作者/V.A.K.
編譯/李明洋
對每一個積極又先進的國家主事者來說，公平地讓每位國民接受高品質教育是責無旁貸的任務，而透過教育的薰陶，即能確保國家社會的融合。無論是否具備公民資格，都享有不容剝奪的受教權。然而，當外界針對德國教育體系的公信力與透明度提出批判時，德國當局卻是視而不見，充耳不聞。
就在不久前，我閱讀了許多德國報紙的社論，其中有不少文章公開批評現今的德國學校體系充斥著歧視與不公，受害者不只是移民家庭的子女，也包括那些家境較貧困的孩子。其次，當我在語言研究所進修學位的時候，授課的教授也告訴我們，德國的教育體系中有很多愚蠢的地方。
有人說，每件事情都有正反兩面。我也如此認為，德國的學校體系一定也有著不為人知的一面。所以，我們不妨就從最根本的地方開始說起吧!
究竟德國的學校體系和其他國家有什麼不同之處呢?當然，每個國家的教育都會有自己的一套和風格，所以各地的教育政策不盡相同，即使如此，我認為教育的目標仍舊是相同的，亦即要讓每位學生接受均質的教育。德國學校體系和其他國家最大的差異就在於德國各個州的教育體系均不相同，換句話說，德國共有16個州，所以共有16個不同的教育體系同時在德國境內運作。這樣的情形可以說是極其特殊的多樣性呢?還是模糊不清的一團亂呢?這個問題確實很難回答。
此外，德國和世界上許多國家的學校體系還有一個非常不一樣的地方，那就是德國從基礎教育階段開始就劃分為極其複雜的3個層級，第一個層級稱之為主幹學校(Hauptschule)，從5年級讀到10年級；第二個層級稱之為實科學校(Realschule)，也是從5年級讀到10年級；第三個層級稱之為文法學校(Gymnasium)，則是從5年級讀到12年級或13年級。
當孩子升上小學四年級的時候，就要開始分流(stream)。什麼?這麼小的年紀就要分流?這實在很難想像，但這套教育體系確實就是活生生的出現在這個國家。而根據學生的聰明才智，將他們分配到適合的教育路線(即一般所謂的分軌，tracking)，這就是當外界批判這套體系時，德國教育當局最常用來辯解的理由。但是問題在於，教師要如何在短短的兩個小時內，判斷一個年僅10歲的四年級孩童到底適合走哪條路線呢?這實在是非常可笑!因為令人沮喪的是，有很多孩子直到年紀比較大之後才會展現出真正的才能。所以，如果孩子因為某種原因使其在有限的時間內表現失常，那麼他(她)就會被剝奪就讀文法學校(Gymnasium)的資格，使其未來的職業選項被殘酷地予以窄化。導致孩子表現不佳的原因可能成千上萬，在現實生活中，他(她)的聰明才智可能很高，但如果只是因為在篩檢期間過度緊張而影響表現呢?那是否就意味著他(她)已經沒有機會進入好學校讀書呢?
教師根據學生的表現，決定他(她)應該進入哪一個層級的學校讀書。
文法學校是最被吹捧及最受歡迎的學校，可以說是所有德國父母期望子女得以就讀的夢想學校。我敢保證，當子女只拿到第4級的成績時，一定有為數眾多的德國父母感到憂心忡忡。文法學校的德文是”Gymnasium”，雖然在英文中的意思是”體育館”，但可別誤會，這和體育是完全無關的。德國的文法學校其實就是大學的預備高中，只有1/3左右的孩子會被選入文法學校就學，然後從5年級一直讀到13年級，接著參加高中會考(Abitur， 譯者註:亦即將高中學歷檢定及大學入學考試二合一的考試)，以取得畢業證書，進入大學。
主幹學校其實就是個進行補救教育的學校。當學生完成學業時，多半是沒有證書，而且也要開始展開做粗工的人生了。
實科學校則是接收中等程度學生的學校。當學生完成10年級的學業後，也要參加會考或期末考，接著，就要到各個領域做學徒。有時，在實科學校表現優異的學生，還可以轉到文法學校就學。
雖然各州的教育體系或有不同，但上述的各種學校是目前德國教育的整理運作模式。不過，我的重點是，這樣的一套教育體系合理嗎?教育不是應該由中央政府統籌管理嗎?我的看法是，國家的(基礎)教育應該趨於一致，而不該由各州自行訂定規則。誠如俗諺所云”人多誤事(Too many cooks spoil the broth)”，過於複雜的教育體系只會衍生出更多的問題，而這也正是目前德國學校體系備受非議之處。所以，現在正是德國人著手將教育體系簡化的重要時刻!
