Practical Learning
A key element of the German school system is the emphasis on practical learning and an early career orientation, where students follow either an academic or vocational path based on individual strengths and interests. Childhood education is a function of the individual federal states, but is similar across the country.
The German education system has five stages:
Early childhood education from 0-6 years,
Primary education from 7-10 years,
Secondary education, consisting of two parts, Lower Secondary from 10-15 and Upper Secondary from 16-18,
and Teriary education which includes vocational polytechnic training and academic university studies.
There is an additional educational branch for children with special needs called ‘Sonderschule’ or ‘Förderschule’, not covered in this essay.
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Early Childhood education
The first educational stage includes Crèche or ‘Kita’ facilities, where babies and very young children are cared for and supervised by trained sitters. Kita runs from early morning to early afternoon and is important for working mothers, giving them a safe place for their young offspring while they work. It is usually paid for by the parents.
The children move on to ‘Kindergarten’ at the age of three. In Kindergarten, the children enjoy a play environment but also learn social skills and some elementary aspects of education like counting and recognizing alphabet letters. Kindergarten goes from early morning to midday, often through the lunchtime period. Some children stay on in an afternoon ‘Hort’ (daycare) facility to serve the needs of working mothers and fathers. Kindergarten is financially supported by the German government and the last year is free for children in some German states.
Source: Vedeezy
Primary School
At the age of around six, children start their formal public education in primary school. Most children attend public primary schools where they live. Some are state-run while others are church-run. Only very few children attend a private primary school. In this phase children are learning the ‘three R’s’: reading, writing and arithmetic. They do not initially receive grades, but receive report cards from the beginning. At some point in the fourth grade, teachers advise parents about what school form they recommend for the next educational stage. The public education system options include: ‘Hauptschule’, ‘Realschule’, ‘Gymnasium’, and ‘Gesamtschule’.
Secondary Education
Hauptschule is geared toward providing students with skills that will help them obtain work and good social integration. Often language skills are part of the training, because many migrant children with no German education begin their school training in this branch.
Realschule is also geared toward preparing children for a non-academic career, emphasizing vocational skills and practical training. Children who attend Realschule obtain their Lower Secondary degree in the tenth grade. From there they can transfer to a Gymnasium or move into a vocational training program.
Gymnasium provides preparation for academic studies. Gymnasiums often have different areas of emphasis, like humanities (Greek, Latin, Philosophy, Religion), languages or technical applications (mathematics, chemistry, science). In the lower secondary phase, most schools have similar curriculums. When the students reach the upper secondary phase, they choose several subjects for specialization. Their results in these special subjects count heavily toward their grade-point average when they finish their ‘Abitur’ ( high school degree).
Gesamtschule is a relatively new branch of secondary school in Germany. It combines all school forms to allow for learning together in one place.
University Education is the final educational phase for students who obtained an Abitur from Gymnasium. There are a variety of university level schools and students usually attend them for up to about six years. It takes usually around six or seven semesters to complete a Bachelor and another three or four semesters to complete a Masters Degree.
Source: Adobe
Sources:
University of Europe for Applied Sciences (UE)