A Study on the Integration process of School structure in East Germany after German Unification

독일통일 후 구동독 학제통합 과정 연구

This study aims to examine the integration process of educational system and school structure of the former East Germany into the Federal Republic of Germany following German unification. More specifically, the study focuses on drawing some policy suggestions and implications for achieving integration of South and North Korean educational system in a unified Korea. In fact, the school structure in the former East Germany had been integrated into West German educational system and school structure before and after official German unification by way of so called transitional process. The results of the study indicate that the integration process of school structure in the former East Germany into West German educational system was quite successful with stable management by means of various transitional measures and reaching an agreement between East and West Germany. Additionally, the study presents that local characteristics regarding school structure in the former East Germany were recognized and introduced in the integration process and they managed to handle the social change situation after German unification flexibly. However, it shows some shortcomings because it had been carried out in too short a period of time and the positive factors of school structure in the former East Germany had not been enough taken account into the integration process, along with the lack of inner comprehensive relevant infrastructure. Furthermore, the study points out that German case of school structure and its integration process after German unification has implications for specific ways Korea should pursue to achieve integration of South and North Korean educational system in a unified Korea. To be more specific, it suggests how we come up with plans and measures to establish integration of South and North Korean school structure in a stable way especially in terms of dealing with North Korean school structure and building an inner infrastructure.

본 논문은 독일통일 후 구동독지역에서 실시된 학제통합 과정에 대한 고찰을 통해 남북한 통일 후 교육통합 과정에서 고려해야 할 시사점을 도출하는데 연구의 목적이 있다. 독일 통일 전후 단계에서 구동독의 학제는 전환기 과정을 거쳐 구서독의 학제에 통합되었다. 구동독의 학제통합은 전환기 조치를 통한 안정적 관리, 동서독 간의 협의 추진, 지역별로 상이한 학제 체제의 도입, 통일 후 사회적 변화 상황에 대한 유연한 대처의 측면에서 긍정적인 특성을 가지고 있다. 반면, 단기간의 개편 추진, 구동독 학제 체제에 대한 고려 미비, 학제 통합 후 내적 인프라 구축의 어려움 등의 한계를 나타냈다. 통일독일의 학제통합 과정 사례는 남북한 통일 후 교육통합을 준비해야 하는 우리에게 학제통합의 안정적 추진을 위한 방안의 수립, 북한 학교체제에 대한 면밀한 검토, 학제통합에 따른 내적인프라 구축 방안 마련 등이 필요하다는 시사점을 제시한다.