G9 initiative in Hamburg failed: Abitur after nine years remains a dream!

G9 initiative in Hamburg failed: Abitur after nine years remains a dream!

The popular initiative "G9 - More time to learn! Educational justice HH" aims not to be able to achieve the return to the Abitur after nine years at high schools in Hamburg through a referendum. In a three -week collective phase, the initiators only managed to collect around 45,500 signatures, although almost 66,000 would have been necessary to bring the concern to the political table. Sammar Rath, the initiative spokeswoman, was disappointed, but not depressed: "These were the most educational weeks of my life," said Rath.

She emphasized that the initiative will continue to remain active, to enter the dialogue with political parties and make suggestions in order to improve the conditions for the pupils in high schools. "We experienced an enormous encouragement from the parents," added Rath, which shows that the initiative does not want to give up despite the setback. The idea behind the referendum is based on the conviction that the existing system that provides for a high school diploma after eight years (G8) brings numerous disadvantages for the fundamentally affected students.

background to the initiative

The initiative is committed to reintroducing the Abitur after nine years in order to give the students more time to prepare for this important final exam. In many other federal states, the high school diploma has long been the norm after nine years. The advocates of the G9 return argue that Hamburg high school students who are bound to the eight-year system are disadvantaged. Because while you have a year less time to prepare for the Abitur, you have to apply in the same study places as your peers from other regions.

According to the school authority, the failure of the initiative was not a big surprise. Peter Albrecht, a spokesman for the authority, was relieved by the result: "It is good that the Hamburg school system that has been established for many years has been preserved." By rejecting the initiative, the schools could concentrate on improving teaching quality again, without being distracted from the uncertainties and the organizational effort that a change would have brought.

The school structure of Hamburg

The system of the eight -time high school was established in Hamburg in the school year 2002/2003. The Hamburg school peace, which came into force in 2010 and was signed by the factions of the CDU, Greens, SPD and Left, binds the school structure to the status quo by 2025. This means that, regardless of political changes, no significant changes should be made to the existing school regulations. School peace was extended in 2019 together with the FDP parliamentary group.

The popular initiative was controversial by parents, students and experts and was not the first attempt to change the school structure. Already in 2014 a similar referendum had failed under the name "G9-Jetzt-HH". At that time, only about 45,000 of the necessary 63,000 signatures were achieved, which illustrates the challenge that brings with it to enforce a significant change in the education system. The initiative thus has a strong but missing network of support in the general public to achieve the plans for a return to the G9.

Overall, it remains to be seen how the discussion about the Abitur in Hamburg will develop. The Situation in schools shows that despite the clear rejection of the initiative, there is still a great interest in discussion about educational justice and the optimal design of school. Further information on this topic is on www.shz.de to read.