Chapter 19: National Policies and Practices on ICT in Education: Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany, with a population of approximately 82 million inhabitants, comprises 16 Länder (federal states) that have exclusive jurisdiction in educational affairs. Their authority includes regulation of the curriculum, time schedules, professional requirements, school buildings, equipment, and recruitment of teachers. Private schools are supervised by and receive funding from state authorities.

The federal system allows for a few key differences between the educational structures of the states (e.g., the existence of comprehensive schools, 9 or 10 years of secondary education, teacher education) and for several differences relating to school programs (e.g., time schedules, names given to curriculum subjects, choice of optional subjects and courses). States organize their respective school systems on two or three levels: the Ministry of Education, regional school boards, and county school administrations. The intermediate level—the regional school board—does not exist in the smaller states.