Duration of school time
The duration of school-based education varies from country to country.
Germany
In Germany , due to the cultural sovereignty of the federal states , the duration of schooling is regulated by state law, but there is a basic compulsory education , which in most states comprises nine years of full-time school and three years of part-time school ( vocational school ).
Secondary school leaving certificate
In Germany, at least nine years are required to obtain the secondary school leaving certificate ( vocational school qualification ).
Middle school leaving certificate
The average maturity to achieve (High school / College student), ten school years are required.
General higher education entrance qualification (Abitur)
Since the 19th century, the schooling to general higher education entrance qualification ( Abitur ) was 13 years in Germany.
In the GDR , the university entrance qualification was achieved after just twelve years. Saxony and Thuringia retained the twelve years of schooling after the end of the GDR. This precedent as well as the comparison with the almost consistently shorter school time in other states and the financial hardship of the federal states had triggered a nationwide trend in the 1990s and early 2000s towards planning to shorten schooling to twelve years (see also: Abitur after twelve years ).
The twelve-year schooling was taken over by the GDR in the following federal states:
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania ,
- Saxony,
- Saxony-Anhalt .
- Thuringia
Changeover to G8
The changeover to twelve years ( G8 ) was decided in:
- Saarland , for the first time with the 2009 Abitur class;
- Hamburg , for the first time with the 2010 Abitur class;
- Bavaria , with the 2011 Abitur class for the first time;
- Lower Saxony , for the first time with the 2011 Abitur class;
- Baden-Württemberg , for the first time with the 2012 Abitur class;
- Bremen , for the first time with the 2012 Abitur class;
- Brandenburg , for the first time with the Abitur class 2012;
- Berlin , for the first time with the 2012 Abitur class;
- Hessen , for the first time with the 2013 Abitur class;
- North Rhine-Westphalia , for the first time with the 2013 Abitur class;
- Schleswig-Holstein , for the first time with the 2016 Abitur class
In Rhineland-Palatinate there is a twelve-and-a-half year schooling period ( Mainz study level ) to enable students to start the summer semester at universities . The written Abitur exams are usually in January. At the beginning of March there are the regular certificates for class 13, the oral Abitur exams take place in mid-March, and at the end of March there is usually the graduation ceremony for high school graduates, at which the Abitur certificates are handed out.
Optionally, the Abitur in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate can be taken at selected schools even after 13 years.
Return to G9
In almost all federal states that introduced the Abitur after 12 years, i.e. the eight-year grammar school in the 2000s, based on experience, the reintroduction of the nine-year grammar school is more in favor and there are lively initiatives for it. In several federal states, such as Lower Saxony, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia, the return from the G8 to the G9 has already been decided. The return to G9 as regular school time for future high school graduates is currently planned or being carried out in the following federal states:
- Lower Saxony , started school year 2015/2016, 8th grade, G9 from high school graduation year 2021
- Bavaria , started school year 2018/2019, 6th grade, G9 from high school graduation year 2025
- Schleswig-Holstein , started school year 2019/2020, 6th grade, G9 from high school graduation year 2026
- North Rhine-Westphalia , started school year 2019/2020, 5th and 6th grade, G9 from high school graduation year 2027
The option of choosing between G8 and G9 also at general high schools is offered by:
- Baden-Württemberg , pilot project in 44 schools since 2013/2014
- Hessen , currently G8 / G9 freedom of choice since 2013/2014
During the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, the Philologists Association in Baden-Württemberg called for an extension of school time for all grades from 5 to 10 from twelve to thirteen regular school years.
Austria
Secondary school leaving certificate
In Austria the minimum school time is nine years. They consist of four classes of elementary school , four classes of new middle school or the lower level of grammar school and another year, the polytechnic school.
Matura
The polytechnic can, however, be replaced by other options:
From the ninth grade onwards, the upper grade of the grammar school begins (also general education higher school , in short: AHS ) and ends with the Matura after the twelfth grade.
But you can also attend a vocational college , or BHS for short , which, after the 13th grade, concludes with a matriculation and diploma examination and entitles you to attend a university.
A third option is to attend secondary vocational school, which in many cases lasts from ninth to twelfth grade. In some cases, the qualification can be credited towards an apprenticeship qualification corresponding to the subject . After this school there is also the possibility of attaining the university entrance qualification by means of an advanced course .
Switzerland
In Switzerland there are grammar schools - depending on the respective canton - that end with the 12th or 13th grade. Nine years of compulsory schooling are the rule, with the last year of kindergarten being mandatory. After the compulsory school years, three to four years of high school can follow.
School enrollment usually takes place between the ages of six and seven.
Canton of St. Gallen
In the canton of St. Gallen , at least one year of kindergarten is required. Then the six-year primary school must be attended. The upper level consists of either three years of secondary school or three years of secondary school , with the pupils who are stronger at school attending secondary school. This completes the compulsory schooling. The tenth year of school is optional and often a welcome bridge if a suitable apprenticeship cannot be found.
The Matura courses of the canton school follow on from the second grade of the secondary school and last four years. In addition, after the sixth year of primary school, a Progymnasium can be attended in St. Gallen , which then entitles the student to transfer to the cantonal school without an examination.
Alternatively, the vocational secondary school (BMS) can be attended during or after an apprenticeship. This lasts three to four years during an apprenticeship and enables admission to a university without an examination. The BMS can also be completed within nine months after the apprenticeship as a full-time school.
With a high school diploma or a professional diploma, entry into a technical college or university is usually possible without an entrance examination. A numerus clausus exists, for example, when studying medicine , for which a separate examination has to be taken. The university course usually lasts six semesters, although further courses can be added.
Australia
Schooling in Australia is compulsory from six to 15 years of age (up to 16 years in Tasmania ). Every state and territory has its own school laws .
In addition to the public schools, there are also private schools at all levels . In private schools, eight key subjects are prescribed, in which 60 hours of instruction per semester are required to learn the basic skills.
Most children start primary school at the age of five. Primary school lasts until the seventh or eighth school year. Then you switch to the secondary schools, which have to be attended up to the tenth grade. Preschool and the eleventh and twelfth school years are not compulsory.
The school year runs from January to December.
supporting documents
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento from October 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento from November 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento from August 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Thuringian Ministry of Culture - School System. October 12, 2009, archived from the original on October 12, 2009 ; accessed on May 18, 2019 .
- ^ Süddeutsche de GmbH, Munich Germany: NRW returns to G9-Gymnasium - Political News. Süddeutsche Zeitung , July 11, 2018, accessed on August 13, 2020 .
- ↑ Consequences of the coronavirus - all students in the next school year: debate about transfer. bnn.de, April 21, 2020, accessed on April 27, 2020 .