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Reform Proposed for Education System |
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 In May 2005, the Cologne Institute for Business Research published
proposals to reform the German education system
drawn up by the
employers’ association for the metalworking and electrical industry,
Gesamtmetall. Gesamtmetall calls for a fundamentally new direction in
education, arguing that attempts by companies in its sectors to employ
the next generation of workers are being severely hampered by a lack of
appropriate knowledge and skills amongst young people.
On 5 May 2005, the Cologne Institute for Business Research (Institut
der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, IW) published proposals for school
reforms drawn up by the employers' association for the metalworking and
and electrical sectors, Gesamtmetall. The suggestions have been put
forward by Gesamtmetall under the motto 'More efficiency, more quality,
more opportunities' . The association calls for a fundamental change of
tack in school education as, in the future, workers with qualifications
that are precisely tailored and capable of meeting new demands will
become even more important for the metalworking and electrical
industry. According to statements by Gesamtmetall, many apprenticeship
places remain unfilled every year, because companies cannot find enough
suitably qualified applicants (DE0501104F). The president of
Gesamtmetall, Martin Kannegiesser, said at the start of April 2005 that
it was, therefore, necessary to increase the quality and efficiency of
the education system. He added that schooling children earlier is a
prerequisite for ensuring that the opportunities open to people when
they enter the education system and the world of work are distributed
equally. The financing of the education system should also be turned on
its head: 'we need' , according to Mr Kannegiesser, 'a high degree of
state involvement [when children start their schooling and earlier],
whilst, later on, when education is reaching an end when careers are
about to start, it must become acceptable for students and pupils to
pay for their own education' .
The main demands made by Gesamtmetall are summarised below.
Extension of the early-years education system
In order to facilitate equality of opportunity, young children should
be given the chance to learn, states Gesamtmetall. This means that
childcare facilities should be extended; moreover, kindergartens and
similar childcare institutes should be given the task of educating
their charges. Children should also, if their stage of development
permits this, go to school from the age of five.
Increase in school quality
An increase in the quality of teaching as well as increased competition
between schools should be the focus of attention, in the view of
Gesamtmetall. This means that schools should be given more freedom in,
for example, their budgetary and personnel decisions; schools should
also be evaluated regularly. Core elements of the curriculum as well as
more precise teaching requirements and increased lessons in
mathematical and technical subjects should improve children’s
knowledge. It is not the organisation of the education system, but the
quality of teaching that largely determines whether or not, first,
weaker pupils complete the year successfully, and, second, more able
students are stretched intellectually. Demographic developments may, in
any case, lead to a situation in which the individual school forms
become less and less distinct. Moreover, it is also necessary to offer
all-day schooling in every type of school. The status of teachers as
civil servants should be abolished. Gesamtmetall has appealed,
moreover, for teachers to be present in schools for longer; they should
be also obliged to undertake continuous training. Modern leadership and
remuneration policies, such as continuous personal development and
incentives for teachers to increase their performance, as well as a
greater emphasis on the practicalities of teaching, should improve
school lessons.
Opening up education and changing finance
By using a 'credit point system' , higher educational qualifications
should, according to Gesamtmetall, be opened up yet further for those
who have successfully completed a vocational training course. Bachelors
and masters courses should be increasingly offered on a part-time
basis. The financing of the educational system must be fundamentally
reformed, according to Gesamtmetall. Schooling for young children
should be free; on the other hand, fees should be paid for university
studies.
Commentary
As a result of the considerable rise in the provision of apprenticeship
places by companies in 2004, the number of such training places
increased for the first time in four years. Companies offered
approximately 21,700 more apprenticeships than in the previous year, an
increase of 4.4%. The number of signed apprenticeship contracts
increased, however, by just under 3%, as extra-firm training places
were no longer provided. The increase was most marked in eastern
Germany. The new federal states had, on average, 7.5% more signed
apprenticeship contracts in firms in 2004 than they did in 2003. On
average, western federal states increased the number of signed
contracts by 3.7%. The industrial vocations in the metalworking and
electrical sectors were not excluded from these trends. In 2004, 66,530
new apprenticeship contracts were signed, an increase of 1.6% compared
with 2003. Despite these good figures, it is still possible to agree
with Gesamtmetall that the increases could have been even greater if
the education system were geared more towards vocational needs. The
suggestions made by Gesamtmetall should, therefore, become policy as
soon as possible.
 Lothar Funk
WSI in der Hans-Bockler-Stiftung
31 May 2005
Obtained from EIRO |
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First Steps 
