257. An adult woman wants to obtain the Abitur later in life in Germany. She can do this at …

Answer options

1. a higher education institution (Hochschule).
2. an evening Gymnasium for adults (Abendgymnasium).
3. a Hauptschule (lower secondary school).
4. a private university.

Explanation

In Germany, the Abitur via the second educational path is obtained primarily at Abendgymnasien or Kollegs; higher-education institutions require the Abitur but do not award it. Constitutionally, school organization lies within the Länder’s cultural sovereignty (Arts. 30, 70, and 7 Basic Law), and Abendgymnasien are established in state school acts. The welfare-state principle and the constitutional mandate of equal opportunity in education—emphasized by the Federal Constitutional Court in the Numerus Clausus decision (BVerfGE 33, 303)—support such second-chance routes. Abendgymnasien thus preserve system permeability and enable non-traditional learners to access university.