Germans Are Ready for Fundamental Educational Reforms – Results of the Ifo Education Barometer 2015

The Ifo Education Barometer surveyed the German population's opinions on educational policy topics for the second time this year. It reveals an astonishing will to reform across all educational phases. The survey highlights as many as ten educational policy areas in which the majority of Germans advocate sweeping educational reforms: free nursery care, national quality standards for nurseries, the abolition of the childcare allowance, abolition of obligatory catchment areas for primary schools, introducing the all-day school system nationwide, national comparative tests in schools, standard national final examinations for all schools, a lifting of the ban on cooperation between the federal government and the Länder in schooling, state payment of training costs for unsuccessful job-seekers and downstream study fees. There are also clear majorities in favour of higher wages for preschool teachers, higher spending on schools and grade-based student tracking after primary school.