The German education system is highly decentralized as a result of the constitution which grants all control of public education to the states unless otherwise noted.  Accordingly, most agencies related to education fall under control of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture Affairs within each state.  This agency represents the highest authority within each state.  Complicating matters is the fact that each state in Germany has a unique structure.  For example, in some states, the secondary school level my consist of up to four different kinds of schooling tracks, each of which reports to a different authority within the state.

Despite such decentralization, the are some areas where federal and state involvement within the education system overlap.  This is primarily in areas concerned with research and applied sciences.  In such overlapping areas, the states are generally represented by the Standing Conference of the Ministries of Educational and Cultural Affairs while the Federal government is represented by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology.

Another area of overlap is in the vocational training sector.  Germany has a very complex system of vocational training and, depending on the nature of the training, administration of this system may be managed by the federal state (legal, medical or any other highly specialized training) or Länder (vocational training within schools).  The federal state also assumes responsibility for many aspects of continuing vocational training.

Sources: UNESCO – International Bureau of Education; Federal Ministry of Education and Research

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