Functions

The functions performed by the Standing Conference derive from the fact that responsibility for education and cultural affairs lies primarily with the Länder. This distribution of authority (the cultural sovereignty of the Länder) is laid down in the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany of 23 May 1949. In accordance with its official undefined statutes, the Standing Conference deals with "issues relating to educational policy at school and university level and research policy, was well as cultural policy of supraregional importance, with the aim of achieving joint opinion and decision-making and of representing joint concerns".

In the framework of the Standing Conference, the Länder assume responsibility for the state as a whole by way of self-coordination and ensure the necessary degree of common ground in education, science and cultural matters of supraregional importance.

One key task of the Standing Conference is to ensure the highest possible degree of mobility throughout Germany for pupils, students, teaching personnel and those working in the academic sector by means of consensus and cooperation.

The following tasks are derived from this:

to agree on the equivalence and comparability of certificates and final qualifications,
to work towards safeguarding quality standards in schools, vocational training and higher education,
to promote cooperation among educational, scientific and cultural institutions.

As a rule, the required coordination takes place via resolutions, recommendations or state agreements. The aim is to avoid detailed regulation in the interest of greater tolerance and diversity in the education system. The standards that are agreed jointly must allow for experiment and innovation.

The Standing Conference is an important instrument for representing the common interests of the Länder in relation to the Federal Government, the European Union, the OECD and UNESCO, as well as for presenting a single public stance of the Länder in education, science and culture. It therefore assumes the joint responsibilities of the Länder which arise from the federal approach to cultural affairs. It also sees itself as a forum of critical debate.

Furthermore the Standing Conference is an instrument of cooperative partnership between the Länder and the Federal Government, especially in view of the necessary cooperation between the Länder and the Federal Government, which is particularly relevant to the new joint task in the educational sector (determining the performance and efficiency of the education system in international comparison), in foreign cultural policy, was well as international and European collaboration in education, science and cultural affairs. This is because, at national level, the responsibility of the Federal Government for foreign relations is juxtaposed with the fundamental responsibility of the Länder for education, science and culture. The same applies to vocational training: training regulations are the responsibility of the Federal Government, while vocational training provided in schools lies within the competence of the Länder. The necessary coordination in this field also takes place cooperatively between the Federal Government and the Standing Conference.

Organs of the Standing Conference

The organs of the Standing Conference are the Plenum, the Presidium and the President, as well as the committees, sub-committees and commissions.

The Standing Conference holds plenary meetings at ministerial level about three to four times per year.

The Plenum is made up of the ministers and senators of the Länder who are responsible for education, science and cultural affairs. Where responsibility for this field in a Land is divided between two or three different ministries or senate administrations, several ministers or senators may attend plenary meetings. However, each Land has just one vote in the Standing Conference. Resolutions adopted by the majority of votes are possible. However, in the case of resolutions that are of financial relevance and that affect mobility in the education sector or the Standing Conference itself, the unanimity of the Länder is necessary. In addition to the ministers, the deputy ministers of the participating ministries also hold regular meetings, the Conferences of Deputy Ministers, in order to prepare resolutions proposed in the Plenum and deal with those matters not requiring discussion by ministers in the Plenum. This Conference of Deputy Ministers is chaired by the deputy minister of the Land (ministry) currently holding the presidency of the Standing Conference.

Presidium and President

Each year, the Plenum elects the Presidium from within its own ranks in accordance with a rota system. The Presidium consists of the President, three Vice-Presidents and up to two other (coopted) members. As a rule, the non-coopted members of the Presidium hold office for four years. After two years in office as Vice-President, they are eligible for election as President in the third year. The term of the President is one year. In the following year, he or she serves as Vice-President.

The President chairs the plenary meetings and represents the Standing Conference externally.

The Presidium is responsible for the day-to-day deliberations and coordination on current issues which the Plenum has not yet had an opportunity to consider and prepares important plenary matters. To this end it also meets between plenary meetings.

To enable the Plenum to concentrate on the discussion of central political issues, the Presidium also conducts preliminary discussions for the Plenum about the necessity and feasibility of projects and submits proposals for the course of action or assessments of the central issues relating to advisory topics. In addition, the Presidium assumes responsibility for the agenda of ministerial conferences, preparing suitable issues so as to enable the plenary meeting to reach rapid and appropriate decisions.

