German School of Barranquilla

German School of Barranquilla main entrance

German School of Barranquilla (Spanish: Colegio Alemán de Barranquilla, German: Deutsche Schule Barranquilla) is a German international school in Barranquilla, Colombia.[1] It serves primary school through senior high school, grades 1-12.[2]

The main instructional language is Spanish. As of circa 2015 under 1% of students are native German speakers.[3]

History

The school first opened on February 9, 1913, making it the oldest German school in Colombia. Its first facility was a tenement building in the center of Barranquilla,[4] and initially the school used rented facilities. It moved into its own building in 1930.[5]

The school originally used German as the language of instruction,[3] and it used a German-Spanish bilingual program.[6] In 1940 the pre-World War II school reached its peak student population of 253. 65% of the students were Colombians, 26% were Germans, and the remaining 9% were of different nationalities.[5]

It closed in 1942 due to political reasons stemming from World War II,[5] it did not reopen until 1956.[3] In the interim there were secret classes held at the Colegio del Prado. When the school officially reopened with 255 students,[6] it became a Spanish-medium school,[3] while German was only an academic subject. Students were required to use the Colombian curriculum. In 1957 the student body increased to 345. The first post-war teachers from Germany came in 1959. In 1961 an inspection committee from West Germany looked at the school. That year the first post-war graduates finished their studies. In October 1961 the National Ministry of Education officially acknowledged the German School of Barranquilla.[6]

The West German government eventually canceled its financial aid till since German was no longer the medium of instruction.[6] It did, however, give financial aid to the construction of the building which opened in 1963.[7]

In the 2000s the school moved to its current location, midway between the center of Barranquilla and the center of Puerto Colombia.[8]

Curriculum

The main instructional language is Spanish.[3] The German language is offered as a subject in grades 1-12,[8] and the school offers Levels I and II of the German Language Exams.[7] German is used as a medium of instruction in Biology and History classes.[9] English classes are taught in English.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us" (Archive). German School of Barranquilla. Retrieved on September 25, 2015. " German School, Barranquilla Carrera 46 - Vía al Mar - Poste 89 Barranquilla / Colombia"
  2. ↑ "General remarks" (Archive). German School of Barranquilla. Retrieved on September 25, 2015. German version (Archive).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 History page 1 (Archive). German School of Barranquilla. Retrieved on September 25, 2015. Spanish version (Archive), German version (Archive)
  4. ↑ History page 2 (Archive). German School of Barranquilla. Retrieved on September 25, 2015. Spanish version (Archive), German version (Archive)
  5. 1 2 3 History page 3. (Archive). German School of Barranquilla. Retrieved on September 25, 2015. Spanish version (Archive), German version (Archive).
  6. 1 2 3 4 History page 4 (Archive). German School of Barranquilla. Retrieved on September 25, 2015. Spanish version (Archive), German version (Archive)
  7. 1 2 History page 5 (Archive). German School of Barranquilla. Retrieved on September 25, 2015. Spanish version (Archive), German version (Archive)
  8. 1 2 History page 7 (Archive). German School of Barranquilla. Retrieved on September 25, 2015. Spanish version (Archive), German version (Archive)
  9. ↑ "Introductory Remarks" (Archive). German School of Barranquilla. Retrieved on September 25, 2015. Spanish version (Archive), German version (Archive)

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