Education & Research > Studying in Germany : Germany mints highly qualified graduates: OECD education study

Education and research in Germany: Germany fares well in a comparative education study

Germany mints highly qualified graduates: OECD education study

September 09, 2009

Germany is amongst the top education destinations according to a report Education at a glance, 2009 released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The OECD comparative report on education across 30 countries was presented in Berlin on 8 September by the German Minister for Education and Research, Annette Schavan. "Germany has maintained its top competitive position in education ", said Schavan. “We are improving in terms of percentage of first time higher education students. 39% of students of the corresponding age group do elect to pursue a degree”. German Minister for Education and Research, Annette Schavan at the right at the release of the OECD study

German Minister for Education and Research, Annette Schavan at the right at the release of the OECD study

"The college and technical schools pact made by the central and state governments will be instrumental in creating more seats in the coming years. Building colleges and universities along with a quality offensive in teaching methods will ensure than more students can complete their education successfully. The Bologna reform process is important and necessary in order to make education in Germany internationally competitive. We need further improvements in the bachelor and masters study programs.

Within the framework of the college and technical schools pact, the central and the state government will provide a billion Euros between 2007 and 2010 with which 90,000 additional college seats will be available. From 2011 to 1015 a further 275,000 seats will be financed with 3.8 billion Euros.

Germany is also amongst the top when it comes to international students: 8.6 percent of all foreign students from amongst the countries falling under the OECD, study in Germany. After the USA and UK, Germany is the favourite destination for education. 38% of these students are pursuing coursed in the sciences and technology fields.

Schavan: "Our efforts to increase Germany’s attractiveness as a study destination and the internationalisation of Germany’s education institutions have paid off. At the same time, the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) are working towards the goal of ensuring that at least half of German students get some international exposure through exchange programs and scholarships as well as internships abroad.

The strength of the German education system lies in the top results of the graduates in the secondary level 2 (an alternative continuing education path), especially with the high number of graduates in the dual system professional education. 84% of people between the age group of 25 and 64 have at least one degree in the secondary level. Also the number of less-qualified adults in Germany is, at 16% low figure compared to the OECD average.

Further reforms of the education system in Germany will ensure that more people have growth opportunities through further education. The transition from vocational training to degree courses has been simplified. According to Henry Tesch, the president of the culture minister conference, “We want to make our education more accessible as the results of this study prove that a highly qualified population is the best defence against unemployment”.

The OECD education report is released yearly and compares different aspects of education such as number of college entrants and graduates, public and private institutions as well as technical and professional training courses in colleges as well as continuing education opportunities. This year’s report was based on analysis of the 30 OECD member countries as well as six partner countries in the time period 2006 and 2007.