display
In the current debate about a possible “high school diploma”, Hamburg's school senator Ties Rabe (SPD) warned against hasty decisions.
“The Abitur is of nationwide importance because the Abitur graduates then want to study or complete an apprenticeship in all federal states,” said Germany's longest-serving minister of education on Thursday at WELT's request.
That's why we could only make such decisions together.
Hamburg is waiting for “the deliberations and joint decisions” at the level of the Standing Conference (KMK), said Rabe.
The education ministers of the federal states want to discuss the procedure for this year's Abitur exams at the end of the month.
As examples of possible solutions, Rabe mentioned in the past week a postponement of the exams, a reduction in tasks or an exceptional move away from central exams.
The pre-school exams should be written in schools this month, if possible, in compliance with all hygiene rules.
High school graduates who do not want that could provide substitute services such as presentations.
For all students in Hamburg - including high school graduates - learning holidays are to be offered in March, during which they can voluntarily catch up on missed material.
"A secondary school diploma would have fatal consequences"
Meanwhile, the new KMK president, Britta Ernst (SPD), wants to enable high school graduates a full school leaving certificate despite the pandemic.
"Within the KMK, we will exchange ideas with all federal states on how we can fairly carry out the Abitur under these conditions while maintaining our common standards," said Ernst in an interview with WELT.
display
The students who graduate this year should have the certainty that they will not be disadvantaged.
Ernst: “A secondary school leaving certificate would have fatal consequences.
We need an equivalent university entrance qualification. ”Whether the previous measures at the schools need to be readjusted depends on the further development of the number of infections.
"If the tough restrictions in school operations should last much longer, we will have to take up the issue of qualifications again," emphasized Ernst, who is also the education minister in Brandenburg.
In Berlin and Brandenburg it has already been decided that the schools there will be given one more task to choose from at the Abitur.
Despite the Corona restrictions, Lower Saxony is sticking to the Abitur and final exams for the time being.
"It is very important to me to guarantee the examinees high-quality qualifications, even in the current difficult overall situation," said Minister of Culture Grant Hendrik Tonne (SPD) on Thursday of the German Press Agency.
To cancel exams at this time is the wrong signal.
Tailored exam formats are the goal
display
Ton warned that the degrees without an examination could get a "corona flaw".
That is not what the students want.
It is important to offer tailor-made exam formats in order to give young people the right to take exams.
However, there is no final planning security in the pandemic, and his ministry does not dogmatically adhere to the tests.
The school management association (SLVN) had previously called for the Abitur exams and the final exams for grades 9 and 10 to be waived.
Instead, the average grade should be used for the Abitur.
Furthermore, all students should be transferred unless they want to repeat the school year voluntarily.
"Nobody is allowed to sit down this school year"
The Education and Science Union (GEW) is also calling for all pupils to be transferred at the end of the current school year.
"An exceptional situation like the Corona crisis requires special regulations: Nobody is allowed to sit in this school year," said GEW chairwoman Marlis Tepe of the editorial network Germany (RND, Thursday editions).
The federal states would also have to make it possible to pass degrees such as the Abitur and the intermediate degree "without an examination - for example by evaluating the preliminary work that has already been achieved and which already make up the largest part of the grade," said Tepe.
In Hamburg, school senator Rabe had already announced last week that some exams in schools in the Hanseatic city would be canceled during the lockdown.
These are the secondary school final exams and the exams in the tenth grade of the grammar schools, which decide whether the pupils go to the upper level or not.
The subject teachers are to replace the examinations for the upper level with class work.
The certificate of the secondary school leaving certificate should now consist of the individual grades.