Russian lessons in Brandenburg: a sad end for the language!

Russian lessons in Brandenburg: a sad end for the language!

Lübbenau, Deutschland - in Brandenburg, Russian lessons have decreased significantly at schools. As reports rbbb24, Russian at the high school in Lübbenau is completely deleted from the curriculum after the summer holidays. The trend is obvious: the language is only offered at every third high school and every second high school. 20 years ago, Russian was part of the curriculum at 87% of high schools in Brandenburg, now it is only 33% - a dramatic decline.

In the past two decades, the number of students who learn Russian has dropped by a huge 83% nationwide. In the school year 2020/21 there were still 94,000 students, while in 1992/93 565,100 students learned this language. It is particularly striking that 70% of the students who are currently learning Russian go to school in East German federal states. In the GDR, Russian was even compulsory and was considered the first foreign language.

The change of course after the turn

After the turn, the interests of the students shifted towards other languages such as English, French and Spanish. The headmaster of the Paul Fahlisch-Gymnasium, Matthias Lösche, reports of a blatant lack of interest among the students. So Russian was offered from level 7, but there was hardly any class that decided to do so. With the upcoming retirement of the only Russian teacher at the school, the subject is now completely deleted.

A look at the latest figures shows another decline: In the past ten years, the number of students who learn Russian has dropped from 31,000 to only 21,600, according to the Ministry of Education in Brandenburg. Nevertheless, Brandenburg remains informed with 20% of the students who continue to learn Russian in a top position, such as [https://www.tagesspiegel.de/potsdam/landeshauptstadt/immer-weniger---renn-zschuler-die--die----------------die------------------------------------

The image and the future of language

Marlies Ruppel, chair of the Brandenburg Interest Association Russian lessons (Biru), sees hope: According to her, Russian will not completely disappear. There are still enough well -trained teachers. Helgard Lörcher, chairman of the German Russian Teachers' Association, emphasizes the prevailing image problem in Russia and its effects on the students. He describes a vicious circle: Without lessons, there is no knowledge of Russian culture, without this knowledge the Russian lessons are left out.

The Biru vigorously campaigns for the preservation of the Russian language and culture at Brandenburg schools, including exchange programs and events for further training. Language competitions, such as the Russian Olympiad, take place every two years, with the winners have the chance to qualify for the Federal Olympics. All of this should prepare the students for future conversation situations and strengthen the use of the language in a professional context.

The question remains how Russian lessons will develop in the coming years. The concern for the future preservation and appreciation of the language is growing, while the students' interest is still shifted.