Wolfgang Mitter – författare

Education is a paradoxical phenomenon. On the one hand it is universal, as since the period of Enlightenment, it has been declared universal good for everybody. Mo- over, we learnt by historical research following the ideas of world system theory, that since this time as far as its main structures are concerned (compulsory state education given by professional teachers in classrooms…) it took even universal traits. However, on the other hand, the fact, that education became state education – organised or at least controlled by the state – was the beginning of another tradition line: education in the form of state organised educational institutions became a means of creating national identity. Universal inclusion as for the light of reason, shining for everybody is opposed to more or less nationalist exclusion (of all the others) shaping the feature of a particular nation state, with a particular educational system. This fundamental dialectical tension between the universal and the particular, was one to the important motives to make this handbook. One of the central issues of the country studies is precisely to display the relationship between universal v- ues and the search for national identity. Another motive is given by the European dimension of the handbook.

Secondary School Graduation: University Entrance Qualification in Socialist Countries: A Comparative Study compares the qualifications of secondary school students for university entrance in five socialist states (Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Poland, Romania, and USSR). The importance of terminal awards to social and educational policy is emphasized.This book consists of five chapters and begins with an overview of the research project and its aims as well as the methodology used, followed by a discussion on the expansion of secondary education as a trend in industrial societies. The problem situation of secondary stage II education in relation to the terminal awards with higher education entrance qualification is highlighted. The following chapters explore similarities and differences in the socialist system of education; the structural characteristics of secondary level II; educational policy in the socialist countries; and the countries'' desire to incorporate secondary stage II into compulsory schooling.This monograph will be of interest to educators and policymakers as well as students entering university.

Secondary School Graduation: University Entrance Qualification in Socialist Countries: A Comparative Study is a comparative study of the qualifications of secondary school students for university entrance in five socialist countries (Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Poland, Romania, and USSR). The importance of terminal awards to social and educational policy is emphasized. This monograph is comprised of five chapters and opens with an overview of the research project and its aims as well as the methodology used, followed by a discussion on the expansion of secondary education as a trend in industrial societies. The problem situation of secondary stage II education in relation to the terminal awards with higher education entrance qualification is also considered. The following chapters explore similarities and differences in the socialist system of education; the structural characteristics of secondary level II; educational policy in the socialist states; and the desire to incorporate secondary stage II into the sphere of compulsory schooling in all five countries. This text will appeal to educators and policymakers as well as students entering university.