German Schools Abroad
The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs in Germany has recognized the German School Sharjah as a „German school abroad that leads to qualifications in secondary education levels I and II.“
With this recognition, the German School Sharjah is granted „the right to issue certificates that confer the same entitlement as those from public schools in the Federal Republic of Germany.“
All certificates issued by the private German School Sharjah will henceforth be equivalent to and officially recognized as certificates from state schools in Germany.
In recent years, extensive work in pedagogical quality management was required to meet all specifications of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) and to achieve the recognition that has now been granted, including:
- Uniform regulations regarding the number and scope of class assignments in primary school and secondary level I
- Uniform regulations for performance measurement and evaluation
- Establishment of a binding curriculum for primary school and secondary level I
- Enhanced English instruction
- Promotion regulations for secondary level I; approved by the KMK
- Development of school-specific curricula for secondary level I based on the curricula of the Gymnasium of the State of Thuringia; approved by the KMK
- Transition to a twelve-year school system
- Development of an integration concept for students continuing their education at the German School Sharjah
- Establishment of a Parents‘ Council and a Student Council
- Development of a mission statement and a school program
One year after its 30th anniversary, the German School Sharjah has achieved two important goals in its school development:
- Authorization to independently award school leaving certificates after Grade 10
- Recognition by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs as a „German school abroad that leads to qualifications in secondary education levels I and II“
Following the Federal-State Inspection in May 2010, the school was awarded the seal of quality „Excellent German School Abroad“. The second BLI took place in October 2016. The school was again awarded the seal of quality on this occasion.
Personnel Support
The German School Sharjah (DSS) is a private school that receives personnel and financial support from the Federal Republic of Germany (Central Agency for German Schools Abroad in Cologne). The supporting body is the school association „Deutsche Schule Sharjah“, whose members include the parents of our students and kindergarten children.
Personnel Support means:
The Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (ZfA) in Cologne dispatches and finances teachers through a special selection process. Four to five such dispatched teachers (Auslandsdienstlehrkräfte – ADLK) or federal program teachers (BPLK) are required for the school to be able to award school leaving certificates in a centralized examination process.
Currently, we have four dispatched teachers.
Financial Support
The Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (ZfA) in Cologne, which receives its funds from the budget of the Federal Foreign Office, also financially supports the German School Sharjah within the framework of the so-called „school subsidy“. This must be reapplied for annually; the amount of the respective funding depends on many factors and therefore varies.
The German School Sharjah receives substantive support and assistance in pedagogical matters from the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs in Germany (KMK). The „Federal-State Committee for School Work Abroad“ (BLASchA) of the KMK is responsible for German schools abroad. It monitors the pedagogical work of the schools abroad, reviews and approves the school’s own curricula, as well as the school’s regulations (school regulations, promotion regulations, conference regulations, parents‘ council regulations, statutes of the school association, etc.). This is intended to ensure the comparability of quality standards and school leaving certificates. An examination officer appointed by the BLASchA supervises the examination process for secondary level I and chairs the oral examinations.