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New German Schools Abroad Act approved by the Bundesrat
With today’s approval by the Bundesrat, the Act on the Promotion of German Schools Abroad has cleared its last remaining hurdle. The Act, which was approved by the German Bundestag on 13 June 2013, creates for the first time a legal basis for the promotion of German schools abroad and is intended to provide them with a more solid basis for planning their work by granting them a new legal right to funding.
“German schools abroad are a good example of what the Federation and Länder can accomplish in education policy when they cooperate closely,”
Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office Cornelia Pieper said, recognizing the support of the Bundesrat. The President of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany, Stephan Dorgerloh, issued the following statement:
“Today, we have ensured the long-term attractiveness of German schools abroad. This legislation confirms the German Language Certificate of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs as the main instrument for promoting the German language abroad.”
For decades, the Federation and Länder have cooperated closely in personnel matters and funding and in pedagogical guidance for over 140 German schools abroad and almost 1000 schools offering the German Language Certificate of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (DSD) abroad. In the course of the legislative process, both sides consulted closely with each other on the future path for funding German schools abroad.
After it is signed by the Federal President, the German Schools Abroad Act will enter into force on 1 January 2014.
