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A total of around 548,000 children and young people are now attending a general and vocational school in Rhineland-Palatinate. This corresponds to an increase of more than 10,000 pupils in Rhineland-Palatinate. Around 41,250 girls and boys are starting school.
More German and reading in primary school
Starting this school year, there will be an additional hour of German lessons per week in the second grade of primary schools. At the same time, according to the minister, foreign language work in English and French will be concentrated in grades three and four, with two hours per week.
As part of German lessons in primary schools, there is a mandatory daily reading time of at least ten minutes. This supplements the daily spelling time and daily mental arithmetic time that already exists in many schools, said Hubig.
Mandatory tests for reading and math
From this school year, regular assessments of the students’ reading and math skills with mandatory tests will also be mandatory in primary schools. The number of tests will be reduced as a result: instead of ten, only eight tests per school year will have to be written in German in grades three and four. In math, the number will fall from six to four tests.
There is also an expansion of the all-day school network. Almost 1,300 general education schools in the state now have all-day programs in open and compulsory form, said Hubig. That is over 80 percent of all schools in Rhineland-Palatinate. There are 1,644 schools in the state.
Basic WLAN equipment in 99 percent of schools
99 percent of schools in Rhineland-Palatinate now have good basic Wi-Fi equipment. “We will continue to push forward the RLP education portal, the digital bookshelf and the school chat, and we have hit a real nerve with the AI tool ‘fobizz’,” reported the minister. “Schools’ interest in the possibilities of artificial intelligence remains high.”
The Minister of Education stressed the importance of digital skills for students. Children and young people must learn how to use social media and TikTok. It is therefore also important that there is a Digital Pact 2.0 and that it is adequately funded by the federal government. However, reading and writing on paper is still just as important.
Many demands from students, parents and associations
Representatives of students, parents, unions and the opposition presented a long list of demands before the start of the new school year. The main demand is for more staff at schools across the country, as the Association for Education and Training (VBE) once again explained.
Further demands on the state and school authorities include greater commitment to expanding all-day schools in Rhineland-Palatinate, better digital connectivity, more intensive German lessons and more everyday topics in the classroom.
A total of around 548,000 children and young people are now attending a general and vocational school in Rhineland-Palatinate. This corresponds to an increase of more than 10,000 pupils in Rhineland-Palatinate. Around 41,250 girls and boys are starting school.
