German school abroad

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As a German school abroad are schools abroad designated where the lesson at least partly in German language takes place and their qualifications are recognized in Germany. As a rule, these are private schools that are run by a non-profit school association, but are mostly financially supported by German public funds. The Central Office for Schools Abroad (ZfA) in the Federal Office of Administration is responsible for looking after the 140 schools (as of January 2019) on all continents . The ZfA is subject to the technical supervision of the Federal Foreign Office and works with the Federal and State Committee for School Work Abroad (BLASchA). The Conference of Ministers of Education decides on the authority to award German school-leaving certificates . The World Association of German Schools Abroad (WDA), founded in 2003, represents the independent school bodies of German schools abroad. 141 German schools abroad belong to the association.

School types and students

The following types of general education schools abroad are distinguished according to the type and scope of the German-language courses and degrees:

  • German-speaking schools: Most of the lessons are given in German and mostly only German degrees are awarded. Since these schools are mainly attended by students whose parents were sent abroad as German specialists for a limited time, the term expat schools is colloquial . Due to the high international acceptance of German degrees and in the course of the increasing internationalization of German schools abroad, these schools are also often attended by students from the host country and by international students.
  • Bilingual schools (meeting schools): Lessons are given in both German and the national language, the exact structure is different; the national language is taught as the mother tongue. The schools are explicitly open to all locals and children of other nationalities. Both German and country-specific degrees are awarded. The intercultural exchange is one of the school goals. The majority of German schools abroad are now designed as meeting schools. In 2020, almost 84,000 students attended German schools abroad, 20,200 were German and 63,800 non-German.

In addition to the 140 German schools abroad in 72 countries, there are more than 1,000 schools worldwide with intensified German lessons, so-called language diploma schools (DSD schools): There, with the exception of individual subjects, lessons are given entirely in the national language; However, there is a large number of compulsory German lessons, often in an integrated kindergarten . The schools are fully integrated into the local school system; the respective national qualifications and the German Language Diploma (DSD) are awarded by the Conference of Ministers of Education.

There are also German vocational schools as well as German-speaking departments at European schools and at so-called special high schools in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. There are also several hundred so-called FIT schools where German lessons are being set up or expanded.

Graduates

Certificates and degrees from recognized German schools abroad are recognized by the Standing Conference. The Abitur certificate from a German school abroad certifies the general higher education entrance qualification and provides access to any course of study at universities in Germany as an educational resident .

According to § 34 AufenthG, the issuing of a visa for graduates of German schools abroad who have a German university entrance qualification (or an international or national university entrance qualification in connection with the German language diploma) and want to start studying in Germany does not require approval by the immigration authorities.

According to a study published in 2017, 62% of graduates with German citizenship go to Germany after completing school and 32% of non-German graduates.

Tasks and role of the German schools abroad

As part of the foreign cultural and educational policy, the German schools abroad should achieve the following goals:

  • Promotion of the German language
  • Encounter with the culture and society of the host country
  • School care for German children abroad
  • Strengthening Germany as a study and business location

A joint study by the World Association of German Schools Abroad (WDA) and the University of St. Gallen shows the important role of German schools abroad in foreign cultural and educational policy. According to the “Study on the Public Value of German Schools Abroad”, according to experts from politics, business, trade unions, administration and associations, schools make an important contribution to Germany's reputation in the world. The school's training and qualifications therefore enjoy high international recognition; German companies that send employees abroad benefit greatly from the school offers. Representative representatives from politics, administration, business, trade unions and associations in Germany were interviewed for the study on the public value of German schools abroad. 285 board members, school and administrative heads of German schools abroad took part in a parallel online survey. The study records the social benefits of schools abroad on the basis of various dimensions such as economic efficiency, education and social cohesion.

financing

The German schools abroad are usually founded and supported by non-profit school associations that are publicly funded (public-private partnership). As private schools, the schools abroad are financed to a large extent from school fees and donations, plus funding from the Federal Foreign Office's school fund. These funds are allocated by the ZfA. Individual schools also receive subsidies from public funds in the host country. If the parents cannot afford the school fees, there is often the option of waiving them in whole or in part or of granting a scholarship .

In 2013, the Federal Republic of Germany supported the 140 German schools abroad with 243 million euros. The independent sponsors of the German schools abroad generate the majority of their budgets on their own: Around 80 percent of the costs of the schools abroad are covered by fees and grants from local companies.

