The German Education System
In Germany it is compulsory to attend school from the age of 6 to the age of 16. Primary school (Grundschule) takes four years, after which the pupils go on to secondary education. After 5 years of basic secondary school (Hauptschule), pupils generally begin vocational training and attend a vocantional school 2 or 3 days a week. Another option is intermediate school (Realschule) which after 4 to 6 years opens the way to careers in administration or, via special vocational training courses and further schooling, to the technical colleges. Grammar school/highschool (Gymnasium) leads to a general qualification (Abitur) for entering university after 9 years. There are alternative ways for getting into higher education and those young people who leave basic secondary and intermediate school with good grades still have a chance of continuing to study at evening schools or colleges. Germany has also experimential with a (Gesamtschule) consisting of all the above options in one school.
Grants for further education are available from the 11th school year for those parents whose income does not exceed a certain limit. University students are able to receive benefits in the form of a loan, again dependent on parental income. German universities do not charge tuition fees and university facilities such as halls of residence and student canteens are state-subsidized.
The German people
They are as diverse as the landscape and the climate, and for those of you who get to know some of the language this will soon become evident. The difference between Bavarian and a North German from Hannover speaking will soon become apparent even to the novice learner, when he finds that he can understand the odd word the North German is saying but nothing at all of what the Bavarian is trying to tell him.
It is not easy to try and pinpoint the typical traits of a country and its people, but we will try too give you some insight into what to expect.
Germans like their homes. The British phrase " my home is my castle" really seems to hold true here as well. This means that Germans spend large sums on furnishings as well as on their house or flats in general. There is no definite German style of furnishing a house, but prominent features are perhaps such things as a three piece suite, a large heavy coffee table in the living room, and a massive beds and huge combination wardrobes in the bedroom.
Germany has a high standart of living and samll families of 1 or 2 children are the norm. In many cases, no children are the preferred option, particularly when both spouses work. German women who have children and who additionally want to contiune to pursue their career or simply have a job, find it quite hard to do so, as there are too few facilities to have small children looked after on allday basis and nannies or other private arrangements are expensive. Added to this is the fact that second incomes are high taxed. However, German law does accept the role of mother and housewife as equal to working in a job. |
