Different school rules make federalism visible.
Someone moving between states may encounter different school types or rules. This reflects the states’ responsibilities, not each individual school acting independently.
States nevertheless cooperate, for example to make qualifications comparable. Cooperation does not transfer the whole of school policy to a federal ministry.
The other three answers
“Primarily” is the key word in this comparison.
Defense policy
The federation establishes the armed forces. Defence policy is not the typical primary state responsibility sought here.
Foreign policy
Under Article 32, relations with foreign states are principally a federal responsibility.
Economic policy
Economic policy is shaped at several levels. Among these answers, school policy is the clearer example of a central state responsibility.
State responsibility does not exclude other participants.
Municipalities may, for example, provide school buildings, while schools implement rules day to day. This differs from the level responsible for school-policy regulation.
The federation can also contribute within its constitutional powers. The exam answer does not claim that states perform every educational task without cooperation.
Articles 30 and 70 · Basic Law ↗School and curriculum → think of the state first.
Distinguish setting rules, providing buildings and teaching.
Three words for this question
- der Lehrplancurriculum
- Requirements for teaching content and objectives.
- die Schulbehördeeducation authority
- An authority responsible for school administration.
- die Länderzuständigkeitstate responsibility
- A function assigned to a federal state.