The Zweiter Bildungsweg in West Germany an alternative route to higher education in West Germany a critical appraisal

Abstract

That a need for a Zweiter Bildungsweg existed at all in Germany is principally due to the deep division between the concepts of Allgemeinbildung and Berufsbildung, general academic education and vocational education. Since Humboldt's time, the path to university had been limited to those who passed the Abitur, an examination which could only be taken at the Gymnasium. Just as it was the Gymnasium's task to prepare its pupils for university, so it was the task of the Volksschule to impart a practical education which its pupils would find useful in their future careers. Kerschensteiner was one of the first to point out the educational value of the world of work, but it is in the educationally fertile years of the twenties that we find initial experiments designed to circumvent the rigid tripartite system and allow former Volksschiiler access to university. After 1945 West Germany was presented with an excellent opportunity of reorganising her education system on more democratic lines, but so strong was her cultural and educational heritage that she reverted to the traditional system. As the Gymnasium was still virtually the only school where Abitur could be taken, an alternative route which took as its starting point the world of work had to be opened up. The Gymnasien and universities still largely opposed the idea, but the needs of a modern society and the demands of the technological age rendered essential the tapping of all available talent. The introduction of a Zweiter Bildungsweg was important not only in educational and economic terms, but also had far-reaching sociological implications. Although the route is difficult, it is open to anyone, regardless of his previous education. Formerly comprising primarily the Berufsaufbauschulen and Kollegs, its scope has now been widened to include virtually every attempt to allow talented working people to attain university status.