Education and learning are the most important processes in today’s society. We should not forget that, today’s youth are tomorrow’s leader.

Children have long been believed to be the future of the nation. From our forefathers, to "our generation", to "our children"; the baton of responsibility has long been passed linearly throughout time. The leaders of tomorrow will be inspired and educated today, and it will within their lessons acquired through life that their potential for leadership starts.

Yes, of course, education is most important in the development of a country. Education plays a crucial role in the advancement of technologies.

Education means obtaining knowledge. A person who has knowledge of his surroundings can survive happily in this society. Education not only helps us in surviving but also makes people aware of their rights and duties towards the nation. Education itself is a right everybody is born with.

Education provides many opportunities in various fields for the development of the country. Education makes people independent, builds confidence and self-esteem, which is very important for the development of a country. Development of the country includes development in fields such as IT, medical sciences, agriculture, engineering, science, economy etc. All this development comes about only when people are educated in these fields. When people have enough knowledge about a certain field it is easy to bring about new reforms for the development of the society. If a country has education by its side then no one can stop it from developing itself.

German public education makes it possible for qualified kids to study up to university level, regardless of their families' financial status. Total education System in Germany is free.

In my - Golden Bengal - there is not. The children of poor families cannot visit the schools.

In my opinion, Bangladesh govt must guarantee the same educational opportunities for everyone, regardless of social or economic background. Total education System in must be free, just like in Germany, financed through the tax payer.

The German education system is different in many ways from the ones in other countries, but it produces high-performing students. The overwhelming majority of German students attend public schools. The whole German education system, including the universities, is available to the children of bona fide expatriates Although education is a function of the federal states, and there are differences from state to state, some generalizations are possible.

Children aged three to six, may attend kindergarten. After that, school is compulsory for nine or ten years. From grades 1 to 4 all children attend elementary school (in German : Grundschule), where the subjects taught are the same for all. Elementary school (in German : Grundschule) teachers recommend their students to a particular school based on such things as academic achievement, self-confidence and ability to work independently. However, in most states, parents have the final say as to which school their child attends following the fourth grade.

Then, after the 4th grade, they are separated according to their academic ability and the wishes of their families, and attend one of three different kinds of schools:

a.    Secondary School – I,  grades 5-9 (in German Hauptschule),

b.    Secondary School- II, grades 5-10 (in German Realschule),

c.    or Collage grades 5 - 13 (in German Gymnasium).

Secondary School-I up to class 9 (Hauptschule)

The Secondary school – I, Hauptschule (grades 5-9) teaches the same subjects as the Realschule and Gymnasium, but at a slower pace and with some vocational-oriented courses. It leads to part-time enrollment in a vocational school combined with apprenticeship training until the age of 18.

Secondary School-II grades 5-10 (Realschule)

The Secondary school – II Realschule (grades 5-10 in most states) leads to part-time vocational schools and higher vocational schools. It is now possible for students with high academic achievement at the Realschule to switch to a Gymnasium on graduation.

Collage grades 5 - 13 (Gymnasium)

The College Gymnasium leads to a diploma called the Abitur (like H.S.C in Bangladesh) and prepares students for university study or for a dual academic and vocational credential. Dual studies are completely unknown in Bangladesh.Curricula differ from school to school, but generally include German, mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, art (as well as crafts and design), music, history, philosophy, civics, social studies, and several foreign languages. In recent years many States have changed the curriculum so students can get the "Abi" at the end of the 12th grade. Other States are making the transition but may still require a 13th grade.

Comprehensive school (Gesamtschule)

The comprehensive school or Gesamtschule, is only be found in some of the states. It takes the place of both the Hauptschule and Realschule. It enrolls students of all ability levels in the 5th through the 10th grades. Students who satisfactorily complete the Gesamtschule through the 9th grade receive the Hauptschule certificate, while those who satisfactorily complete schooling through the 10th grade receive the Realschule certificate.

The School Day

German students at public schools attend school in the morning. Classes normally start between 7:30 and 8:15 a.m. and can end between 12 noon and 1:30 p.m. Class periods are normally 45 minutes long with a short break in between. There is no provision for serving lunch. Some of schools have their own canteens for teachers and students. There will be a lot of homework and heavy emphasis on the "three Rs" - Reading, wRiting and aRithmatic. The curriculum expands as students move up from Grundschule and depends on which of the three secondary schools they attend.

