Students stage education protests nationwide

"upset over the introduction of bachelor and master degrees... ...overloaded degree courses, social inequality..."

Explains why students support the discrimination against those Europeans who have chosen to study for an Open degree in the UK. They and the German government speak of inequality yet will not acknowledge any degrees obtained through the Open University because it has no entry requirements. Forgetting the fact that despite not having the benefit of the same foundation i.e. A-levels, many OU students actually graduate from the Open University to the same standard, and many do this by working a full time job, not the easy way by taking between 3 - 10 years being a parasite on the state as a full time student, where they seem to express more enthusiasm for protesting at any opportunity rather than sitting in lessons, prolonging further their priviledged position and delaying graduation to the university of life and being a real contributor to the state and society. Bleedin moaning whinging students, if only they could take a year out and protest in Iran or China instead!!

They do not know what social inequality is!!

I think the german system is a pampering system where u can spend 8 years doing diploma and meanwhile have a round trip around the world, marry twice and get children and then finally dance in the universitaetsball.

social inequality?? Stress??...go back and do your homework....because you did not pay for the college!!

20 years old leave school with Abitur, go to University, at 30 years old obtain a BA degree then find that well paid jobs aren't gowing on trees for people with no life skills so stay tucked up warm in University and work towards a Masters degree, once that is achieved they are mid 30s and already nearly half-way to retirement so may aswell stay on at University for a Doctorate. Could be that at 40 years old some are just starting out in life where many others have done at 16 years old. Who has contributed the most to the system?

Hmmm. it sounds like these German students are unhappy with their education system... In this case, the old saying, "you get what you pay for" comes to mind.

What's that? German students don't have to pay for their own education? Well then I suppose they are getting their money's worth!

So basically what arbeitsmunich is saying is that... because children are pigeon holed at the age of 10 to goto university, the government will not accept the disabled and inferior mensch into their universities. Perhaps this is due to funding, perhaps there isn't Lebensraum to have any Tom, Dick or Hans in university, therefore rightful places only exist for the superior class of children that were selected at the age of 10.

And they say Germany has moved on and become all European embracing, on their terms perhaps! It is irrelevant whether a person is German or British, within the EU we are supposed to have freedom of movement and employment, Germany again decides which rules to follow and which ones to ignore. I'm not advocating that those without HE should be allowed into German universities, I just want some equality in the German government acknowledging that the qualification reached at the end is at the same level regardless which floor you get on. German kids may work hard for their abitur, but they are not working 40 hour weeks in full time work and bringing up a family, I've no idea how you can equate an OU degree to being gifted when OU graduates had to work twice as hard and in most cases finance it themselves.

At the end of the day OU students achieve the same result, and so German students seem only to object to the entry level taken as it annoys them that their inferior system hindered their booze fuelled adolescence.

Times have changed, the German education system needs to change and stop it being an eliteist descriminatory institution which apparently begins at the age of 10. While these students whinge, complain and moan along their journey to a Bachelor of Science, consider that at 16 many have started work, by 19 some are fighting wars, and some time in the future they may decide to work in their spare time for the equivalent Bachelor of Science. The OU rewards hard work during adulthood with a degree, a degree shouldn't be a reward for the privelidge of having a strong family unit at the age of 10.

I personally prefer (with all its weaknesses and flaws) a system of universities that are free of charge and that give even the non-rich but talented young people a chance to get an adequate degree, over a system where only the rich young people (or children of rich parents) can study, no matter how dumb they are.

Oh, and if they are too dumb even for the money their patents have, they would start with basketball or football as little kids, so they can take the university career via the "sporty-but-dumb route".

No, thanks. I really prefer the system with similar chances for the talented ones.

Now you really make me feel bad. Not only was I the first one in my entire family to go to college, but my guidance counselor advised me not to go to college, because I was not the "cream of the crop."

Good thing my parents and I did not listen. Not only do I have a B.S., but a M.A. and a Doctorate. And we were considered too poor.

