Traditionally in this context means late 70's to early 2000's.
We have it even worse than china, everybody wants to have a college degree but instead of raising or keeping high school education standards, most federal states lower the standards so that even the dumbest idiots can pass the high school and get into college. Of course that means alot of people don't successfully finish their studies because they got such a nillywilly primary education. Nevertheless they are still bound to University for 2-3 years which could have been used for a successful training in vocational schools or smth else. But no one here wants to do vocational and doing so is mostly admitting to failing "the system", i.e. failing college etc.
Then we have massive problems in having to few teachers in Germany and basically every federal state has shortages in material and funding in education. And I mean massive, like at least 20k teaching position just not being there and a few dozen Billions annually not arriving where it's needed.
Big thing, Covid. I am kinda fresh from Highschool, did graduate during 2020 but before Covid hit the german school system,from my juniors which finished after me, I can tell it was a wild ride for them.
As a student in college, it is known to be a frugal life, but with 4-9% inflation and real wages not growing equally, it went from frugal to pretty shit very fast, governmental subsidies are not coming to education, but instead 100.000.000.000€ are spent EXTRA to the armed forces which became a token army at the very best and meme rivalling india at worst in recent years.
I think Deino was a teacher so he has more insights into this than me, besides being a lot more experienced in Life through age.
