According to a study, many students in Germany lack important basic economic knowledge.
A study shows which federal states have some catching up to do in their curricula.
Oldenburg - How do I open a bank account?
How do I do my tax return *?
What are loans and which insurance do I actually need?
Very few students can answer all of these questions after they graduate from school.
Because according to the OeBiX study, which the Institute for Economic Education at the University of Oldenburg carried out on behalf of the Flossbach-von-Storch-Foundation, the students across Germany lack basic economic knowledge.
According to
Welt
, the results differ significantly from state to state, but not a single one offers its students sufficient business lessons by trained staff.
In terms of secondary schools, the grammar schools in particular performed worst.
Schools in Germany: Too little business lessons, too little trained teachers
In Bavaria, for example, according to the study, economic education is at least part of the curriculum in secondary schools and secondary schools through subjects such as “business and work” or “work, business, technology”.
At the grammar schools, however, things look different again, since there just around 20 percent of the teaching time actually required is used for the topic.
The study found similarly in all federal states that too few lessons for business education are on the agenda across the board.
In addition, the teachers are usually not trained enough to adequately explain economic topics to the students.
Schools in Germany: In many federal states there are no economics classes
Another problem: In many federal states there is not even a subject called "economics".
Economic topics are pressed into subjects such as “community studies”, “geography”, “social sciences” or simply “world studies”.
Many of these subjects are not even binding, they are elective subjects, some of them also for the Abitur *.
According to the study, this leads to significant differences in the basic knowledge of the students *, since each federal state handles the topic of business lessons as it wants.
"The anchoring of economic education at universities * is similarly differentiated," the study continues.
Economics lessons at German schools: Lower Saxony scores best
On the one hand, the study examined how many lessons there are on the subject of economics.
In addition, it was examined how intensively the teachers at the universities are trained for business classes.
These two factors together resulted in the OeBiX index in percent for each federal state.
100 percent would mean that economics would be rated as a fully-fledged minor subject, i.e. two hours a week would be held for at least three years.
First place in the study was taken by the state of Lower Saxony, with almost 74 percent.
Close behind is Baden-Württemberg, so far the only federal state with a compulsory subject economics, with around 66 percent.
Bavaria is in third place, with almost 64 percent.
Economics lessons at German schools: Rhineland-Palatinate in last place
Hamburg and Berlin are also in the bottom five with around 35 percent, as are Saarland with 34 percent and Saxony with 27 percent.
The state of Rhineland-Palatinate brings up the rear with an OeBiX index of just 23 percent.
Good preparation in order to be able to cope with everyday financial life independently after graduation is therefore still a long way off in all federal states.
Even in Baden-Württemberg, where economics lessons are a compulsory subject, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Because even there the number of hours is too low, especially at high schools.
At least the study shows that the training of teachers on the subject of economics is comparatively popular there.
Schools in Germany: German secondary school teachers demand more economic education
Several teachers also consider compulsory economics lessons to be absolutely necessary: "Germany can no longer afford to neglect business education," said Jürgen Böhm, Federal Chairman of German Realschule Teachers *.
An extra minor in economics with adequately qualified teachers is urgently needed.
Böhm also criticizes the previous approach of most federal states of allowing economic topics to flow into other subjects on the side and hoping that this is enough: "Subjects such as social sciences or world studies are often taught extremely politically and are by no means sufficient for basic economic education."
Schools in Germany: OeBix study shows opportunities for improvement
In order to declare war on the lack of economic education among young people, the Alliance for Economic Education Germany was founded. The Flossbach von Storch Foundation, which commissioned the study, is also part of it. With this study, at least an initial overview has been created of the areas in which there is the greatest need for improvement.
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