Institutions

In future the Kultusministerkonferenz (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic - KMK) intends to concentrate on its key tasks: the ensuring of quality in schools and universities, the development of educational standards in lessons and consensus on the recognition of academic degrees.

Founded on February 19th 1948, the Kultusministerkonferenz is the oldest standing conference of Länder ministers in Germany and is thus older than the constitution of the Federal Republic. Yet due to Germany's results in the PISA survey, the spelling reform and Lower Saxony's withdrawal from the KMK in October this year, the authority of the KMK is now, once again, being constantly called into question.

Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl called it "the most reactionary institution of the Federal Republic", and after Germany's poor results in the Pisa survey Chancellor Schröder wrote in the weekly newspaper Die Zeit : "We must save German schools and not the Ministers of Education." This criticism is not new. In the early 1950s the KMK was already held responsible for the fragmentation of the school system in Germany. Yet, despite these comments, the fact remains that the KMK plays an important – and indeed necessary - role in the present organisation of the education system

The legal basis

The responsibility for education, science and culture belongs to the sovereignty of the individual Länder in the Federal Republic. This was regulated in the constitution drawn up in 1949. Yet the Länder are not only responsible for themselves. Particularly in affairs of inter-regional significance they bear responsibility for the entire Federal Republic. Hence, if they implement measures which have an effect beyond the borders of their state, they should, as far as possible, seek a consensus with the others in order to achieve a nation-wide common ground and comparability in the education system.

The objectives of the KMK have evolved from this requirement: through consensus and co-operation the highest possible degree of mobility and compatibility is to be achieved throughout Germany for pupils, students, teachers and all those involved in further education. This means that certificates and qualifications must correspond or at least be comparable, the same standards of quality must prevail in schools, vocational training and university, and the cooperation of institutes of education, science and culture must be promoted.

Therefore the Ministers of Education of the 16 Länder meet about three or four times a year. Every year the plenum elects a committee consisting of a president, three vice-presidents and up to two members. The president represents the KMK. The current president is the Minister of Education for the Rhineland-Palatinate, Doris Ahnen.

In addition to the further development of the education system, the KMK is also responsible for the promotion of culture and cooperation in the process of European unification.

Achievements and future tasks

Recent decisions include the setting of educational standards at lower secondary level. Two weeks ago this was followed by standards for mathematics and German in primary schools, and also for the first foreign language in Hauptschulen (i.e. lowest secondary level in the German 3-tier system). Further aims for the future include the promotion of the spelling reform with a "council for German spelling" to achieve its final implementation in August 2005 and the improvement of teachers' training. "Our aim is primarily to achieve a stronger connection of theory and practice in the first phase of teachers' training, to strengthen the methodical and diagnostic competence of teachers as well as an improvement of further education," explains Ahnen.

Moreover, the system of the accreditation council and agencies for the introduction of the Bachelor and Master courses are to be further developed.

In its early days the KMK was concerned with topics such as the content and significance of the "A" level certificate (i.e. qualification for admission to university), of political science, standardized grades and a common regulation of the summer holidays. This makes it quite clear that standardization is and always was one of the KMK's main objectives. The aim was to coordinate the diverse types of school and qualifications, along with the content of lessons.

Reforms are necessary

The withdrawal of Lower Saxony could mean the formal end of the KMK, and from 2006 the Länder have to conclude a new contract if they want to save the KMK. Christian Wulff, the President of Lower Saxony, named as his reasons for withdrawal the too expensive and inflexible organisation. At present decisions can only be made unanimously.

Yet how can education and culture be otherwise regulated in a federal system? Thus it is hardly surprising that the Standing Conference of the Minister Presidents of the Länder regards coordination in the sphere of education as "absolutely essential" - however, with the aim of promoting reforms in the KMK. Ahnen commented in Deutschlandfunk: "We are clearly expected to guarantee recognition, comparability and mobility - and quality. And this will only be possible if all Länder cooperate on the central issues." In December 2004 the KMK itself will make proposals for its reform.

At the last special conference in Frankfurt, which took place at the beginning of December in Frankfurt, the Ministers of Education decided upon a reform concept, according to which the KMK will concentrate in future on its key tasks: the ensuring of quality in schools and universities, the development of educational standards and consensus on the recognition of academic degrees. The principle of unanimity is to be relaxed, the KMK office personnel is to be reduced by ten percent.