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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Education in Germany
NEWS ON EDUCATION FROM MUNICH
As the 2005/06 school year came to and end, authorities were happy to report that Munich did not experience the problems of other districts, like attacks on teachers in Berlin and other eastern cities. The year started with some 148,000 children enrolled in 347 schools. In the A-B-C-classes they had 9,478 kids. Munich attracted more kids than anticipated due to a flight from rural Bavaria to the "Big City." Result: more than 30 children per class. But have no worries; an expert in these delicate matters declared that class-size is not decisive in the learning capacity of kids. The parental background is the base of all learning. Now you know.
The Munich school system sits on top of achievements in comparison with other states, from Berlin to Bremen and over to Dresden and Leipzig. But also in Munich there were not enough teachers and teacher helpers. Recruiting efforts in Austria did not help much. German teachers are also lured by the Scandinavian countries...
The hot debate about when to speak the German language in German schools ended in a vague compromise. With the tremendous influx of immigrants from mostly Slavic nations, it was unanimously agreed upon to let the kids communicate with whichever lingo they brought to school. In some German schools - all levels - up to seventeen languages are spoken, presenting of course a nightmare to the teachers and administrators. So there...
In fifty years, there will not be many Germans roaming the Beer Gardens. In 2005, 388,000 marriages were reported, 1.9% less than in 2004. May was the best month to give marriage a try. And in 2005, some 830,000 died, 144,000 more than people were born. The decline of Germany is forecast as mentioned above. See yo'all on Saturday when we have some celebration. Check with the Interior Secretary. Opa.