"Schools: Partners for the Future" initiative

Official logo of the partner school initiative

Schools: Partners for the Future ( PASCH ) is an initiative that was launched in 2008 by the Federal Foreign Office . It comprises a worldwide network of 1,800 partner schools with a special connection to Germany and aims to introduce or expand German lessons at the partner schools.

The targeted promotion of schools arouses a lasting interest and enthusiasm for modern Germany and the German language among young people in over 120 countries.

The initiative

The Schools: Partners for the Future initiative is coordinated by the Federal Foreign Office and implemented together with the Central Office for Schools Abroad , the Goethe Institute , the Pedagogical Exchange Service (PAD) of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The aim of the initiative is to expand school cooperation in order to further consolidate German as a foreign language in the national education systems . In addition, the network of German schools abroad and schools that offer the German language diploma will be expanded. This establishes long-term ties to Germany and encourages students and teachers at the partner schools to openly exchange ideas and work together. In addition to learning the German language, as an international learning community, PASCH makes a lasting contribution to cultural exchange and better mutual understanding.

The measures of the partner organizations include various educational offers that contribute to the sustainable qualification of students and teachers. The initiative also supports young people in preparing for a degree in Germany and expands their skills for later professional life.

partner

Coordinated by the Foreign Office, four German educational institutions are working closely together on the initiative: the Central Office for Schools Abroad (ZfA), the Goethe Institute , the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Pedagogical Exchange Service (PAD) of the Secretariat of the Conference of Ministers of Education.

Central office for schools abroad

The ZfA promotes a network of over 1200 school institutions abroad, at which qualifications recognized in Germany are achieved. This network of German schools abroad and national schools that offer the German language diploma and their cooperation with other schools in the initiative's network are being strengthened and expanded. Additional school coordinators and specialist advisors promote quality-oriented school development and support the establishment of new private schools with a German profile. You will intensify the cooperation with local schools that offer German as a foreign language and advise you on the structure of German lessons. Together with additionally seconded teachers, they enable the establishment of new courses leading to German qualifications according to international standards. These include the mixed-language International Baccalaureate with German, the German International Abitur examination and the German Language Diploma of the Conference of Ministers of Education (DSD).

Goethe Institute

The Goethe-Institut supports the 600 schools it supervises in introducing or expanding German as a school subject. It offers teachers methodical and didactic training and language courses and equips schools with multimedia-based teaching, learning and regional studies materials. As part of the initiative, the Goethe-Institut also sends teaching experts around the world to supervise partner schools.

The Goethe-Institut leads u. a. every year youth language courses in Germany for over 1,100 scholarship holders. The participants are very good and committed students from the PASCH schools supervised by the Goethe Institute. An online community managed by the Goethe-Institut enables students to come into contact with one another worldwide and to exchange ideas in German in practice forums and moderated chats. On the Moodle-based PASCH learning platform, teachers have the option of offering internet-based lessons.

German Academic Exchange Service

The DAAD's scholarship program for graduates from German schools abroad and partner schools was expanded significantly in 2008: The number of scholarships for a full degree in Germany was doubled from 60 to 120 and was advertised for the first time worldwide. The BIDS program (mentoring initiative for German foreign and partner schools) aimed at German universities is also new. The aim is to improve the direct contact between German universities and foreign and partner schools in order to attract graduates. We support motivation grants, staff for intensive supervision as well as material and mobility grants for cooperation with individual schools abroad and / or partner schools.

Pedagogical Exchange Service

As part of the initiative, the PAD is further expanding student exchanges and school partnerships. In the international award program for foreign students, outstanding German learners from over 90 nations are supported and given the opportunity to get to know Germany personally during a 4-week stay. In addition, the PAD offers 3-week internships at German schools or 2-week methodological, didactic and regional training courses in Germany. German teachers from the network of school facilities of the ZfA abroad should primarily benefit from this offer. Through personal contact with each other and with German colleagues from the host institutions, the participants should initiate e-mail projects or school partnerships between their schools and thus consolidate or expand the network.

PASCH-net, the initiative's web portal

The website of the Schools: Partners for the Future (PASCH) initiative , as a meeting point for the international PASCH community PASCH-net, offers teachers and students at PASCH schools around the world the opportunity to come into contact with one another. The general area provides information about the institutions involved and their activities. An interactive world map gives an overview of the network of PASCH schools. The virtual partner exchange Partnerschulnetz.de supports schools abroad and in Germany in their search for partners for school partnerships. Student teachers in Germany can find information about internships at PASCH schools.

Offers for students and teachers

PASCH-net offers such as reading texts for schoolchildren at various language levels provide information about Germany - including study opportunities. They are available to all teachers worldwide. In the teacher area there are suggestions for the use of PASCH-net in German lessons, teaching materials to download and information on methodological and didactic topics.

The offers in the closed areas of the website - the communities and the PASCH learning platform - can be used by PASCH schools and their partner schools in Germany. German learners from PASCH schools exchange ideas with one another in the community, set up groups and upload texts, photos and videos. Competitions, discussion offers, hands-on activities and educational games invite you to practice German.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ PASCH in Namibia ( Memento of the original from September 14, 2011 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. . German Embassy Windhoek accessed on August 11, 2011 @1@ 2

[1] PASCH in Namibia ( Memento of the original from September 14, 2011 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. . German Embassy Windhoek accessed on August 11, 2011 @1@ 2