The report Education in Germany 2018 points to a number of positive results. Children under the age of three continue to participate largely in education, the trend to higher school leaving qualifications is unchecked and university education has never been so popular in Germany. Nevertheless, there are still some major challenges in the education sector. One of these is the continued close correlation between social background and educational achievement.

Investment in education rising

In the Cabinet-approved response to the National Education Report, the German government points to the importance of rising investment. Spending in the fields of education, research and science rose from 274 billion euros in 2015 to almost 282 billion in 2016.

Extending and improving early childhood education

It is crucial to set the scene at an early stage for educational achievement. This makes it all the more important to develop early childhood education and improve the quality of services available. Between 2015 and 2017 the number of under-three-year-olds in nursery education rose by 70,000 to a total of over 760,000. In 2017 one in three children under the age of three in Germany attended a nursery.

Since 2008 the German government has provided substantial financial support for the federal states and municipalities to help them develop and improve the range of childcare on offer. In December the German Bundestag adopted the "Good Nursery Act" which provides for investments totalling 5.5 billion euros by 2022.

Level of education rising

It is encouraging to note that the level of education and participation in education continue to rise. 41.1 per cent of school pupils obtained university entrance qualifications in 2016. In 2006 the figure was only 29.6 per cent.

Almost half of primary school children attend all-day schools. The German government intends to invest 2 billion euros to expand the number of places available. There are also plans to introduce a legal entitlement to all-day care for primary school children.

Equal educational opportunities for all

Some challenges remain in terms of educational opportunities. Every individual should have the best possible educational opportunities, irrespective of their cultural or social background or their material resources. That is why one priority of the German government is to achieve greater equality of opportunity by improving education. One major precondition for educational achievement is training teachers to deal with the increasingly diverse school population. And children from socially disadvantaged families need special assistance.

Strengthening vocational education

The situation on the training market has improved with respect to supply and demand. The German government is determined to make vocational training more attractive also to high-performers. Relevant initiatives and programmes are to be developed.

Germany very attractive place to study

More and more people in Germany are choosing to study at university. In 2017, the number of people starting a university degree (511,000) was over half a million for the fifth consecutive year. To enable universities to admit the large number of new students to the first semester, the government is providing a total of around 20 billion euros within the framework of the university compact over the entire term (2007-2023).

The German government also considers it important to strengthen advanced training. In 2016 one gainfully employed adult in two undertook advanced training, mainly in the form of in-company training.                   

Every two years the National Education Report is produced by a group of independent academics under the aegis of DIPF, the German Institute for International Education Research. The report provides figures and identifies trends in every field of education – from early childhood education to advanced vocational training.