Germany is the biggest country in the European Nations. Germany has been economically strong enough to consistently, support the value of the Euro. When it comes to education, it is a merge of engineering and technology with art and culture and entertainment that makes the country such a promising study abroad destination. The education system of Germany over the years has produced talents in each industry and domain and hence the craze to study in Germany. The importance is placed as much on research, development, and practical exposure as on theoretical aspects. Today the country embracing students from far and wide and promising them with an approachable, affordable, and high-quality education.
The responsibility for the German education system lies primarily with the states while the federal government plays only a minor role. Optional Kindergarten (nursery school) education is provided for all children between two and six years of age, after which school attendance is compulsory. The system varies throughout Germany because each state (Land) decides its educational policies. Most children, however, first attend Grundschule from the age of six to ten. German secondary education includes five types of school. The Gymnasium is designed to prepare pupils for university education and finishes with the final examination Abitur, after grade 12 or 13. After 1982, the new path was compulsory, as explained above. Other than this, there is the Gesamtschule, which combines the approaches.
There are also Fender Schulen/Sonderschulen. Most German children only attend school in the morning. There are usually no provisions for serving lunch. The amount of extracurricular activity is determined individually by each school and varies greatly. Many of Germany's hundred or so institutions of higher learning charge little or no tuition by international comparison. Students usually must prove through examinations that they are qualified. To enter university, students are, as a rule, required to have passed the Abitur examination; since 2009, however, those with a Meisterbrief (master craftsman's diploma) have also been able to apply. Those wishing to attend a "university of applied sciences" must, as a rule, have Abitur, Fachhochschulreife, or a Meisterbrief.