Committees and Commissions

Four main committees and the commissions set up to look into specific areas of special importance prepare the decision-making in the Plenum and in the Conference of Deputy Ministers. The committees and commissions also provide for the reciprocal exchange of information and experience among the Länder authorities responsible for education and cultural affairs and their expert civil servants. undefined Guidelines concluded by the Standing Conference in accordance with the official statutes, are applied for the establishment and method of operation of committees and commissions, as well as for other bodies.

Main committees:

School Committee with the Sub-committee for Vocational Training and Further Education
Higher Education Committee with the Sub-committee for Medicine in Institutions of Higher Education
Cultural Affairs Committee
Committee of the Federation and the Länder on Educational Affairs Abroad (in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office and the Central Agency for Schools Abroad

Standing commissions:

Commission for European and International Affairs
Commission for Statistics
Deputy Ministers’ Commission for Quality Assurance in Schools
Deputy Ministers’ Commission for Quality Assurance in Institutions of Higher Education
Sports Commission

The Secretariat of the Standing Conference

The Secretariat of the Standing Conference has offices in Bonn and Berlin and is headed by the Secretary General of the Standing Conference, who has a permanent representative.

The Secretariat deals with the ongoing work of the Standing Conference. In particular, it makes the necessary preparations for meetings of the Plenum, as well as for meetings of the committees and commissions of the Standing Conference. It is also responsible for evaluating and implementing the conclusions of discussions. On 20 June 1959, the Länder concluded an undefined agreement on the establishment of the Secretariat to which the Länder of Eastern Germany acceded on 25 October 1991. On the basis of this agreement of the Länder, the Secretariat is an office of the Land of Berlin. Berlin is refunded for the costs of the Secretariat by the other Länder on a proportional basis.

The Secretariat must also keep the organs and committees of the Standing Conference continuously informed about the plans and measures being pursued by federal agencies and supraregional organisations. In addition, the Secretariat is the body through which all the ministries of education and cultural affairs of the Länder liaise with federal authorities and the European Union, supraregional institutions and associations. A key aspect of the Secretariat's work is to perform international duties on behalf of the Länder for areas such as German schools abroad, international exchange in the school sector and the assessment of foreign qualifications. In addition, the Secretariat of the Standing Conference is the vehicle for the joint financing of supraregional institutions by the Länder.

The Secretariat is divided into six divisions. The Division for General Services includes the Department for Budgetary Affairs, the Personnel Department, the Department for Legal Affairs, the Department for Information and Communication, the Department for Facility Management and the Department for Documentation. The Standing Conference's coordination work for education policy is prepared by the Division for Schools (including schools abroad, vocational training and further education), the Division for Institutions of Higher Education (including culture) and the Division for Quality Assurance, Statistics and European and International Affairs. In addition, there are two divisions for special supraregional services, the Educational Exchange Service and the Central Office for Foreign Education.

Educational Exchange Service

The Educational Exchange Service (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst - PAD) was set up in 1952. It is the only governmental institution working on behalf of the Länder in the field of international exchange in the school sector. In 1995 the Educational Exchange Service also assumed the role of a national agency for EU educational programmes in the school sector, including in particular COMENIUS within the ongoing Lifelong Learning programme (2007-2013). As a longstanding partner of the Federal Foreign Office, PAD also participates in the “Schools: Partner of the future” initiative. Since 2008 PAD has been certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2000.

Central Office for Foreign Education

The Central Office for Foreign Education (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen - ZaB) is the national advisory and information agency for the assessment of foreign qualifications in Germany, covering school, vocational and higher education qualifications. ZAB provides services for educational institutions and public agencies. Since early 2010, private individuals have been able to apply to ZAB for an assessment of their higher education qualifications in exchange for a fee (www.kmk.org/zab/zeugnisbewertungen.html). ZAB provides information through its database at www.anabin.de on foreign higher education systems and the recognition of foreign qualifications. In an international context ZAB forms part of the ENIC/NARIC network, i.e. the information and recognition agencies of EU/EEA states and of the Council of Europe and UNESCO.