On January 14^th 2015, Dorit Wernicke, vice chair of the German Association for Special Education (vds), visited the festivities on the occasion of the take over of the presidency of the Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK). Brunhild Kurth, Saxon State Minister for Cultural Affairs, took over presidency from North Rhine-Westphalian School Minister Sylvia Löhrmann.

Udo Michallik, Secretary General of the Kultusministerkonferenz, welcomed the numerous representatives from science, media, politics and associations and gave a retrospect on 2014. In her inaugural address the new president emphasised to continue the guidelines on quality development pursued in the past years and to face the challenges of coordinating educational and cultural politics of the 16 Länder.

In a discussion group Brunhild Kurth mapped the core areas the Kultusministerkonferenz will take on during her one-year presidency.  These will include individual advancement of both low- and high-performance pupils, strengthening of comparability and mobility, vocational education as well as “remembering for the future” as a mandate of school and integral education.

Also, Brunhild Kurth underlined to develop further the “Bildungsmonitor” strategy. An intensive dialogue between educational politics and educational sciences shall transform “data to deeds”. For this purpose she intents to design the exchange and cooperation with institutions and associations more precise and effective. Results of the “Bildungsmonitor”, which started in 2013 and gives us a glance on strengths and weaknesses of our educational system, will serve as foundation for further action.

Since 2010 the KMK “Advancement Strategy for lower-performing pupils” has been running. Brunhild Kurth highlighted the tremendous importance of the view on all pupils. The advancement of lower-performing pupils is on the right track. Therefore measures on individual advancement shall be extended on the grounds of a concept on individual promotion and a strategy for the support of high-performing pupils. This secures, according to Brunhild Kurth, young scientific academics. Also, the discussion in inclusion will be taken further. This task has been determined by the UN-convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In cooperation with the Hochschulrektorenkonferenz[2] there will be an exchange on the “munition” given to future teachers in order to deal with heterogeneous student groups.

For the new president another educational focus lies on the further development of the federal pool of Abitur examinations. In her opinion, discussions on quality standards and purpose formalities are necessary.

Brunhild Kurth pointed out that, in her view, it is an important task to strengthen comparability and mobility. National educational standards are already available for the Länder.

In Brunhild Kurths opinion, the positive aspect of federal education politics is the necessary freedom for designing processes in order to reduce mobility constraints and to install comparability. Schools are individual, yet they need comparable degrees. At the same time the quality of tuition is of vital importance, says Brunhild Kurth.

Vocational education as important basis and pre-requisite in order to meet the demand for skilled work is another focal point of the KMKs future work.

In the context of equal opportunities it is crucial to put further effort into the support of the lower-performing pupils or the ones in danger of failing. Part of equal opportunities is also to secure connectivity and to guarantee permeability of the system.

Taking up the 2014 recommendations of the Kultusministerkonferenz on “Remembering for the Future – suggestions for a commemorative culture in historic-political school education”, Brunhild Kurth pointed out the numerous occasions for historic commemoration days in 2015. Exemplarily she mentioned the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel 50 years ago and, of course, the German Reunification 25 years ago.

It is her particular concern to take commemorative culture into schools as well as to strengthen extra-mural learning situations in order to convey history as an experience. The Kultusministerkonferenz offers the opportunity to get into a cross-border exchange and to draw conclusions for an implementation within school.

Dorit Wernicke

Übersetzung: Ruth Stang