Class matters for education in Germany

Although the German education system appears to be well-suited to demands in the corresponding labor market, social origins play a larger role in future income than almost any other OECD country, according to the organization's annual #link:http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag.htm:"Education at a glance"# report.

The report, released Tuesday, shows just how much education correlates to income, and how strongly education is tied to socioeconomic background. Those with a university, technical, or master-craftsman qualification earn 74 percent more than those without, up from 45 percent in the year 2000.

While education has long been touted as the road to financial equality, only 24 percent of Germans reach a higher level of study than their parents. The vast majority, 58 percent to be exact, have a degree equivalent to that of their parents.

Despite this, more Germans than ever are attending university. In only two years, from 2010-2012, university attendance increased from 42 to 53 percent per birth year. "Germany is educating itself as never before" said Education Minister Johanna Wanka.

There are more reasons for Germans to be proud of their education system. Germany has an 86 percent high school graduation rate, whereas the OECD average is only 75 percent. However, tertiary education rates are surprisingly lower in Germany, at 28 percent for 25 to 64 year olds, compared to the 33 percent average.

Berlin OECD representative Heino von Meyer was more cautiously optimistic, conscious of the fact that the gap between the educational haves and have-nots may be widening.

"An open society requires an education system that promotes the learning of all," said von Meyer. "The education boom has contributed only partially to a better social and economic participation of the educationally disadvantaged."

es/dr (dpa, epd, Reuters)