The School Year

The school year consists of two semesters and normally starts around the middle to end of August. There are longer breaks at Christmas and in the summer. Shorter breaks are around Easter and in autumn. There is no school on public holidays. The Christmas vacation is usually 2 weeks and the summer vacation is about 6 weeks. The exact dates of the various vacations and breaks are set by the individual states (Länder).

Once school education is over in Germany, there are three ways to prepare for a working career:

- dual vocational training in German Berufsschule (e.g. to become an electrician or business management assistant etc….) in the public or private sector,

-    a course of study at a vocational institute ( Fachhochschule FH), technical college or university, or

-    a dual course of study which involves cooperation between companies and

  -     institutes of higher education. These courses combine practical and theoretical components.

Usually the Berufsschule (vocational school, technical school) is not part of the normal German public-school system, but is financed and supervised by the federal government in cooperation with industrial groups (chambers of commerce/trade) and trade unions. As part of a concept known as dual vocational education (“duale Berufsbildung”), in which businesses and schools work together, a Vocational school (Berufsschule) combines academic study with an apprenticeship. In most cases, students must have a diploma from a Secondary school I+II (Realschule or Mittelschule) in order to be accepted by a vocational school, technical school (Berufsschule), which usually has a two- or three-year course of study. Successful vocational school, technical school graduates are certified in a certain trade/profession or industrial field. With the increasing sophistication of manufacturing and other fields, Germany’s technical schools help fill an educational gap in a way that the US and other nations could learn from. Austria and Switzerland also have their own dual education vocational programs.

Until today university education in Germany is tuition free. That is such an embedded German tradition, that when seven states (between 2004 and 2007) introduced very modest tuition fees (Studiengebühren) of 500 euros, or about $650 per semester, there were mass protests. Until 2013 only Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) had university tuition fees. In 2015 Bavaria dropped them, and now Lower Saxony, the last holdout, has dropped its tuition fees.

There are currently 397 universities in Germany with a combined student population of approximately 2.8 million. Of these, 115 are universities or similar institutions, 217 are universities of applied sciences (in German ‘Fachhochschulen’), 57 are colleges of art or music, 8 do not belong to one of these three categories.

Higher Education Institutions are either state or state-recognized institutions. In their operations, including the organization of studies and the designation and award of degrees, they are both subject to higher education legislation.

Universities including various specialized institutions, offer the whole range of academic disciplines. In the German tradition, universities focus in particular on basic research so that advanced stages of study have mainly theoretical orientation and research-oriented components.

Universities have the right to confer doctoral degrees and cater for the education and training of the next generation of academics.

Universities of applied sciences concentrate their study programmes in engineering and other technical disciplines, business-related studies, social work, and design areas. The common mission of applied research and development implies a distinct application-oriented focus and professional character of studies, which include integrated and supervised work assignments in industry, enterprises or other relevant institutions.

Almost a third of students attend universities of applied sciences.

The third major group comprises the colleges of art and colleges of music offering studies for artistic careers in fine arts, performing arts and music; in such fields as directing, production, writing in theatre, film, and other media; and in a variety of design areas, architecture, media and communication.

A central characteristic is the uniting of arts teaching, artistic practice and research. There is a clear difference between teaching of arts subjects, and teaching at universities and universities of applied sciences. Their core objective is to allow students to develop as artistic individuals. Two per cent of all students attend a college of arts or music.

Almost all colleges of art and music have the right to confer doctoral degrees and the post-doctoral ‘Habilitation’ qualification for the title of ‘professor’.

In total, there are approximately 10,500 different undergraduate programmes and a further 9,500 postgraduate degree programmes on offer at higher education institutions throughout Germany. There are essentially two university-level academic qualifications, a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree. In addition, there are some subject areas in which courses lead to state-certified exams, for example, medicine, law and the training of teachers. Finally, there are still some remaining degree programmes that lead to a ‘Diplom’ qualification.

Germany has recently experienced an increasing financial commitment to the field of higher education at a federal level both in terms of scope and importance.

However, this development is restricted by narrow constitutional limitations. The German government can only legislate on issues related to access to higher education and academic qualifications.

The writer is a  Bangladeshi expatriate in Germany