106,950 votes collected for G9 initiative
The parents' initiative for a nationwide return to the nine-year Gymnasium has collected more than 100,000 signatures for a corresponding referendum within a year. The initiators announced on Monday that a total of 106,950 certified forms had been submitted by the end of the submission deadline. They had already handed over almost 78,000 signatures to state parliament president Muhterem Aras (Greens) at the end of October. The remaining signatures have now followed. "No previous popular petition in Baden-Württemberg has achieved such overwhelming approval," the initiators announced.
The education policy spokesperson for the CDU state parliamentary group, Alexander Becker, said that the G9 initiative had "impressively overcome the legislature's high hurdle for popular petitions and far surpassed it with a quorum of three". A parallel offer of G8 and G9 could provide "qualitative added value". The process that has been initiated is an opportunity for pupils. "We hope that a comprehensive reintroduction of G9 is integrated into an overall school policy concept, as there must be no distortions in other types of schools."
The Philologists' Association spoke of a "drumbeat in Baden-Württemberg's education and state policy".
Parents had to collect signatures from 0.5 percent of all eligible voters within one year in order for the state parliament to discuss the initiative's draft law in plenary. In Baden-Württemberg, this amounts to around 39,000 signatures. The eight-year Gymnasium is currently the standard in Baden-Württemberg. G9 only exists as a model project. Parents had justified their initiative for a return to G9 by arguing that children were under great pressure to perform and had little free time due to the shortened school years. In mid-June, the state government showed itself to be open to a return to G9 for the first time and decided to hold a citizens' forum. Randomly selected citizens are to make recommendations to politicians at the end.
The G9 initiative, aiming for a nationwide return of the nine-year Gymnasium, has sparked interest in the education sector. This movement has led many to advocate for a parallel offering of both G8 and G9 in schools, believing it could offer qualitative benefits.
Considering the success of the initiative, with over 106,950 votes collected, it's crucial to ensure this transformation does not disrupt the existing educational system in schools.
Source: www.dpa.com
