Schooling standards in England and Germany: some summary comparisons bearing on economic performance [1986]

This article is written from an economist's point of view; it asks: are there any clear differences in the schooling systems of two advanced industrialised countries such as Britain and Germany which are likely to bear on their economic performance? The question follows from our previous comparisons which drew attention to the much greater extent of vocational qualification in Germany; this – rather than the number of university graduates – was the main difference between the ‘productive quality’ of the labour forces of these countries (60 per cent of the German labour force attained apprenticeship or similar intermediate-type examined qualifications, compared with 30 per cent at the most in Britain). German vocational training appeared particularly ahead in those occupations where mathematics, or even basic arithmetic, was involved – complex circuitry for electricians, book-keeping for office workers. It is thus necessary to ask: (1) whether the German schooling system is more effective on the whole in preparing pupils for the requirements of subsequent technical and commercial training; and (2) whether Germany has a particular advantage in school attainments in mathematics. Looked at from the point of view of critics of British schooling, the latter question asks whether mathematical schooling is backward – not simply when judged by some absolute or ideal standard (a question often asked, but which lacks teeth) – but when judged by what is attained in practice in another industrial European country, Germany; and, if so, whether there are implications for educational policy. ¹