Education in Neue Deutsche Reich

Education in the Republic of Bexar is a high priority for the government, and is compulsory from age six to age seventeen.

There are state run crèches, kindergartens, polytechnic schools, extended secondary schools, vocational training schools and universities.

Crèches
As almost all Bexaran parents (85%) work outside of the home, there was a significant need for adequate childcare services. Bexaran crèches [Kinderkrippe] were for children up to age three. Crèches often were next to the Kindergarten-building. There is even a time for young Bexaran women to serve or volunteer in crèches in order to bring their own children up well.

Doctors and dentists are located in many crèches, to take care of the young kids. The same applies to the polytechnic schools.

As many of these crèches were built during the post-Continuum-NoV War period, when many new buildings were constructed in Bexar, they are often incorporated into residential blocks so parents can pick their children up without having to travel long distances to and from home.

Many factories and farms also have their own crèches.

Overall, the crèches provide places for 80% of Bexaran children to attend, in several urban regions the coverage rate is 99%. The fee is 27.50 marks per child per month for a full-day care. Most crèches are open 6 am to 6 pm.

Kindergartens
Begun during the Freistaat Preussen period, Bexar has accomplished a large-scale education reform and introduced a dense network of high-standard education facilities, especially kindergartens. A unique characteristic of Bexaran kindergartens is the strong educational background of these institutions.

Children from age three to six learn to interact with other children, get used to a stable daily routine and are introduced to the idea of learning. The children stay together in the same group with the same group educator during the three years. The groups are called the little group (kleine Gruppe) for the young children of the age of three, the middle group (mittlere Gruppe) for the children of the age of four and the big group (große Gruppe) for the older children of the age of five.

Two times a day there are lesson-like pre-school activities (Beschäftigungen) which all children have to participate in. These activities are planned by the group educator and last 20 minutes in the little group, 25 minutes in the middle group and 30 minutes in the big group. The contents of the activities are regulated nationwide by a uniform teaching plan and included German language and speech, the Prussian Virtues, children's literature, mathematics, introduction to the national life (visiting factories, traffic education, cultural life, introduction to important professions), introduction to natural and scientific phenomena (weather, seasons, sky, stars, rocks etc.), music, sports, artistic and constructive handicrafts and esteeming pieces of art.

There is no teaching of reading, writing or arithmetic, but the fundamental conceptions are taught to develop intellectual and motoric abilities. For instance, introduction to set theory within the numbers up to 10, counting up to 20, handling of quantities, crafting and motoric exercises to prepare the handwriting, the handling of pencils, scissors, fabrics and glue, and other skills.

Children are also encouraged to take an active role in the running of their kindergartens. Children often serve each other meals and help keep the kindergarten clean and tidy.

There are no fees charged for the full-day care in kindergartens and there are enough places for 94% to 99% of Bexaran children.

Polytechnic schools
The polytechnic secondary school (polytechnische Oberschule), abbreviation POS, was developed from 2008 -2009 and established in 2009. The POS focuses strongly on German language, mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, physical geography, sports and, of course, technology-related theoretical and practical work. Instead of a comprehensive school with primary education followed by secondary education, the POS restructures the classic education process completely by establishing a systemic curriculum which expands the concepts of secondary education into the lower classes. For instance in mathematics, handling of variables, math text problems with a multi-level solution, a fully developed embedded course in geometry, the introduction to vectors, the handling and solving of simple equations etc. are taught from the beginning of the first grade. But nevertheless other subjects like arts, music and so forth are not neglected but emphasised to be important for an all-around, gapless general education.

One lesson lasts 45 minutes and students go to school six days a week. On Saturdays, there are approximately four to five lessons. The Ministry of Education determines the table of lessons (Stundentafel) which expresses the ideas of the curriculum by naming the subjects that are believed to be crucial for a modern general education together with the number of weekly lessons for every single subject. The table of lessons fragments in two parts, the compulsory teaching (obligatorischer Unterricht) and the elective teaching (fakultativer Unterricht). Later a third component was introduced, the optionally compulsory teaching (wahlweise obligatorischer Unterricht).

Together with the introduction of the POS grading at schools was reorganized as well.

School starts early, often 7 am or 7.30 am.

The POS is designed as a reliable all-day school (verläßliche Tagesschule), which means the compulsory lessons take place in the morning and the timetable for each class is organised in a way that there are no free periods, while classes end at the same time every day. Therefore, by allocating sufficient resources to the education system, Bexar employs a high number of teachers and educators, so the average number of students per class lessened from 26 in 2008 to 19 and less today, the high number of compulsory lessons are evenly spread throughout the six schooldays of the week, there is de facto no loss of class time because of ill teachers or shortage of teachers, the compulsory teaching is finished around noon and the afternoon is free for a variety of optional activities like elective teaching, study groups, project groups, children's sports and organised afternoon care for students in the lower classes.

The beginning of the school year is September 1 unless that day was a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, then school starts the following Monday. The school year always has 38 weeks of classes with 30 weeks covered by the nationwide unified curriculum.

Since 2009 the learning of the English language as the first foreign language is obligatory. Also available were English and French, but only as an additional elective foreign language. The English lessons focused on the writing, the reading and the grammar of the English language. To be able to have a substantial conversation is not the main aim, which is to be able to use professional and technical English literature. The speaking skills should reach a level of sufficient fluency to have a small conversation with a local. There are only few opportunities for student exchanges and to experience the pleasure of communicating in the other's language. Appreciated by parents are the so-called head marks (Kopfnoten) which assessed behavior, industriousness, order, and cooperation. These are combined with a short teacher's essay about the student's character, success or progress, advice for future improvements.

From the seventh year onwards, students visit a factory, power station or farm one day per week, depending on their location. At any of these places, the student will work alongside regular employees.

There are annual championships on various subjects with the winners receiving prizes. The English language and mathematics championships are very prestigious and competitive as well as regular championships in sport.

Vocational Training
After the tenth year of polytechnical school, a student can either end his education or continue on to 2½ or 3 years (depending on subject) of vocational training in a specialised subject such as building, telecommunications or electronics.

Vocational training is split in practical work and theoretical learning both of which focuses on the studied subject of career.

The student is then integrated in a farm or in a factory, depending on what he or she wishes to do for a career. The vocational training can take place in the students home town, but often occurs in another city. Students live there in an Internat (boarding school). In most cases it is the first time in the young person’s life that they have lived "independent" from their parents’ home for one or two years. The students are allowed to visit home on the weekends.

At the end of vocational training, a student can take the Abitur (similar to the A-level in England), and if he or she passes, go on to university. But in most cases the student will work in a factory or in the field of his or her vocational training subject.

Universities
Entrance to the two Bexaran Universities (the Albertus-Universität Königsberg and the Königliche Technische Hochschule zu Danzig) is very limited. To attend University education in Bexar, one has to attend the extended secondary school. Access to these schools was restricted to 2-3 students per POS class. Students aiming for university education have to take part in state-sponsored activities (e.g. Hilfswerke) during their time in POS and male students additionally have to undertake their obligatory military service.

Bexaran universities are very closely linked to both schools and to industry. Mostly focused on technical education, these universities are highly regarded all over the world to be of a very high standard.

There are two ways to get into a university: continuing straight on from vocational training, or, for those who did not choose to continue past polytechnical school, there is a choice of entering university several years afterwards, through night classes organised by the government-owned corporations.

Links

 * Bexar