Brandenburg is introducing language tests for primary school students earlier – safety first!

Brandenburg is introducing language tests for primary school students earlier – safety first!

In Brandenburg there are innovations in the educational landscape that are relevant not only for children, but also for parents and teachers. From the next school year, the language test for future primary school students will be brought forward one year. The aim of this measure is to determine whether the children have sufficient knowledge of German before they start school. This should happen especially in view of recent incidents of violence among young people in Cottbus, which were discussed at a security conference. This revealed the need to act to relieve the burden on teachers and promote a positive school environment, reports rbb24.

The language assessment test will be brought forward to the age of five and will initially be carried out in a model project with around 60 daycare centers, particularly in Cottbus. Education Minister Steffen Freiberg (SPD) emphasizes that language skills are crucial for children's participation and school success. This test should therefore become mandatory for all children in Brandenburg from the 2027/28 school year. Freiberg also calls for data protection to be relaxed, as schools currently do not receive any information about the results of the tests. This could help support children with difficulties more efficiently.

Background and security measures

The problem became particularly clear through conflicts in the Sachsendorf and Schmellwitz districts, where 50 to 60 young people were involved in serious acts of violence, including threats and physical harm. To counteract this, measures such as cooperation with security services and “talking to those at risk” have already been introduced. The city of Cottbus wants to prevent such incidents from becoming normal and has therefore called the security conference to develop new strategies.

Another concern of the education administration is to relieve the burden on schools with a high proportion of foreigners by distributing children with inadequate German skills more widely. The mayor of Cottbus, Tobias Schick (SPD), had suggested a quota system, but this met with resistance from the Ministry of Education, which rejected such approaches.

Strengthen violence prevention in schools

However, the measures available to prevent violence are not limited to language tests. Every school member - teachers, school management, parents and school supervisors - is responsible for a school climate free of fear and violence. Acts of violence must be discussed openly instead of trivialized. Emergency plans, which were developed as part of a circular, provide schools with concrete recommendations for action, even for serious acts of violence. School management is responsible for immediately informing the police if criminal activity is suspected, while at the same time caring for victims of violence is a top priority. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport also emphasizes this bravors.

Another aspect is the “Be classy together!” project, which has been fighting bullying in Brandenburg schools since 2020. Materials and guidelines are available for teachers to improve how they deal with conflicts in everyday school life. The fundamental principles of togetherness should be discussed and reflected upon in schools in order to create a better school climate. Experts offer support in violence prevention and crisis intervention. The importance of proactively addressing the issue of violence in schools cannot be overestimated readkong.

In summary, it can be said that Brandenburg sees itself as having a responsibility to better prepare children for the challenges of school and at the same time ensure that a non-violent learning environment exists. The next steps will be crucial, both for the children and for the entire school community.