Education - Associations reject Söder's announced gender ban
The announced gender ban in Bavaria's schools has met with much criticism and rejection from education associations. "I (...) do not consider a strict ban on new spellings to be necessary or effective. There would be a risk of further division and polarization in the school community," said Michael Schwägerl, chairman of the Philologists' Association (bpv), when asked by the German Press Agency in Munich on Wednesday. The chairman of the Realschullehrerverband (brlv), Ulrich Babl, explained: "Gender is not a significant issue at Bavarian secondary schools, but we clearly reject a gender requirement."
The Bavarian Teachers' Association emphasized that it was "unimpressed by this jibe against the traffic light government". Söder was merely "populistically presenting the current legal situation, according to which German is the official language in Bavarian schools and authorities".
In his first government statement of the new electoral term on Tuesday, Söder had declared, to the surprise of many, that gendering should be banned in schools and administration in Bavaria. The Free State would thus be following the same path as some other federal states. For example, special characters for gender-neutral language are rejected at schools in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
According to Schwägerl, the bpv is committed to ensuring that the German language is used carefully in Bavarian schools. "This means being open to new forms that treat women and men equally, for example, but not rushing to introduce them before the speaker community gets behind them and a clear set of rules has been established." Due to the growing number of pupils with a migration background, a clear orientation is necessary for language acquisition. "Those who are still struggling with the three grammatical genders and the correct articles in German do not need any additional difficulties."
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- Despite the gender ban announcement in Bavarian schools, the education association in Munich, the Realschullehrerverband (brlv), stated that gender is not a significant issue and they reject any gender requirement.
- The Philologists' Association (bpv) in Bavaria, led by Michael Schwägerl, expressed concern about the proposed gender ban, stating that they want to ensure careful use of the German language in schools while considering new forms that treat women and men equally.
- The Bavarian Teachers' Association criticized Söder's announcement, stating that they are not impressed by the jibe against the traffic light government and that Söder was merely presenting the current legal situation.
- In contrast to Bavaria, schools in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt have rejected special characters for gender-neutral language, following the same path as some other federal states.
Source: www.stern.de
