Education starts early in Schleswig-Holstein so that even very young children are provided for. There are over 1,600 kindergartens for children under the age of 6. All of them offer special programs to support children with little knowledge of German, which helps them to begin school successfully.
Every child who turns six before June 30 begins compulsory education in the same year. All children attend a Grundschule, the German expression for primary school, for the first four years and then move on to a secondary school. In Schleswig-Holstein there are Gemeinschaftsschulen, i.e. comprehensive schools of a new type, as well as regional schools, which go by the German name Regionalschule. In addition, parents can also decide to have their children attend a traditional grammar school, called Gymnasium in German. By now, every third school is an all-day school, providing a wide range of options like school lunches, homework supervision or music groups, for example.
There are 9 public institutions of higher learning in Schleswig-Holstein. Among them are 3 universities, located in Kiel, Lübeck and Flensburg. In addition, there are the Conservatory in Lübeck, the Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts in Kiel, 4 public Universities of Applied Sciences in Flensburg, Heide, Kiel, and Lübeck, respectively, as well as 3 private ones: The Wedel University of Applied Sciences, the Pinneberg AKAD and the Elmshorn Nordakademie. Besides these academic institutions, there is the University of Applied Sciences for Administration and Public Service with its campuses in Altenholz and Reinfeld.
European integration calls on Europe’s citizens to take a fresh look at their specific national history and traditions. It is the schools’ responsibility to raise awareness about the close ties existing between European peoples and nations and the new structures of their relations.
Schools contribute to developing a sense of European citizenship and a common bond among the young generation. In 1996, the first schools in Schleswig-Holstein were designated Europe Schools, i.e. schools with a special European focus.
By now, this designation is shared by some 30 primary and secondary modern schools, middle schools, grammar schools and comprehensive and vocational training schools. The overarching goal of these schools is to prepare their students for life and work in Europe.
