School closure in Löwensen: Herderschule says goodbye!

School closure in Löwensen: Herderschule says goodbye!

In an important decision, the Bad Pyrmont city council announced today that the Herderschule branch in Löwensen will be closed at the end of the current school year. This decision was made with six abstentions and one vote against and was necessary because the number of students in the catchment area is not sufficient to form a viable class. Currently, only 18 to 21 children from the city area have been transported to the branch for several years, which has led to a rethink by those responsible. According to Dewezet For the coming school year, no family from the core city has decided to send their child to the branch office.

A look at the circumstances shows that teaching is suffering from the current situation, as teachers have to commute between the main office and the branch office during short breaks. With a teaching provision of only 85 percent, the situation is considered inadequate. The Herderschule notes that maintaining the branch office further reduces the effective teaching time due to long travel times. More and more parents are therefore choosing other schools, which makes the closure even more understandable.

Closures in the education system

The closure of schools is not an isolated case. According to a study by the Corona pandemic, Mirror 11.1 million children and young people and 14.6 million parents worldwide are affected by daycare and school closures. During the first lockdown, many students did not have face-to-face lessons for months, which had a major negative impact on learning motivation and the learning effect. The consequences are particularly alarming in educationally disadvantaged households, as between 22 and 25 percent of students in these groups are significantly behind.

The situation was particularly stressful not only for students, but also for parents. They had to organize care and homeschooling among themselves, which was an additional burden for many. The general life satisfaction of mothers fell significantly during the lockdowns, as the Federal Institute for Population Research has found. Mothers in particular bore the brunt of family work, while single parents reported a decrease in their feelings of stress, but still struggled with similar challenges as couples with children.

Future solutions and challenges

In the discussion about the use of the now free school building, there is already a proposal to set up an additional daycare group in the building. Discussions are ongoing, and the nearby daycare center is suffering from a lack of space, which makes this suggestion all the more relevant. The decision to close was supported by the Herder School and the parents, as everyone involved hopes for an improvement in the situation. Nevertheless, the issue of teacher shortages remains a persistent problem that urgently needs to be addressed.

In conclusion, the closure of the Herderschule branch represents a further step in a series of adjustments in the educational sector. The development of the past few years shows how important it is to optimize the framework conditions for students and teachers in order to ensure effective teaching.