Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Education Karin Prien (CDU) is planning to cancel all school-leaving exams, including those for the Abitur, because of the corona pandemic. “In the current situation and the particular challenge not only for our school system but also for each one of us, I think this decision is necessary,” said Prien on Tuesday. She would present a corresponding proposal to the cabinet for the deliberations on Wednesday.
“We have an exceptional situation this year due to the spread of the coronavirus and our measures,” said Prien. In mid-March, classes in schools across the country were discontinued. When and how lessons could be resumed is not yet foreseeable. “We have been consulting for two weeks about how we can enable fair and fair final exams under the given circumstances this year.” The Abitur exams should begin immediately after the Easter break. “This currently seems unrealistic.”
76,000 supporters for a petition
According to Priens’ plans, the pupils in the north should instead receive final certificates based on previous grades at the end of the school year. “I will, therefore, propose in the Conference of Ministers of Education that we no longer take the Abitur exams, but evaluate the Abitur and its grade based on the performance achieved so far,” said Prien.
The opposition SPD has spoken out against the failure of the tests in the northernmost state. “Even if there is no Eurovision Song Contest in May, it must be possible to award points at schools,” said SPD education politician Kai Vogel on Tuesday. In view of the pandemic, two Hamburg students had already started a petition to cancel the Abitur exams nationwide. The petition published on the “change.org” internet portal had signed around 76,000 supporters by Tuesday afternoon.
