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Homeschooling is becoming a problem for more and more schoolchildren: On Tuesday, a school initiative in Berlin published the results of surveys of thousands of schoolchildren and the analysis of almost 5400 emails.

It not only reports on a lack of daily structure, perceived loss of control or a lack of prospects, but also on psychological stress and violence.

The "Educational Justice Initiative 2021" wants to draw attention to the grievances.

One of the initiators is the former state student representative of Berlin, Miguel Góngora.

"We did it to show how dramatic the situation is," said Góngora on the phone to WELT.

Although the 18-year-old has not been in office since graduating from high school, he received daily complaints from desperate students and parents who felt they were being ignored by politics.

The initiative has evaluated this data: According to the initiative, almost 16,500 people took part in a survey on distance learning between January 14 and 18, 2021.

On March 4, 2021, the initiative surveyed around 7,500 schoolchildren and 67 school representatives online about child and youth protection.

Since the school closings were announced at the beginning of the Corona crisis last year, Góngora has also received almost 5400 emails from students who complained about homeschooling and reported violence.

The results are not representative, but they provide insight into the problems faced by students in the pandemic.

No structure, not satisfied - but also violence


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In the online survey on child and youth protection, most of the respondents (79 percent) stated that the Corona crisis had had a rather negative impact on their quality of life.

A similar number (73 percent) felt a loss of control in their own life.

They reported a lack of daily structure.

Almost half complained of eight hours of screen time a day and many (62 percent) slept poorly.

Around a quarter were plagued by a lack of prospects.

When asked if the students were currently satisfied with their life, many answered no.

They explained, "School pressure takes over life and the whole day consists of assignments and conferences." who have experienced domestic violence.

Even in the survey on educational equity in times of Corona, many knew several people who are at risk for the child's well-being.

In addition, almost 12,600 respondents did not feel comfortable in their learning environment.

A graphic from the data analysis on the consequences of the Corona crisis among children and adolescents shows the spread of domestic violence

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The evaluation of the emails was particularly shocking: Six cases of rape were reported to the initiative, plus 67 cases of physical and 338 cases of psychological violence.

"Despair in the family" was reported over 400 times and there were 73 reports of suicidal thoughts, as well as 1330 reports on "loss of connection to school" and 2700 reports on "depression due to lack of prospects".

These cases were passed on to advice centers.

Demands on the Berlin Senate

Góngora’s initiative now demands more understanding from the Berlin Senate and the federal government for children and young people in lockdown.

Offers for a better balance in everyday pandemic life and psychological support would also help.

Above all, however, there should be formats in which young people can have a say and contribute, Góngora believes.

"If we were to be listened to, politics would not have prescribed homeschooling for so long without creating an appropriate compensation offer for the students," he said.

And: "Adults have to know how we are doing - and understand the consequences for personal development and development"