle level of industryand commerce as well as for administrative jobs with the government. At the other extreme, the state ofMecklenburg-Vorpommern has copied the West German model of differentiationafter only four years of common schooling, primarily because its ministerof education overrode the wishes of parents for a more comprehensivedesign. A smaller number of elementary graduates, perhaps 2 percent, attend the intermediate school for a period of six years, from ageten to sixteen. West Germany's innovativepower and economic success have long been associated with its standards ofeducation and vocational training, but these standards are endangered todayby changing social attitudes, over-regulation, and cumbersome bureaucraticprocedures. F. Science, p. The system was characterized by themassive interference of party ideology, the incompetence of partyfunctionaries, and the absolute insulation of the universities against any"spoiling" influences from the international scientific community. Thirty percent of elementary graduates go to the Gymnasium,which lasts for nine years, from age ten to nineteen. |57, , |7,7 |135 |35 |88 |* Per million inhabitantsSource: Courtillot, V. Reformis thus needed in both portions of the former Germanies. Phi Delta Kappan, 39 -393.Nyrop, R. Private schoolsare maintained by churches, private associations, and individuals and arefrequently subsidized by the state on the principle that they shouldcoexist with state schools. Career prospects were based not onacademic achievement but on loyalty to party, state, and Marxist ideology.It is believed it will take at least a generation of students to adapt tothe new western system based on freedom of choice, self-motivation,equality of opportunity, and critical awareness. In the West German system, education and the formulation ofeducational policy are not within the control of the federal government butthe Länder, as noted. Educational responses to reforms in east Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. These last for fiveyears, from age ten to fifteen, with a curriculum that stresses preparationfor a vocation and including mathematics, history, geography, German, andone foreign language. Traditionally, the sexes were segregated inthe educational system, but the trend has been toward coeducation sinceWorld War II. The system begins with Kindergarten, introduced in the mid-nineteenthcentury. Ph.D.'s Awarded to Foreign and National Students| | | | |Ph. It was taken forgranted that the Eastern states would copy the Western system oncereunification was effected. The states of Saxony andSaxony-Anhalt maintain a rather general education for the first ninegrades, at which time extreme differentiation occurs. (1992, April 24). A new comprehensive school has been introduced as a result,and it offers an all-inclusive curriculum for students ages six tonineteen. Reform of the entire East Germaneducational system is inevitable, since the existing system had only onepurpose--to turn out good socialists. Phi Delta Kappan, 386-389. Full-time education is compulsory for nine years. Federal republic of Germany: A country study. TheNazis altered the traditional structure to suit their own concepts.Educational reform followed the war, and attempts were made in 1953 to makethe educational system more uniform throughout the Länder. East German institutions seem dedicated to the idea thatthere should be no change, and this is clearly limiting the changes thatcan be made today (Dürr, 1992, pp. However, each of the Länder(divisions of the country similar to counties) is largely autonomous ineducation, making it impossible to gain a consensus regarding uniformityfor the school system. Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress.Rust, V. In the East, the system was not federalized, sopolitical decisions were centralized and the structures were absolutelyidentical throughout the country. Thecurriculum consists of mathematics, science, German, and two foreignlanguages. (1992, January). Bythe end of this decade, some two million students will be crammed into asystem designed for a maximum of one million, and worse still is the factthat half of all students are studying for degrees in the social sciencesand humanities, degrees which could lead to long-term unemployment. The fact that education in the West has long been administered by theLänder and in the East by a different system means that there arediscrepancies in the system in Germany as a whole today. Institutions of higher learning suffer from overcrowding. The traditional educational system inGermany was developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries andcodified by the Weimar Republic in the early decades of this century. This has not been the case as thecomprehensive school has been more popular in the East German states, andthe state of Thüringen has largely retained the school structure thatexisted prior to unification. The reunificationis more properly seen as the integration of East Germany into West Germany,and it is a process that is forcing Germany to face an intricate network ofsocial, economic, and political problems. Some fifty percent of the students who complete an elementaryeducation continue on to a short-course school. (1982, February). The otherthree states fall between these two extremes. No matter what the structure, it is evident thatlife in the schools in the five new German states is changing dramatically,and there is an air of instability and disquiet in most schools. The Hauptschule, historically intended for the workingclasses, is not popular anywhere, so the old divisions according to socialclass have been difficult to reinforce in any of the schooling programs.Most states also offer parallel structures from which parents may choose,and it seems that parents in certain areas have overwhelmingly opted forcomprehensive schools. (1992, January). These schools arethe main route to higher education and a professional career (Nyrop, 1982,pp. 39 -391). There arefour forms of general secondary education or continuation schools.Secondary education is compartmentalized, and many feel this is too rigidand restrictive and that asking children of ten to make such decisions isunrealistic. This is a sparsely populated farming area, and the people thererecognize that a differentiated system will deprive their children ofoptions to attend elite schools locally, so they must either leave home tofind academic training or be satisfied with primary education. GERMANY The Federal Republic of Germany has carried its educational systemover into the newly-unified Germany. 388). For decades they had been able torely on orders from party headquarters, and many now feel helpless and haveno direction. Higher education in Europe: The French example. D. 72-78). Elementary education begins with a four-year basic school that iscompulsory for children between six and ten. 479. East German education: A system in transition. This was the situation that prevailed until recently, but there arenew challenges facing the educational establishment in Germany along withall other public institutions because of the reunification of the twoGermanies after the disintegration of the Soviet bloc. TheEast German system has certain core problems, beginning with deterioratingbuildings and with teachers, professors, and administrative staff seeminglyparalyzed by the changes being made. D.s |Ph.D.s ||Country |Total |Number of |Number of |Awarded to |Awarded to || |population |Ph.D.s |Ph.D.'s * |Foreigners |Nationals ||France |56, , |7,7 |14 |41 |82 ||Germany |61, , |7,7 |126 |7 |117 ||Japan |122, , |3,6 |3 |n/a |n/a ||Netherlands |15, , |1,2 |8 |n/a |n/a ||Spain |39, , |2,9 |74 |n/a |n/a ||U.S. There isa great need for textbooks and for qualified teachers in the East (Rust,1992, p. They are sponsored by churches, communities, private enterprises,and parents' groups, and they are attended by children from three to sixyears of age. ReferencesDürr, K. |247, , |32,3 |131 |16 |1 9 ||U.K. More sweepingreforms were instituted in the 197 s. Attendance is voluntary, but some 7 percent of eligiblechildren attend these schools. The state ofBrandenburg has established a school structure which houses all three ofthe school branches under one roof, and differentiation takes place in thesixth year. After the fourth year,parents must make a decision concerning secondary education. 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