再者，雖然德國高等教育的品質向來備受各方讚譽，但我覺得很有意思的是，一方面德國當局精心策畫，讓德國的高等教育達到了世界的頂點，但另一方面，這樣的教育體系卻又是一團糟。事實上，德國學校教育體系最被人所抨擊的就是在孩子年紀還很小的時候就實施分流制。明明孩子就是聰明伶俐，結果老師卻告訴家長，孩子不是讀文法學校的料，這是什麼意思?孩子不過是個四年級的孩子，這樣的結果難道不令家長心碎?如果說，判斷的標準是只採計孩子的表現，那或許可接受，但事實往往不是只由表現決定。
目前的情況是，如果某人是工程師，他的太太是醫師，除非孩子的智商真的比同儕還差，否則幾乎可以確定，他們的孩子在升上五年級時，絕對會被選去讀文法學校。然而，如果某人的女兒頗有天分，學業成就也很高，但最後卻只能去讀實科學校，為什麼會這樣?原來她是個土耳其裔，爸爸在開計程車，媽媽是個家庭主婦。這就是德國學校體系裡的歧視文化。當我的老師告訴我們這個現象時，我們全班同學都嚇了一大跳。而當我們追問:”難道我們不能對這樣的歧視提出抗議，對這樣的老師提出控訴嗎?畢竟在我們的成長過程中，所見過或所聽過的教師，對學生都是一視同仁的。”對於這樣的提問，我們的老師回答道:”你可以控告老師甚至是學校，但你卻無法控告這整個行之有年的教育體系。”我很無言。我只能說，這個國家是刻意地在妨礙眾多資質聰穎的孩童。這些孩子如果不是因為父母職業或出身卑微而被歧視的話，他們都是可以有一番輝煌成就的。這實在是非常不人道，真是讓人吃驚。
我的看法是，不管我們多麼努力地剷除納粹主義(Nazism)，但我們依然無法將之連根拔除，在我們的社會上仍舊普遍充斥著這樣的思維。我不特定針對哪個國家，但只要哪個國家的社會仍存在著任何形式的歧視(文化)，那麼就是納粹主義活躍的溫床。在德國，政府當局並沒有為學習障礙的孩子提供很多支持，這點從目前的學校制度，學生只要學習狀況不佳，哪怕是只有一科，也得被迫留級就可以得到證明。
就是這樣的學校體系迫使著許許多多聰穎的孩子極度沮喪，且對未來惶惑不安。第4級的成績實在不能用來判斷一個孩子的真正才能，畢竟他們的年紀還太小。德國這樣的制度無疑是自毀前程。不妨思量這些孩子的前途，如果我們的教育不要採取分流措施，不要給予孩子不公平的教育環境，而是賦予他們一個公平、一致，且充滿鼓勵的教育體系，那麼當他們長大後將形成一股強大的工作能量，對於德國這個快速老化及勞力市場畏縮的國家來說，必定會有卓著的貢獻。
令人慶幸的是，終於有政黨意識到潛藏在教育體系裡的這些黑暗面，開始著手糾正並針對某些核心措施進行改革。例如保守派的基督教民主聯盟(Christian Democratic Union, CDU)已提出一項草案，終結備受爭議的3層級教育體系，以及廢除各州主導教育事務的部門。在長達30頁的草案中指出:”目前我們的學校有太多類型，使得家長、學生和教師都備感困惑。這就是為何我們呼籲減少學校類型，並在各州推行兩軌制(two-way model)的原因。”
基督教民主聯盟在草案中要求，將主幹學校和實科中學合併成一種新的學校類型，德文稱之為”Oberschule”，意思就是高中(upper school)。事實上，某些州業已設立這種新式的學校。幾乎所有的主要政黨都將問題的矛頭指向程度最低的主幹學校，因為事實顯示，在競爭激烈的就業市場上，主幹學校的畢業生很有可能成為最弱勢的一群。而且相較之下，移民家庭的子女就讀主幹學校的比例乃高於德國本土出生的孩童。
德國是否要著手建立一個公平且一致的教育體制，還是要繼續堅守原本天怒人怨的教育路線，那就端看德國人自己的決定。德意志聯邦共和國(Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland)老是大談民主，現在全世界的眼睛都在看，正等著看德國是否會對教育進行徹底的改革。當然，要德國當局採行統一的教育標準，以確保16個州政府在教育措施上不得有任何歧視是需要時間的，而且德國聯邦政府和各州政府也必須在教育政策的執行上彼此地相互合作。
【作者介紹：V.A.K.】
本文作者隸屬於德國知名網路論壇trust 7的執筆作家。trust 7由Manuel Desdin和Detlef von Hellfeld成立於2000年，旨在提供德國相關資訊給世界各地的人士，並提供諮詢服務，目前擁有來自世界各地的6000多名會員。
A critical overview of Germany’s much controversial school system
A fair deliverance of quality education is the duty of every responsive and progressive nation, thereby ensuring the process of assimilation through education. Right to education applies to all the citizens and non citizens, it is an inalienable law. However, it seems Germany has turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the critics who raise fingers on the credibility and transparency of the alleged system of German schooling. In this topic we would discuss at length the anomalies and the loopholes, existing in the German schooling. Just before I embark upon the critical assessment of Schule politik, I would like to clarify that I have read numerous articles including many Deutsch newspaper editorials, which have openly confronted the present system of schooling which essentially promotes and practices discrimination not just towards children of immigrants but also towards children who don’t come from sound financial backgrounds. Secondly, like I had mentioned in the previous blog I completed my B1 from a language institute where we were also taught about the complex German school system and our teachers were kind enough to make us aware of the follies in it.
