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"Don't let up": Parents' initiative puts pressure on G9

By announcing its intention to develop a new nine-year grammar school in the south-west, the government has taken most of the pressure off the debate. How do the initiators of a referendum now intend to proceed?

Supporters of the parents' initiative "G9 Jetzt! BW" stand in the foyer. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de
Supporters of the parents' initiative "G9 Jetzt! BW" stand in the foyer. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Education - "Don't let up": Parents' initiative puts pressure on G9

Following the state government's announcement that it intends to develop a new model for a nine-year Gymnasium, the initiators of a popular petition are continuing to press for a rapid return to the nine-year Gymnasium in Baden-Württemberg. "We won't let up until an acceptable concept is on the table," said Anja Plesch-Krubner, one of the initiators. They owe it to their supporters. If the state government takes too long to come up with a concept or is not close enough to the demands of the referendum petition, they will increase the pressure again. "Then we will have to initiate the referendum," said Plesch-Krubner.

The initiative wants to force a return to the nine-year Gymnasium in Baden-Württemberg with the help of a referendum petition. The initiators had collected more than 100,000 signatures and submitted them to the state parliament. Parliament is now expected to have to deal with the motion next year. If it rejects the initiative's draft law, the initiators can apply for a referendum. They would then have to collect signatures again, but in this case from a tenth of eligible voters, currently around 770,000. If they succeed, a referendum could ultimately decide on the duration of the grammar school.

After a citizens' forum convened by the state government also recommended a return to a modernized G9, the state announced on Tuesday that it was open to a "new G9" and was starting a process to develop such a new G8/G9 model. "We are not going to make any quick fixes or simply return to the G9 of the 1990s. We will work out a solution that meets the requirements of our time and takes up the recommendations of the Citizens' Forum," said Minister President Winfried Kretschmann (Greens).

However, he gave no hope of a quick, nationwide G9: Kretschmann said that he found it very difficult to imagine that the switch to a nine-year Gymnasium would be possible for the coming school year. The parents' initiative takes a completely different view: "We are calling for this to happen as quickly as possible, i.e. for the next school year," said Plesch-Krubner. From the initiative's point of view, the state could initially use the education plans of the G9 model schools until a concept for the modernized G9 was available.

However, Plesch-Krubner emphasized that she and her fellow campaigners were also open to discussions. The initiators of the referendum could also imagine modernizing the Gymnasium. "We are happy to talk about pedagogical concepts. We also think deepening is good," she said. Kretschmann had said on Tuesday that he wanted to seek talks with the initiators.

The eight-year grammar school is currently the standard in Baden-Württemberg. G9 now only exists as a pilot project at 44 state schools and at some private schools. The parents had justified their initiative for a return to G9 by arguing that the children were under great pressure to perform and had little free time due to the shortened school time.

Read also:

  1. The petition initiative in Baden-Württemberg, led by Anja Plesch-Krubner, is pushing for a return to the nine-year Gymnasium model in the state's schools, as the state government has announced its intention to develop a new model for G9.
  2. Winfried Kretschmann, the Minister President of Baden-Württemberg's state government, has expressed support for a "new G9" model while emphasizing the need for a thoughtful and modernized solution, taking into account the recommendations from the Citizens' Forum.
  3. Stuttgart, one of Baden-Württemberg's major cities, has a significant impact on the state's education policy. Schools in Stuttgart contribute to the development of the region's future leaders, who will shape the state's education landscape and contribute to progress in Baden-Württemberg.

Source: www.stern.de

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