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1. Governance

2. Cross-sectorial cooperation

Governance

Main actors

Responsibility for the education system in Germany lies with the federal government as well as the federal states and local authorities, with the majority of competences being allocated to the federal states. 

At the federal level, a key initial player is the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). BMBF is responsible for legislation in the following areas:

• extracurricular initial and continuing vocational training, preparation for vocational education and training, continuing vocational training and vocational retraining (Vocational Training Act –Berufsbildungsgesetz, BBiG);
• the regulation of training grants, in particular the Federal Training Assistance Act (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, BAföG) and the Upgrading Training Assistance Act Aufstiegsfortbildungsgesetz (AFBG);
• university admissions and university degrees, although the federal states can adopt different legal regulations;
• the promotion of scientific research.

The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) is responsible for youth work and youth welfare; its task is to encourage activities that are of supra-regional importance and cannot be effectively funded by one federal state alone. BMFSFJ is also responsible for the Child and Youth Plan (Kinder- und Jugendplan, KJP), which is the central funding instrument for child and youth welfare at federal level.

The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) is also responsible for promoting employment and some areas of training and further education. Examples include training support measures and career counselling and guidance.

The responsibilities of the federal states primarily relate to the areas of schools, institutions of higher education and adult education. The key actors at federal state level are the respective state ministries of education and cultural affairs, some of which operate additional institutes for schools, higher education and continuing education. In addition, the federal states establish the framework for youth work and are responsible for providing technical and financial support to organisations at local authority level. Responsibility for this is carried by the relevant ministries for youth and family.

Finally, local child and youth welfare organisations have a particular role to play at municipal level. These are the youth welfare offices of the districts and towns and cities with district status. Many local authorities are also responsible for adult education centres, which offer a range of educational programmes for the population.

Further information on actors in the German education system can also be found on the Eurydice website and in the report on the Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany (Bildungswesen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK). For more information on actors in the field of youth work, see also the Youth Wiki chapter Administration and governance of youth work.

General distribution of responsibilities

The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz, KMK) was set up to coordinate the activities of the federal states and contribute to greater commonality and comparability in the education system. The KMK deals with education policy issues of supra-regional importance; its main tasks include ensuring the comparability of certificates and qualifications as a prerequisite for reciprocal recognition, setting quality standards in schools, vocational education and training and higher education, as well as promoting cooperation in the fields of education, science and culture. The required coordination is achieved through resolutions, recommendations, agreements and even state agreements, which together provide a binding framework. 

In addition to cooperation across federal states within the KMK framework, the federal and state governments also work together in sub-areas of education policy as part of their joint tasks (Gemeinschaftsaufgaben). Examples include the joint task to determine the performance of the education system in international comparison in accordance with Article 91b of the Basic Law (Artikel 91b Grundgesetz) and the Coordination Committee for Training Regulations and Framework Curricula in Dual Vocational Training (Koordinierungsausschuss). The need for this committee arises from the division of responsibilities in the area of dual training: whereas the federal government is responsible for the in-company part of dual training, training in vocational schools is the responsibility of the federal states.

Finally, cooperation between the federal and state governments also takes place within the framework of federal financial aid for education infrastructure. Article 104c of the German Basic Law, which was introduced in 2019, enables the federal government to grant financial aid to the federal states for investments in municipal education infrastructure that are important to the state as a whole. A familiar example of this is the Digital Pact for Schools (Digitalpakt Schule).

For more information on the allocation of responsibilities in the field of education, see also the BMBF page on collaboration between federal states (Zusammenarbeit von Ländern).

Cross-sectorial cooperation

The federal ministries are generally required to cooperate on matters that affect the fields of activity of several federal ministries. The Common Rules of Procedure of the Federal Ministries (Gemeinsame Geschäftsordnung der Bundesministerien, GGO) govern these and other regulations on interministerial cooperation, as well as on cooperation with departments in the portfolio of another federal ministry and of the Federal Chancellery, with the German Bundestag, the Bundesrat and the Mediation Committee, and with the highest authorities of the federal states. Depending on the subject area or specialist field, the lead responsibility lies with the respective ministry, for example the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for educational issues, or the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) for youth issues.

Examples of interdepartmental cooperation include the Initiative on Educational Chains (Initiative Bildungsketten), a cooperation involving BMBF and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS), the Youth Guarantee (Jugendgarantie), which was developed by all ministries under the leadership of BMFSFJ, or the Digital Strategy (Digitalstrategie), development of which also involved all ministries and the Federal Chancellery under the leadership of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV).

The German Bundestag can also convene study commissions (Enquete-Kommissionen) or a parliamentary advisory council (parlamentarischer Beirat) to deal with socially important issues on an interdisciplinary basis.