Germany+2

__Germany__ By: Cheri Lewis

__Introduction: __  Germany currently has the largest economy and the second largest growing population. Currently Germany has the fifteenth largest population worldwide with an estimated 82, 329,758 people. The education system in Germany must be doing something right because ninety-nine percent of the total population is literate (CIA World Factbook).  __Primary Education: __ UNESCO data acquired from the Global Education Database showed that primary education enrollment for males and females saw a steady decrease from 1999 to 2003 before gradually picking back up. The percentage of repeaters fluctuated across the past 9 years of available date. The lowest percentage of repeaters was in the year 1999 with .78 and the highest in 2003 with .88. The most recent year, 2007, was .87. The entrance age has remained age 6 with a 4 year duration of primary education.

__Secondary Education: __ General secondary enrollment was at its lowest in 9 years, of available date, showing 7,981, 848 students enrolled. The steady decline in enrollment numbers has had an effect on the pupil/teacher ratio which has also declined to the lowest ever at 13.26. The entrance age has remained steady at age 10.

__Tertiary Education: __ There are about 100, 000 more males participating in tertiary education than females, but there seems to be more females graduating than males out of college. The majority of graduates are entering business/law/social science fields with females mostly going into education and health/welfare fields.

__Human and Financial Resources: __ The number of teaching staff employed in primary education is the highest in 9 years. The percent of educational expenditure as part of government funding remains steady 9.7%. Germany is certainly making steps to be supportive of education even through enrollment is dropping.