Germany and Education

Germanys status of education is in a remarkable place. Germany is successful

at producing high performing students. The countrys success at the quality of education
does not mean that there is complete perfection among the school system. There are
still challenges that Germany faces in its current status of education. In order to align
with the UNs Global Education Initiative, there are some barriers we must overcome.
Currently, discrimination seems to be a key component in improving the quality of the
education our students are receiving. In addition to that, we are currently seeing a lack
of qualification in our educators. This trend could be a cause for the third priority of
change a minimal connection of our curriculum to career and job skills. I believe that
with simple enhancements in our education system, we can vastly improve if not
eliminate all of these issues that currently plague Germanys schools.

Recent reports in Germany are displaying very deep levels of discrimination in

the classroom. This discrimination is particularly harsh towards migrant children (Bobis,
2013) and girls. Priority One of the UNs Global Education Initiative is to Put Every
Child in School, and one of the sub-priorities of that is the problem with gender
discrimination. The UN reports that the many countries under-value girls education, and
this is true in Germany. Many girls face child marriage, early pregnancy, and domestic
labor expectations (Global Education First), and this causes many girls to drop out due
to lack of support or resources. Migrant children face racial discrimination in
classrooms from students and teachers. The problem with this is that nobody wants to

talk about race issues due to its sensitivity. We need to work on communication and our
awareness.

As Germany experiences an influx of students, there is also another problem that

arises. With the increase in students, Germany also needs an increase in the amount of
teachers. The problem with that is that there is a lack of qualified professionals, as
the lack of qualifications is a major barrier to learning (Global Education First). As the
country seeks to improve the quality of education, Germany is solely looking for trained
and qualified professionals. This is turn creates unemployment for those who have not
received complete and proper training. Globally, we need an additional 1.6 million
teachers to achieve universal primary education (Global Education First).

The curriculum presented in classrooms is becoming outdated due to lack of

funding to schools. It is the same information that has been in classrooms for years. It is
not tailored to individual needs or talents (Global Education First). This in turn creates
a lack of career and college ready high school graduates. As of 2010, 17 percent of
young Germans aged between 20 and 30 have no vocational qualification and are no
longer in the education system. (Deutsche Welle, 2010). This is also a major cause of
slacking off in school. Students cited a lack of correlation between curriculum content
and career goals as one reason for breaking off their studies (Photius, 2004).

Overall, focusing on the root can solve these problems. That root is grown
around Germanys lack of qualified professionals. If we start providing training for our

educators, we can decrease discrimination and adapt existing materials to meet todays
needs. This will create a more wholesome experience in the classroom and will
therefore prepare our students to move on to college and prosperous careers.

Works Cited
Bobis, Z. (2013, October 29). Stand up for equality in German schools. Retrieved
October 25, 2015, from http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/german-schoolsquiet-deep-discrimination-problem

Current Education Issues and Outlook for the Future. (2004, November 11). Retrieved
October 25, 2015, from http://www.photius.com/countries/germany/society/
germany_society_current_education_is~1383.html

New report reveals shocking state of German education system. (2010, June 16).
Retrieved October 25, 2015, from http://www.dw.de/new-report-reveals-shocking-stateof-german-education-system/a-5691043

Priorities. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2015, from http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/

priorities.html