When I first asked my German friend about the German school system, I was still at a loss. Sometimes, the Germans themselves can't explain their educational mechanism.
The 16 federal states form the Federal Republic of Germany, and each state implements its own education policy within the framework of the education system and system determined by the Joint Conference of Ministers of Interstate Culture. For example, Berlin’s elementary school system is 6 years, while Bavaria’s elementary school system is 4 years. When the state government changes, it may also revise the state's education policy. Therefore, the German education system is very flexible and not static.
Generally speaking, children in Germany first have to go to kindergarten, or preschool, and then to the primary school level, which usually lasts for 4 years.
After graduating from elementary school, it will be divided: some students will enter a high-level liberal arts high school with an 8-year or 9-year schooling system, and their goal is to enter a comprehensive university; another part of the students will enter a 5-year general high school, or school system It is a 6-year real school. After graduating from high school, these students will enter vocational schools for the purpose of cultivating vocational skills. Some students may not be sure of their future direction after graduating from elementary school. You can study in a nine-year comprehensive middle school. Of course, Germany also has special schools for children with physical or mental impairments.
Elementary school students in Germany only take half a day of class. They don't usually take very formal exams, and usually just take some quizzes. Moreover, the teacher does not give scores to the students in the lower grades, but writes comments. It was not until the fourth grade that the teacher began to score.
In most states, fourth grade is a watershed for students. In Bavaria, children are assigned to various secondary schools based on their scores, but in North Rhine-Westphalia, children enter various secondary schools based on the recommendation letter of the head teacher. Generally speaking, children with excellent grades will be recommended to advanced liberal arts secondary schools. Of course, there are also parents who are dissatisfied with the teacher's recommendation of their children to ordinary middle schools, and go directly to advanced liberal arts middle schools for opportunities.
Some students took the documents recommended by the teacher to study in the senior liberal arts middle school and went to the practical science middle school to report it. The school may require students from the switching school to take a trial reading, and then professional teachers will assess whether the student can pass the assessment. In short, everyone will choose the destination of this diversion based on their hobbies and strengths.
The way to enter a university in Germany is also very distinctive: the so-called German College Entrance Examination (Abi) only accounts for about 30% of the total scores, and the students' usual scores in the last two years of advanced liberal arts high schools will also be included in the total scores of the college entrance examination. Therefore, the pressure of high school students in Germany is evenly spread to their daily studies.
In Germany, why would anyone give up the opportunity to go to a high-level liberal arts high school, or simply choose the way to go to a vocational school in the future? German vocational education is well-known all over the world, especially their "dual system vocational education", that is, schools and enterprises jointly cultivate talents: after graduation, students can directly stay in the enterprise that cultivates themselves, and enterprises can also recruit Workers who are matched to the profession and can be directly employed.
Vocational education in Germany has a short period of time, employment is guaranteed after graduation, and job benefits are also good. More importantly, German blue-collar workers are often in short supply in the job market and are very respected.
In general, although German students are facing early diversion, they still have the opportunity to constantly adjust their direction. The pressure of students throughout the basic education stage will not only be on the fourth grade exam or the final college entrance examination, but also on the usual and sustained efforts to achieve their goals.
