Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/974

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GERMANY

Instruction.

Education is general and compulsory throughout Germany. The laws of Prussia, which provide for the establishment of elementary schools ( Voiles- schulen), supported from the local rates, in every town and village, and compel all parents to send their children to these or other schools, have been adopted, with slight modifications, in all the States of the Empire. The school age is from six to fourteen.

According to a school census taken in 1911 there were inthatyear 61,557 public elementary schools in Germany with 148,217 male and 39,268 female teachers, and 10,309,949 pupils (5,157,446 boys and 5,152,503 girls).

There were also, in 1911, 480 private schools with 11,894 boys and 14,257 girls who received instruction similar to that given in the Public Ele- mentary Schools.

The system of secondary education is also practically homogeneous. Above the elementary schools rank the middle schools of the towns, the Biirger- schulm and Hbkere Bilrgcrschulcn, which fit their pupils for business life. Children of the working classes may continue their education at the Fortbildungs-Schulen or continuation schools, which are open in the evening or other convenient time. The Gymnasien are the most fully developed classical schools, preparing pupils in a nine years' course for the universities and the learned professions. The Progymncusicn differ from these only in not having the highest classes. In the Realgymnasien, Latin, but not Greek, is taught, and what are usually termed ' modern subjects ' have more time devoted to them. Realprogymnasien have a similar course, but have no class corresponding to the highest class in the preceding. In the Oberrealschulen and Kealsehulen Latin is wholly displaced in favour of modern languages. The teachers in German schools are required to hold a Government certificate, and to have undergone a year's probation. For girls there are IJohcre Tochterschulen and special Gymnasien which prepare for the universities. Besides these there are numerous Qeioerbeschtcien or technical schools, Polytenhnica, normal schools, seminaries, and the universities.

In 1911 (the latest available figures) the number of secondary schools was as follows : — For boys, Gymnasia, 524, with 9,769 teachers and 160,237 pupils; Realgymnasia, 223, with 3,708 teachers and 70,375 pupils; Oberrealschulen, 167, with 3,473 teachers and 75,832 pupils ; Progymnasia, 81, with 570 teachers and 9,509 pupils ; Realschulen, 411, with 4,265 teachers and 89,968 pupils. For girls, Gymnasia, 39, with 1,039 teachers and 22,137 pupils ; High schools, 789, with 11,359 teachers and 212,324 pupils.

There are 10 fully-equipped Technical High Schools, with the power of granting degrees. They are all aided by the States to which they respectively belong. The statistics for the summer half-year 1920 were as follows : —

Schools

Te s a f h *j ng • Students Stan

Schools

Teaching Staff

Students

Berlin. Munich. Darmstadt Karlsruhe Hanover Dresden.

270

128 97

78 80

8,829 3,002 2,267 1,491 2,692 2,474

Stuttgart Aachen. Brunswick Breslau.

Total

85 85 03 48

l.ii32 1,145

'J '."J 90S

929 I 19,862

For 1917 the number of students was 1,721. But in peace times about 12,000 students are enrolled at these schools. Number of women students, 1,246.

For instruction in agriculture there are Agricultural High Schools at Berlin (662 students in 1920), Hohenheim (599), Bonn-Poppelsdorf (652),