Schwerin (dpa/mv) - After the court-arranged approval of a private school in Stralsund, the dispute between the government and the opposition about the approach of the Ministry of Education continues. "Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has a teacher deficit, which has a negative impact on the educational opportunities for our children. And that's why we don't need a landlord-like attitude from SPD MPs when new schools are admitted, but well-meaning examinations in the approval process for new educational opportunities," explained Ann, member of the CDU state parliament Christin von Allwörden on Thursday after a special session of the education committee in the state parliament in Schwerin.
In a joint statement, the coalition factions of the SPD and Left referred to the valid admission rules for private schools. "The Ministry of Education is bound in its actions to the private school ordinance," emphasized left-wing faction leader Jeannine Rösler. This also applies to the project of the Stralsund initiative "unseKinder gGmbH". The SPD deputy Andreas Butzki pointed out that children and their parents trust in the compliance with qualitative standards. "To cut corners for no reason would be to deliberately damage the reputation of our schools," he said.
The ministry had initially rejected the application to open the school because, according to its information, there was no proof that there were sufficiently qualified teachers. There were also doubts about the suitability of the classrooms. After mediation by the Greifwald administrative court and the submission of the required documents, partial approval for the private school was granted at the beginning of the school year in just over a week.
Green MP Jutta Wegner called the ministry's concession correct. But the step came much too late. "The affected children have been left in the dark for far too long about where they will go to school in the coming school year," she laments. In addition, independent schools are an important part of the educational landscape and an innovation engine for modern forms of teaching and inclusion.
For years, there has also been a rush to private schools in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Around 19,000 students will begin classes there in mid-August. With a proportion of 12 percent of private students, the north-east is now well above the national average of around 9 percent.
