EDUCATION IN GERMANY
The responsibility for the education system in Germany lies primarily with the states ( Länder ), while the federal government plays a minor role. Optional Kindergarten ( nursery school ) education is provided for all children between one and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory . [1] The system varies throughout Germany because each state ( Land ) decides its own educational policies. Most children, however, first attend Grundschule from the age of six to eleven. German secondary education includes five types of school. The Gymnasium is designed to prepare pupils for higher education and finishes with the final examination Abitur , after grade 12 or 13. The Realschule has a broader range of emphasis for intermediate pupils and finishes with the final examination Mittlere Reife , after grade 10; the Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education and finishes with the final examination Hauptschulabschluss , after grade 9 and the Reals