Education in Hamburg

The German states are primarily responsible for the educational system in Germany, and therefore the Behörde für Schule und Berufsbildung (State Ministry of Schools and Vocational training) is the administrative agency in Hamburg.

The Behörde für Wissenschaft und Forschung (State Ministry of Science and Research) has the oversight for universities and colleges.

[4] In October 2009, the Hamburg Parliament voted for an act to change this system with the start of the educational year 2010/11.

This would be followed by a so-called location or quarter school (German: Stadtteilschule) with certificates, like the Abitur after 13 years of education.

Only those children whose primary school teachers state that the child would make a successful transition into a Gymnasium would be allowed to apply.

[6] The movement attempted to collect enough signatures to force a referendum, but fell short of the required number to do so.

It was also claimed that the academically most promising children were denied an adequate education if they were not allowed to enroll in a Gymnasium after four years of schooling.

[8] An attempt by the city government of Hamburg to have all pupils attend the same school until 7th grade was, however, rejected [9] by 276,304 votes to 218,065[10] German television showed that the voter participation was higher in the wealthy neighbourhoods than in the poor ones.

[11] In fact, although the proposal in Hamburg was to have all children in a single school system two years longer in order to treat everyone equally for a longer time, German TV found a number of wealthy parents willing to make statements to TV cameras[12] that they considered such equal treatment unfair: "you don't have to disadvantage the socially advantaged so that the disadvantaged benefit".

[13] Hamburg also has a French kindergarten and primary school, the École Française de Hambourg.