German Energy Production/Consumption
Oil Production: 147,200 bbl/day
Oil Consumption: 2.39 million bbl/day
Germany is a big consumer of energy. In 2012, Germany was the largest consumer of energy in Europe. Consumption of energy resources in Germany stay on a consistent level equal to the rate of production in the country. Coal is their most abundant energy resource, so they utilize it as a large source of energy. Liquid energy resources continue to be the number one source of energy, though.
Questions:
Does Germany have more oil deposits than they are aware of?
Can Germany utilize their coal to make more energy to reduce their use of oil?
Oil Consumption: 2.39 million bbl/day
Germany is a big consumer of energy. In 2012, Germany was the largest consumer of energy in Europe. Consumption of energy resources in Germany stay on a consistent level equal to the rate of production in the country. Coal is their most abundant energy resource, so they utilize it as a large source of energy. Liquid energy resources continue to be the number one source of energy, though.
Questions:
Does Germany have more oil deposits than they are aware of?
Can Germany utilize their coal to make more energy to reduce their use of oil?
Germany is rich in natural resources like lumber, ore, and natural gas. The country is the largest producer of brown coal in the world. They use their resources to produce many industrial items and supplies. Since most of their main resources are natural, the process to produce them relies heavily on the refinement of these resources. The goods are predominantly exported locally and in surrounding countries.
Problems in German Schools
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Priorities for Reform in Germany’s Status of Education
Germany’s status of education is in a remarkable place. Germany is successful at producing high performing students. The country’s success at the quality of education does not mean that there is complete perfection among the school system. There are still challenges that Germany faces in its current status of education. In order to align with the UN’s Global Education Initiative, there are some barriers we must overcome. Currently, discrimination seems to be a key component in improving the quality of the education our students are receiving. In addition to that, we are currently seeing a lack of qualification in our educators. This trend could be a cause for the third priority of change – a minimal connection of our curriculum to career and job skills. I believe that with simple enhancements in our education system, we can vastly improve – if not eliminate – all of these issues that currently plague Germany’s schools. Recent reports in Germany are displaying very deep levels of discrimination in the classroom. This discrimination is particularly harsh towards migrant children (Bobis, 2013) and girls. Priority One of the UN’s Global Education Initiative is to “Put Every Child in School,” and one of the sub-priorities of that is the problem with gender discrimination. The UN reports that the many countries under-value girls’ education, and this is true in Germany. Many girls face “child marriage, early pregnancy, and domestic labor expectations (Global Education First),” and this causes many girls to drop out due to lack of support or resources. Migrant children face racial discrimination in classrooms from students and teachers. The problem with this is that nobody wants to talk about race issues due to its sensitivity. We need to work on communication and our awareness. As Germany experiences an influx of students, there is also another problem that arises. With the increase in students, Germany also needs an increase in the amount of teachers. The problem with that is that there is a lack of qualified professionals, as “… the lack of qualifications is a major barrier to learning (Global Education First).” As the country seeks to improve the quality of education, Germany is solely looking for trained and qualified professionals. This is turn creates unemployment for those who have not received complete and proper training. “Globally, we need an additional 1.6 million teachers to achieve universal primary education… (Global Education First).” The curriculum presented in classrooms is becoming outdated due to lack of funding to schools. It is the same information that has been in classrooms for years. It is “not tailored to individual needs or talents (Global Education First).” This in turn creates a lack of career and college ready high school graduates. As of 2010, “17 percent of young Germans aged between 20 and 30 have no vocational qualification and are no longer in the education system. (Deutsche Welle, 2010).” This is also a major cause of slacking off in school. “Students cited a lack of correlation between curriculum content and career goals as one reason for breaking off their studies (Photius, 2004).” Overall, focusing on the root can solve these problems. That root is grown around Germany’s lack of qualified professionals. If we start providing training for our educators, we can decrease discrimination and adapt existing materials to meet today’s needs. This will create a more wholesome experience in the classroom and will therefore prepare our students to move on to college and prosperous careers. Citations: Bobis, Z. (2013, October 29). Stand up for equality in German schools. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/german-schools-quiet-deep-discrimination-problem Current Education Issues and Outlook for the Future. (2004, November 11). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.photius.com/countries/germany/society/germany_society_current_education_is~1383.html New report reveals shocking state of German education system. (2010, June 16). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.dw.de/new-report-reveals-shocking-state-of-german-education-system/a-5691043 Priorities. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/priorities.html |