It is said, every story has two sides. I am sure, there would be another side to this story which is hidden from us. So we’d explore the facet best known. Let’s begin from the very beginning. How does German schooling differ from others? Well, every country has it’s own methods and style of teaching, hence school policies vary from region to region, but the goal is the same i.e. to impart quality education uniformly. The main difference lies here, which I personally find rather bizarre, the system of education differs from state to state in Germany oder die Bundesländer bestimmen in Deutschland die Schulpolitik. It suggests there are 16 different education systems operating across Germany, since there are 16 states. Is it a unique diversity or a delirious intangible mess?? Indeed, the answer is hard to find.
In contrast to the prevalent school system in most countries, Germany has a complex three tier high school system. Come fourth grade and the streaming of pupils begin. What?At such a young age?? It’s hard to imagine, but this is how the whole schooling structure is built up here. So according to their intelligence, they are filtered out and shown educational tracks that best suit their calibre. This is how schools defend themselves against criticism. The most sane questions that come to mind are, why this insanity or better still idiosyncrasy?? How can a teacher judge a child as young as a fourth grader as being meritorious or not in two hours? Ridiculous! and how absolutely demoralizing!! There are many children who show their real talent at a later age. So if my child for some reason couldn’t perform well in the given slot of time, he/she would be deprived of Gymnasium and thus his/her future career options are brutally narrowed down. There could be infinite reasons for the lack of performance of a child, he/she might be very intelligent in real life, what if he/she got nervous during the screening?? That means he/she has no chance of getting into a good school.
The three tier system involves:
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General secondary school or Hauptschule (grades 5 -10)
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The intermediate secondary school or Realschule (grades 5-10)
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The academic high school or Gymnasium (grades 5-12 or 13)
The children are assessed by their teachers who decide which school best suits a particular student based on their performance.
Gymnasium – it is the most sought after or preferred school ; the dream of every parent for their kids to be be selected for Gymnasium. I am sure, parents have a lot of anxiety when their children reach standard fourth. Like I said before, don’t be fooled by the common words in English and German. Gymnasium has nothing to do with physical education. It is college preparatory high school which is attended by students from grade 5 to 12 or 13. Yes! 13th grade does exist here. Holiness! Only about one third of the students are picked up for Gymnasium, who continue through the final grades. The mandatory requirement for the Gymnasiasten is to take a rather challenging exam known as Abitur in order to secure their diplomas. This diploma paves their way to University. Das Abitur braucht man normalerweise, um einer Universitat in Dutschland ein Studium zu beginnen.
Hauptschule – is primarily a remedial education. Hauptschüler leave school after the ninth standard, mostly such students don’t earn a diploma and thus end up taking menial jobs.
Realschule – sees the influx of more average students.Realschüler also take an Abschluss or term end exam before they leave school after 10th grade, after which they begin apprenticeships in a number of fields. The brighter ones may also get transferred to Gymnasium to finish their studies.
This is the pattern in which the entire Deutsch school system operates, obviously differing in each Bundesland (State). Now my question is, do you think the system is justifiable? And shouldn’t education be the portfolio to be handled exclusively by the central Government? With each State prescribing its own set of rules in schooling, the uniformity goes missing. My stance is very clear, there has to be uniformity in the system of education and states should not have any interference in it. There goes a saying ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’ likewise too many experiments with education system are only creating more ruckus and complexity in the face of pre-existant criticisms regarding the German schooling. It’s high time Germans start simplifying mechanisms.
