Protest in the district council: Parents and students are fighting for Mr. Bräuer!

Protest in the district council: Parents and students are fighting for Mr. Bräuer!

The OSZ II Barnim school community is in great excitement. The Brandenburg Ministry of Education has announced the appointment of a new head of department for the vocational high school. However, this decision triggered a wave of rejection - throughout the school. The student council, parents, teachers and school authorities have jointly spoken out against this step. How barnim-aktuell.de reports, Mr. Bräuer, the previous acting department head, has established himself as a figure of identification. This shows the great trust and support he enjoys in the school community.

The resistance to the planned new appointment is not only expressed in words. An open letter to the Ministry of Education and a petition that has already collected over 500 signatures underline the determination of those involved. Concern about the school climate and the established structures is loudly expressed, as many associated changes are feared. This situation could endanger not only learning but also social integration at school.

A planned protest

On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, the school community wants to make its voices loud in the Barnim district council. A protest is planned at 3:45 p.m. at the plenary hall in Eberswalde, where participants would like to take part in the residents' question time. Numerous local and state parliament members have already pledged their support and are behind this initiative for Mr. Bräuer to stay.

Such massive protests are not isolated, but rather part of a larger discussion about the education system in Germany. In the state of Brandenburg, as in other German states, the multi-tier school system is increasingly viewed as outdated. Loud n-tv.de The student representatives in Berlin are calling for the abolition of the existing system, which divides students into different types of schools (high school, integrated secondary school) after primary school. This early division increases social inequalities and massively influences the educational opportunities of students, depending on their social or ethnic backgrounds. The proposed community school as an alternative form of school could enable up to ten years of shared learning, which many see as a step in the right direction.

School system in transition

Education policy in Germany is a complex topic. Each federal state has sovereignty over its educational policy and designs the education system according to its own ideas. These differences lead to diverse school structures, as the Federal Agency for Civic Education shows in a comprehensive dossier ( bpb.de ). While compulsory schooling usually begins at the age of six and continues until the age of 18, the school system is no longer considered optimal.

Numerous voices are now calling for the system to be fundamentally reformed. Discussions about abolishing homework and school grades are also ongoing. These changes are intended to help take the pressure off students and promote individual learning paths. The education debate remains exciting and it remains to be seen how the changes will develop in the next few years.

The situation at OSZ II Barnim is a striking example of the challenges that schools and educational institutions are currently facing. Despite all odds, the school community remains determined to raise its voice and fight for a positive school climate.