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GERMANY

Education

School education:
Primary education (Grundschule) lasts for four years in most Länder except Berlin and Brandenburg where it lasts for six years. The secondary school system (grades 5/7 to 12/13) in the Länder is divided in educational paths (depending on the Land) with the respective leaving certificates and qualifications for which different school types and/or school careers are responsible. All types of vocational schools (grade 10/11 onwards) offer the opportunity to acquire general education certificates. There are general secondary education schools, special schools for the physically or mentally handicapped within the system of general and vocational education, and full- or part-time vocational schools (10th/11th grade on). Four main types of general secondary schools covering compulsory schooling exist: Haupschule, Realschule, Gymnasium and Gesamtschule. Secondary education is compulsory and tuition is free. Textbooks and other school material are either free or lent out. From grade 10, pupils may obtain grants if no other financial sources exist. Types of schools differ according to Länder.

Higher education:
There are public and private state-recognized institutions of higher education categorized as: 1. universities (Universitäten) and equivalent higher education institutions (Technische Hochschulen/Technische Universitäten, Universitäten-Gesamthochschulen, Pädagogische Hochschulen); 2. Colleges of art and music (Kunsthochschulen and Musikhochschulen); 3. Fachhochschulen (universities of applied sciences) and Verwaltungsfachhochschulen and company training centres. Since the early 1990s, the structure of higher education study and the internal organization have been the subject of reform. This has involved a review of the standard periods of study and examination requirements and improvements in teaching and a separation of study aimed at preparing students for the practice of a profession and the qualification of a new generation of academics and scientists. One priority is to expand Fachhochschulen and consolidate applied research and technology transfer. Institutions of higher education will be granted further autonomy. Some Länder have already amended their laws on higher education accordingly. Following the adoption in 1998 of the Amendment to the Framework Act for Higher Education, further reform concerning the staff structure and recruitment requirements for professors was introduced through the Act's amendment in 2002. An alternative to institutions of higher education is provided by Berufsakademien. These professional academies have taken the principle of the dual system of vocational education and applied it to the tertiary sector. The qualifications they award are recognized as tertiary sector qualifications that fall under the EU directive on higher education degrees by a resolution of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder of 29 September 1995.

Economy

Germany is one of the world's most advanced market economies. It is the world's third largest economy in USD exchange-rate terms,[1] the fifth largest by purchasing power parity (PPP), and the largest economy in Europe.

Competition and free enterprise are promoted as a matter of government policy. However, the state intervenes in the economy through the provision of subsidies to selected sectors and the partial ownership of enterprises in sectors of strategic importance[citation needed] .

The German economy is heavily export-oriented, with exports accounting for more than one-third of national output. As a result, exports traditionally have been a key element in German macroeconomic expansion. Germany is a strong advocate of closer European economic and political integration, and its economic and commercial policies are increasingly determined by agreements among European Union (EU) members and EU single market legislation. Germany uses the common European currency, the Euro, and its monetary policy is set by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany.

Most foreign and German experts agree that there are/were domestic structural problems to be addressed. Beginning in 2003, the government gradually deregulated the labour market to tackle formerly high unemployment. As a result employment levels are on the upswing and the unemployment rate fell to 7.3% (August 2007) in West-Germany. The situation in post-communist East-Germany remains problematic at 14.7%. The overall unemployment rate was 8.8%. By ILO standards, the unemployment rate was lower, at 8.1% (September 2007 figure). Further issues, which are being addressed by governmental policies, are high non-wage labour costs and bureaucratic regulations that burden businesses and the process of starting new businesses.

Nevertheless, the export oriented economy is doing extremely well. Export growth in 2007 is estimated to be 9%, underscoring Germany's role as the world's biggest exporter. GDP growth in 2006 was 2.7% and is forecasted to retain its strength in the following years.

A problem can be seen in the weak domestic market, most likely stemming from stagnating wages over more than a decade. Germany finances its reunification to a large extent by social insurance contributions, forcing up non-wage labour costs. To conserve the competitiveness of German workers, unions have abandoned high wage demands since the mid-1990s. According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, the average net income after deduction of consumer price rises declined by 2% between 1991 and 2005). However, in 2007 collective bargaining sessions, unions' wage demands were strongly up compared with averages of the last decade.

Climate

Coastal regions of Germany have a temperate climate with warm summers and mild cloudy winters. Inland, the climate is more continental with warmer summers and colder winters. The Alpine and upland regions have cooler weather and more rain. Rain can be expected throughout the country all year round.

Berlin enjoys pleasant, sunny summers when days are long and temperatures can sometimes exceed 86°F (30°C), particularly in July and August. However the summer months are also unpredictable, and odd days can rapidly change from sunshine to cloud. Winter weather in Berlin, by contrast, is bitterly cold and damp, with plentiful snow and frosty days when temperatures hover at or just below freezing. Rain can fall all year round, but the wettest months are June and August, and the driest on average October and February.

List of Universities in GERMANY