Also, this article is only and only focussed on the school system which has severe yet workable indiscretions. Nowhere have I raised a finger on Higher or University Education. Infact, the latter is appreciable in many respects and Germany has always been known for the good quality higher education. I find it rather amusing, on one hand their Higher education is so well planned and has won laurels, on the other hand their school system is a complete mess. The system is criticized mainly because it starts streaming or filtering out pupils at a very young age. What if your child is intelligent and suddenly the teacher tells you that he/she is not a Gymnasium material? That too, when they are only in 4th grade. Aren’t you going to be shattered? Things would have been still acceptable if only the performance of the child was the sole criteria for judgement, but it is more than mere performance. If you are an engineer, and your wife; a doctor, rest assured your son despite being less intelligent than other students would continue with 5th grade in a Gymnasium. However, if your daughter is named Sena who is fairly intelligent and has a good score card in elementary school yet she lands up in Mittleschule. Why? She is a Turkish who’s dad is a taxi driver and mom; a housewife. This is where discrimination comes in schooling. When my teacher first told our class about this practice, we were completely taken aback. Upon asking her, “can’t we complain against such a teacher or sue the teacher who practices discrimination?? After all, we have grown up seeing and reading that for a teacher all the students are alike”. To which our language teacher replied – “you can sue the particular teacher or even the school. But you can’t sue the entire system and this is how it functions in Germany”. I couldn’t argue any more. All I can say is, the States are deliberately handicapping the future of so many bright children, who could have out shined others had they been not discriminated on the grounds of their parents’ occupations or their origin. Indeed! inhumane and very alarming.
My argument is straightforward, no matter how much we brush aside Nazism (which was nothing but cynical and extreme discrimination) it is still very much prevalent in our societies and we have failed to completely uproot its effects from our systems. Somewhere or the other, the demons of Nazism are let loose time and again. I am not pin pointing towards any specific country, but all those societies where discrimination exists, in any form, are active grounds for Nazism. The argument doesn’t end here, German schools don’t offer much support to students with learning disabilities. And the situation gets grimmer by the fact that students are held back or have to repeat the same class all over again, if they fail even a single subject in school.
This school system is sentencing many-many brilliant children to a life of utmost frustration, and a future of obscurity. Fourth standard is not an age to judge the true talent of a child, they are way too small. Just imagine, this way German states are darkening their own future. What prospective and powerful workforce these kids can grow up to be, and what immense contribution they could make to Germany amid its fast ageing and declining work force, if only they are led to fair, uniform and encouraging system of education, and not pulled down by the unfair practice of streaming.
But there is some good news, political parties have now identified the fraudulent practices in the education system and are working to rectify them and implementing some hard core changes in the entire system. The conservative Christian Democratic Union for instance, has proposed a draft to put an end to the controversial Germany’s three-tier system and abolition of state’s monopoly in education sector. Their 30 page draft says – “We currently have too many school forms that confuse parents, pupils and teachers alike. That is why we are calling for a reduction in school forms and the implementation of a two-way model in all states”. The CDU’s proposal demands for a merger of the lower two levels into a new school model suggested as ‘Oberschule’ or the upper school. In fact, some federal states have already introduced the new model. Nearly all the major political parties have collectively identified the lowest-level general secondary schools as problematic, mainly out of the fact, that graduates are more likely to be disadvantaged in the competitive job market. More children with migrant backgrounds are placed in these schools than their ethnic German counterparts.
It’s upto Germany to decide, whether to embark upon a fair and uniform system of education or to continue with the same practices which have not only earned the wrath worldwide but also locally. Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland which harps on democracy, has all eyes set on it, waiting for some radical reforms to be introduced in its schooling policies. It’s the need of the hour that Germany adopts federally unified educational standards to assure smooth and uniform functioning in all 16 states without any discrimination. Germany needs a culture of cooperation between federal and state governments for proper implementation of policies. The strict and often biased method of tracking down students in grade 4 builds an inequity in the system. However the proponents and the supporters of the current education policies are very clear and straightforward, ‘hard work is the key to success’. The system is very challenging for German students and it makes them put in their maximum effort. One has to work harder towards the goals in life. Since the system accepts only the creamy layer, so study hard and achieve greater milestones. According to them, the three-tier system grants educational diversity and individualized planning for the students. How policies would be moulded and improvised, only time will tell, but certainly ‘educational pragmatism’ can solve many related problems.
圖片來源：flickr@Chris Yarzab
原文經合作媒體：《trust7》授權編譯，未經許可不得轉載
