Germany Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Education === {{Main|Education in Germany}} [[File:Heidelberg Universitätsbibliothek 2003.jpg|thumb|[[Heidelberg University]], Germany's oldest institution of higher learning and generally considered one of its most renowned]] Responsibility for educational supervision in Germany is primarily organised within the individual [[States of Germany|states]]. Optional [[kindergarten]] education is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which [[Schulpflicht|school attendance is compulsory]] for at least nine years depending on the state. Primary education usually lasts for four to six years.<ref name="ED">{{Cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Germany.pdf |title=Country profile: Germany |date=April 2008 |publisher=Library of Congress |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427060904/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Germany.pdf |archivedate=27 April 2011 |accessdate=28 March 2011}}</ref> Secondary schooling is divided into tracks based on whether students pursue [[college-preparatory school|academic]] or [[vocational education]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wenr.wes.org/2016/11/education-in-germany|title=Education in Germany|author=Trines, Stefan|date=8 November 2016|website=World Education News and Reviews|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=5 April 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405120422/https://wenr.wes.org/2016/11/education-in-germany|url-status=live}}</ref> A system of apprenticeship called {{lang|de|[[Dual education system|Duale Ausbildung]]}} leads to a skilled qualification which is almost comparable to an academic degree. It allows students in [[vocational training]] to learn in a company as well as in a state-run trade school.<ref name="ED" /> This model is well regarded and reproduced all around the world.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4f43b5c4-a32b-11e1-8f34-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2RApE4hJA |title=A German model goes global |website=Financial Times |date=21 May 2012 |url-access=registration |accessdate=28 September 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728095341/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4f43b5c4-a32b-11e1-8f34-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2RApE4hJA |archivedate=28 July 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of the [[List of universities in Germany|German universities]] are public institutions, and students traditionally study without fee payment.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://theconversation.com/should-we-follow-the-german-way-of-free-higher-education-23970 |title=Should we follow the German way of free higher education? |first1=Tim |last1=Pitman |date=18 March 2014 |work=The Conversation |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318031926/http://theconversation.com/should-we-follow-the-german-way-of-free-higher-education-23970 |archivedate=18 March 2014 |last2=Hannah Forsyth}}</ref> The general requirement for attending university is the {{lang|de|[[Abitur]]}}. According to an OECD report in 2014, Germany is the world's third leading destination for international study.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.topuniversities.com/where-to-study/europe/germany/growing-popularity-international-study-germany |title=The Growing Popularity of International Study in Germany |first=Laura|last=Bridgestock |date=13 November 2014 |website=QS Topuniversities |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413063050/http://www.topuniversities.com/where-to-study/europe/germany/growing-popularity-international-study-germany |archivedate=13 April 2016}}</ref> The established universities in Germany include some of the [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|oldest in the world]], with [[Heidelberg University]] (established in 1386), [[Leipzig University]] (established in 1409) and the [[University of Rostock]] (established in 1419) being the oldest.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/university/rankings/ |title=Rankings: Universität Heidelberg in International Comparison|publisher=Universität Heidelberg |first=Björn |last=Bertram |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921065348/http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/university/rankings/ |archivedate=21 September 2014 |accessdate=28 September 2014}}</ref> The [[Humboldt University of Berlin]], founded in 1810 by the liberal educational reformer [[Wilhelm von Humboldt]], became the academic [[Humboldtian model of higher education|model for many Western universities]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/humboldt-university-berlin|website=Times Higher Education|title=Humboldt University of Berlin|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=15 June 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615201758/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/humboldt-university-berlin|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drc.uns.ac.rs/presentations/05_DS/03-Prof.Dr.HeinrichKern.pdf|website=26th Annual Meeting of the Danube Rectors Conference|title=Humboldt's educational ideal and modern academic education|author=Kern, Heinrich|year=2010|accessdate=5 July 2020|archivedate=24 February 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224180046/http://www.drc.uns.ac.rs/presentations/05_DS/03-Prof.Dr.HeinrichKern.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In the contemporary era Germany has developed eleven [[German Universities Excellence Initiative|Universities of Excellence]]. 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