Of course, I had to work while in school, and take care of my family. But, that was not so much of a hardship, but instead gives me more appreciation. By the way, not German or British, which is a moot issue.

I am an American in grad school here in Kassel. I also studied as an undergrad in Cottbus and Marburg during the Studiengebühre mess in 2006. I also worked after graduation for two years managing study abroad programs for the University of New Orleans. This means I know a few things about German higher education and the student movement.

I have never been impressed with the German student movement. They are unsophisticated and more impressed with themselves than anyone is with them. They are self-righteous and are so in love with being "progressive" they cannot see how reactionary they really are. I and many others do not share their view.

First: ALL universities, any where in the world are underfunded. In Germany they are funded better than most public schools in the US. German universities are bastions of inefficiency and bureaucracy. It makes me sick the stupid nonsense they require us to do for even the simplest things. In Kassel, they could cut half the staff, and implement procedures that are normal in most other countries. As is typical in Germany, they all complain about it, and no one is willing to do anything to fix the problems. If they want more funding, then fire the excess staff, and make the rest give a damn about their jobs.

Second: the Bologna reforms will actually give many more opportunities to German students and make study in Germany more attractive to foreigners. One of the problems is that it is difficult to match the educational credentials of Germans with other places, even in Europe. Thus we have Bologna. It sickens me to see how German students abuse the system for as long as they can. I know more than one that has been working on first degrees for eight or more years. Sorry, kids, you have to grow up sometime. I get pissed when I hear them say that the new system will not give them enough time to learn their field properly. Give me a break, US students manage to do just fine in four years, and I would put any US student up against the best Germany has to offer any day. If Germany wants to remain competitive in the world, and even in Europe, they better get on the Bologna band wagon before they are left out. Sorry Students, those are the facts.

@ Berliner12

Pumping money into education doesn't solve anything. Spending that money effectively will improve education. This is something that certainly needs attention in the German education system. Humboldt University, where I study, is inefficient and overly bureaucratic, and could certainly use reform, but not necessarily those advocated by the student groups organizing at Alexanderplatz.

@ MJTinNOLA

I agree completely, no education system (including the American model) is perfect, but the Bologna reforms will improve German education's competitiveness as well as it's attractiveness to foreign students. Maybe then they won't have to pay Americans to study here anymore (Humboldt gave me 110 euro in cash for being an international student).

The majority of students I know seem to live pretty comfortably working the odd job here and there while managing to take off every 6 months or so for 2 week vacations to Spain, Greece, the UK ... Some of them even take off for 3 to 6 month stints in Mexico, Brazil, Australia - and not necessarily for internships but because they have this strong urge to go and check it out under the pretense that it could be good for their future education. Most of them own a car, nothing flash but a car nonetheless. A lot of them rent their own apartment although they could save as their parents live 15 minutes away.

Basically they seem to have a pretty good lifestyle which is great for them but could anyone tell me, ... where the eff do they get the money??!!

First of all @ arbeitsmunich - Are You SERIOUS!!!? You must be out of your mind! I am an american living in Germany and have put three kids through the school system - the sytem is REDICULOUS. They think they are so smart trying to determine at such an early age what kids are "smarter" than others and get to "better" schools. Its crazy, and it leads to social and financial descrimination.

@ MJTinNOLA - Right on girl!!! You said it very well. You said the things that Germany do not like to hear about themselves but is so true.

The system of this country is quite complicated in some ways,but what complicates it more is that the majority of the people are not satisfied with the good they have.

German students are pampered too much by a system, or

the system is too lenient toward students in Germany.

As it has been shown in legitimate Publication of

"World 200 Univ. Ranking", no college or university

in Germany gets listed within the ranking

of world's 50th.

Even Munich's Tech Univ. as Germany's Top Ranking

Univ. is ranked as world's 81st.

They should not complain for

paying as little as EUR500,- per semester as tuition

fee which means nothing in comparison to many of US State

Univ. which cost at least US$8000,- per semester.