display

When the ministers of education got together for their latest video conference on January 21, a resolution came out that has caused a stir in many schools across the country: “The federal states can give students the opportunity to repeat the school year without having to do so is counted towards the length of stay, especially in the upper secondary school, ”it said.

Corona-related educational gaps should not be disadvantageous for the students, according to the message.

If desired, they should be able to repeat the school year characterized by lockdown and distance learning without damage.

In Berlin, it was decided to remain seated on Thursday in the House of Representatives.

Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia also made a corresponding decision this week.

"After the long school closings, it will not always be possible for students to reconnect with their learning group," said Hamburg's school senator Ties Rabe (SPD), explaining the decision on Wednesday.

In Hamburg, up to now, repeating a class was only possible in cases of hardship;

in Berlin, the school had to make a decision on this according to strict pedagogical standards.

Now only the will of the parents should count.

The excitement in the capital's schools is correspondingly high.

School head associations warn of social upheavals and a "school organizational catastrophe".

Overcrowded classes, precarious spatial situations, and simply an “unpredictable new school year” threatened.

Thirty school principals from the Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain district put it even more drastically in an open letter: In view of the lack of staff and space, they warn of a “catastrophic situation”.

The system will "clog and implode".

display

Other federal states have already offered the repeat option upon application and review of the individual case, but want to expand the options in the Corona year.

Bavaria and Lower Saxony, for example.

There the application deadline was extended from April 1st to June 1st.

For the second time in a row, Baden-Württemberg does not evaluate the voluntary repetition as a “repetition due to non-transfer”, as is customary in non-pandemic times.

The decision is made by the parents together with their children.

The students should not suffer any disadvantages from this, says Minister of Education Susanne Eisenmann (CDU).

Saxony-Anhalt is also planning a possibility of repetition without any conditions such as a special recommendation from the school or a mandatory parenting interview with the school.

"Priority must be given to those who have been left behind"

These developments are of great concern to the GEW teachers' union.

“There is a fear that voluntary repetition will also occur in other federal states at the request of the parents.

We take a very critical view of this, ”says board member Ilka Hoffmann.

There is already an acute shortage of teachers.

“Anyone who offers repetition opportunities on a large scale is acting irresponsibly.

Anyone who promises something like this would have had to provide enough teachers in the past and sometimes have to stop being thirsty to have a buffer. "

Voluntary repetition can only take place on the basis of a joint decision by the school management and parents against the background of the personnel and spatial situation in the school, says Hoffmann.

“That means we have to prioritize which children we can offer a repeat year.

Priority must be given to those students who were really left behind during the Corona period.

It cannot be a luxury offer for those who just want to improve their grade point average. "

This is how schools open in the individual federal states

The corona numbers are rising slightly again.

Even so, more and more federal states are opening their schools: alternating between home and face-to-face teaching.

But the skepticism remains.

Source: WELT / David Schafbuch

display

Udo Beckmann, Chairman of the Association for Education and Upbringing, is more relaxed.

"With the offer of voluntary repetition, it must not be expected from the outset that it will be accepted by a majority," he believes.

Parents and students should trust the advice of the teacher and look at the individual situation together.

"Not every subject matter was taught, but competence-based learning makes it possible to catch up flexibly."

If, after intensive advice from the teachers, all those involved identify excessive deficits in a student, a voluntary repetition must be made possible, which is not counted as a repetition year, says Beckmann.

Above all, it is about giving those a chance who "are not adequately supported because of the corona-related circumstances, for example due to a lack of funding opportunities in their parents' home or the lack of digital equipment for home learning, and who are therefore unable to provide sufficient services."

This is where you will find third-party content

In order to interact with or display content from third parties, we need your consent.

Activate external content

I consent to content from third parties being displayed to me.

This allows personal data to be transmitted to third party providers.

This may require the storage of cookies on your device.

More information can be found here.

The German Teachers' Association also welcomes the possibility of a repetition year.

His president Heinz-Peter Meidinger brought this idea into play early on.

He estimates that around ten to 20 percent of students fail to make the connection in the core subjects in the next school year.

“You have to give them more time to take the pressure off,” says Meidinger.

Otherwise, there is a risk of permanent lowering of the performance standards and the level of the final exams in order to help these young people to graduate.

As an alternative to simply repeating a school year, the teachers' association is also discussing models according to which pupils remain in the class, but receive a reinforced timetable in the gap subjects.

In addition, one can form repetition classes in which the material from both Corona school years is systematically processed.

Meidinger considers the evocation of organizational chaos by some school management associations to be "absolutely exaggerated and also wrong in the matter".

The number of pupils will only increase significantly if many young people from the final years decide to do a repetition year.

"Otherwise, the additional teacher needs will be spread over the next ten years - depending on the grade in which a repetition year occurs and the future school leaving certificate is therefore postponed by one year."

This is where you will find third-party content

In order to interact with or display content from third parties, we need your consent.

Activate external content

I consent to content from third parties being displayed to me.

This allows personal data to be transmitted to third party providers.

This may require the storage of cookies on your device.

More information can be found here.