Eight years of secondary school instead of nine

All the information we have about the education system in Bavaria talks about "outphasing course 5-13" at Gynmasium, and replacing it with grades 5-12, which would mean that kids get their Abitur after a total of 12 years, instead of the current 13 years. Nowhere are we able to find an indication of when this "outphasing" is meant to be happening.

Is it already in progress and if so, is there a year that has been set as the cut-off point?

Thanks! /Mo3

I am probably completely wrong, but I thought the kids who are 2nd grade right now were going to be the first class to be in the new system (or perhaps it was the last class in the old) i'm not sure, but i thought it was supposed to happening sometime around now.

It's here and has been here for a couple years. I think 2 years ago the 5th grade kids went into the "G8" system.

The kids who are in 8th grade now are the first in the G8-system.
9th grade is the old system.
Leaves 2011 with a lot of students making Abitur, so the now 9th-graders will only have 1/2 11th grade to make it half a year earlier...

i read an article recently in focus that a lot of parents are complaining now, especially those who have children in both systems. obviously the G8 kids have more work, but one mom said it was so much, they had no free time anymore. how much work do the kids in the 13 year gymnasium have if they get out of school everyday at 1 o'clock?

I'd say since the G8 the amount of classes and work they get has become normal (compared to other European countries).
@Elfenstar: You can't generalise on how much work the G9 kids have, as it depends on the grade and individual learning abilities and ambitions (lazyness). I had the impression that they rather have too much free time on their hand, which is then filled with various sports, music, (drinking and smoking).

Lots of German parents are paranoid about their kids being harmed if they actually have to work a bit.
(my experience: 9 yrs Gymnasium myself, 2 yrs Gymnasium (G8) of my daughter).

Other parents force their kids through Gymnasium, though it might be too difficult for them. Then of course the amount of work in G8 really is a lot, with all the additional tutoring

having been through the system (10 years ago), i can say that it's a lot of work. in my last 4/5 years of school i would do my home work and study at home all afternoon. (especially as i never was an A-student. my 'free time' started around 5-6ish. depending on my afternoon activities (piano lessons, dancing, basketball etc), homework would be done in the evening.
nowadays 1 o'clock school finish happens maybe once a week.

my impression was that the G9 kids have too much time on their hands, so i couldn't understand the Focus article. but i have no idea when they really get out of school. don't some schools have classes on saturday?

i guess i had a G8 education (u.s. high school diploma) and i think we got out of school at 4 & i still had time to do my homework and participate in sports and even squeeze in some t.v. i did enough to maintain my B average.

in G9, school finishs most days at 1, maybe once a week they have afternoon classes (often sport).
During the last 2 years, they can choose different subjects which they will study more intense than others (so called Leistungskurse), this course system makes the schedule less tight - classes also in the afternoon, but more free time during the day.
G8 starts with one or two afternoons per week (until about 7th grade), increasing to 4 afternons until you graduate (as far as I remember).
In Bavaria, there are no classes on Saturday, don't know about other Bundesländer.

My daughter is in 10th grade Gymnasium and I wouldn't say she has too much time on her hands. The system in German school of 'Ex' tests and 'Ausfragen' which can happen at any time and unannounced mean that you cannot afford to go to school without having gone over everything you did during the previous lesson. This therefore means homework for virtually every subject every night.
I think the school system should be shorter and therefore welcome the G8 since on the whole Germans study far too long and are often approaching 30 when they start working for the first time having repeated various years and then done endless semesters and different courses at college. HOwever - it was all introduced far too quickly. It wasn't carefully planned so that now the children are suffering. They are still getting the same amount of homework for each subject (and have less time to do it) and have even more subjects on the curriculum which makes learning tough. And ---- in true German style - its all done in THE MOST SERIOUS AND BORING manner with no time for fun ! As far as Germans are concerned - school is a place for learning but certainly not for enjoying yourself !!!

Yes, that's true. I agree with that. It's still almost the same curriculum, and so the teachers are forced to give quite some homework, then come the complaining parents: too much homework, especially when they have afternoon classes... some schools have decided to not give written homework on these days, other schools have decided to not give any homework on these days (which seems to turn out pretty difficult...), we have decided that it's up to the individual teacher, which works quite well (of course, those who have the first few lesson hours, have the better part then...).


This is not true! It certainly depends on the teacher, and in my classes we have a lot of fun - as far as the students take their part and behave, do their work, and so on. I have no idea why I should have fun when I prepare lessons carefully and the kids are just showing absolutely no interest - which can't be avoided and shouldn't imho, since for further life, they probably will have to do stuff which is boring and they don't like to do it, but will have to... as onky one reason.


Hmmm... In which countries exactly is school a place for enjoying yourself?

well it is a known fact that school was the best years of your life. Don't know which fool came up with that quote, but I heard it enough during my school years.