In Saxony and Thuringia it is already a long established norm to take the Abitur after twelve years.
[1] The principal argument for the reduction is the comparatively long times for vocational education in Germany.
[2] In part, parent, teacher and student organizations express criticism, exclusively from the Western States of Germany.
Altogether with the homework given and exam preparations a school week is calculated to encompass an estimated 45 to 55 periods.
However, there is little empirical evidence on the effect of the compression of instructional periods into fewer years of schooling on student outcomes.