Mkenya Radio March 2014: Understanding the German Education System

The German education system can be a puzzle, and this month we decided to unravel it. We were joined by Marco Söte a teacher at a Gesamtschule in Recklinghausen and the founder of the exchange program between the  same school and Kenya High and Lenana School in Kenya.

You can listen in on the interview below, questions discussed are listed further down:

1. When should children get into Kindergarten?
2. When and where should Sprachförderung be done?
3. When do you register for the Kindergarten?
4. How to register your child in a school. Where do you register and when?
5. What happens when the child is in Germany illegally?
6. How early should you book a spot?
7. Schulpflicht- when does it start? How many years?
8. What happens when the child drops out?
9. How long is the Grundschule?
10. Which school types are there after the Grundschule? (Weiterführende Schule) Sekundarstufe 1, Gymnasium, Gesamtschule, Hauptschule, Realschule, Integrierte Gesamtschule, Sekundarschule
11. What is the difference? What qualifications do you get?
12. Mittlere Abschlüsse – (nach 9. or 10. Klasse) – Hauptschulabschluss, Fachoberschulreife (FOR), Fachoberschulreife mit Qualifikation (FORQ)
13. Who decides which exam a child will do?
14. Sekundarstufe II – (bis 12.-13. Klasse) – Gymnasiale Oberstufe (Gymnasium oder Gesamtschule), Berufskolleg und Berufsschule, Fachoberschulen, Fach Abitur, Abitur, Ausbildung,, Beruflichegymnasium
15. What is G8 or G9?
16. Difference zwischen Fach Abitur und Abitur?
17. Difference Berufskolleg und Berufsschule
18. What is your advice to parents and students? How do you pick the correct school? what should you look for?
19. How bad is it if a child goes to a Hauptschule?
20. Berufsvorbereitungsjahr, Berufsvorbereitungsmaßnahme?
21. What is the difference Universität (Universities), Hochschule und Fachhochschule (Universities of Applied Sciences)?
22. Abendgymnasium, Abendrealschule, Abendhauptschule what qualification?
23. Going to Uni after Ausbildung?
24. What is your advice to parents and students?