On March 22, 2013, the Federal Cabinet approved a bill for a school abroad law. On June 13, 2013, the law was passed in the Bundestag with the votes of the then black-yellow government coalition. The Schools Abroad Act came into force on January 1, 2014 . For the first time, after a reform process lasting several years, a separate statutory regulation was created for the promotion of German schools abroad.

In accordance with the Foreign Schools Act, sponsorship agreements are concluded with the independent school bodies of the German schools abroad, who are legally entitled to personal and financial support over a period of three years. A German school abroad is eligible for funding according to the Foreign Schools Act (§ 8) if it “offers German-language lessons and offers German-language degrees”; In the last three years prior to submitting the application, they must have awarded “at least 12 degrees” of the same category of degrees stipulated by law (including the Abitur, the middle school leaving certificate and the mixed-language International Baccalaureate). Further prerequisites for statutory funding include economic viability, non-profit status and alignment with Germany's democratic values. Schools that do not meet the statutory requirement of the minimum number of qualifications per year can continue to be funded on the basis of the voluntary grant right. Schools that offer the German language diploma can also receive funding on a voluntary basis on the basis of the grant law.

Teachers

As part of the funding from the Federal Republic of Germany and to ensure German quality standards, German foreign service teachers are recruited by the Central Office for Schools Abroad and placed in the schools. These are civil servant or permanent teachers from the German school service who are made available by the federal states for a limited time (usually a maximum of eight years). They are financed by the Federal Republic of Germany and receive their regular remuneration according to German salary or collective bargaining law as well as a foreign allowance . In addition, there are federal program teachers who are also placed for a limited time from Germany, but previously had no permanent employment in the German domestic school service. They are paid by the school according to local tariffs, but also receive a grant from federal funds. After all, local teachers who speak German and the local language are directly employed and remunerated by the schools. The school management is usually the responsibility of a foreign service teacher. In 2013, 1,340 teachers placed from Germany and 6,835 local teachers were working at German schools abroad.

Excellent German school abroad

Official seal of approval

The seal of approval Excellent German Schools Abroad is awarded to German schools abroad after they have successfully passed a federal-state inspection (BLI) .

The BLI was introduced in 2008 by the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK) and the Federal- State Committee for School Work Abroad (BLASchA) as a binding tool of educational quality management (PQM) for German schools abroad. All German schools abroad are visited within the framework of the BLI in a cycle of around six years. According to BLASchA, 112 of the German schools abroad had completed a BLI by 2013.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ About us. The Central Office for Schools Abroad (ZfA). Central Office for Schools Abroad (ZfA), accessed on April 30, 2019 .
  2. ↑ ZfA - in brief. January 2019, accessed May 1, 2019 .
  3. ↑ World Association of German Schools Abroad: Increasing membership, strong voluntary work. In: auslandsschulnetz.de/. June 27, 2018, accessed April 11, 2019 .
  4. ↑ https://www.auslandsschulnetz.de/wws/weltkarte_trägersschulen.php
  5. ↑ http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/DE/Aussenpolitik/KulturDialog/SchulenJugend/Uebersicht_node.html
  6. ↑ a b ZfA - in brief. (pdf) In: www.auslandsschulwesen.de. Retrieved March 28, 2020 .
  7. ↑ http://weltkarte.pasch-net.de
  8. ↑ Information for parents: German schools abroad. KM.BW, accessed on May 22, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Abitur abroad. KMK, accessed May 22, 2019 .
  10. ^ German schools, global education: Contribution of German schools abroad to the triple win. World Association of German Schools Abroad, 2017, accessed on April 7, 2019 . P. 33.
  11. ↑ https://www.auslandsschulnetz.de/wws/publicvalue.php
  12. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from October 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bva.bund.de
  13. ^ A b Barbara Gillmann: Security for German Schools Abroad . In: Handelsblatt . No. 57 , March 21, 2013, ISSN  0017-7296 , p. 11 .
  14. ↑ http://dbtg.tv/fvid/2438463
  15. ↑ http://www.bva.bund.de/DE/Organisation/Abteilungen/Abteilung_ZfA/Auslandsschularbeit/Auslandsschulgesetz/faq_node.html
  16. ↑ https://www.auslandsschulnetz.de/wws/auslandsschulgesetz_in_kraft.php
  17. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from October 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bva.bund.de
  18. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from October 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bva.bund.de