Bonn's special school wins German School Prize 2024 - a model for NRW!

Bonn's special school wins German School Prize 2024 - a model for NRW!

The Siebengebirgsschule in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, was awarded the German School Prize in 2024 and thus received prize money of 100,000 euros. According to the jury, which the special school praised for its innovative teaching methods, the school has largely abolished traditional lessons. Instead of fixed timetables, the pupils use iPads to familiarize themselves with a digital system called "Lernnavi" in individual learning paths, which gives them freedom to shape their working hours themselves. Educational scientist Thorsten Bohl emphasized the positive effect of this model, which aims to encourage students to recognize and discover their strengths.

In addition to the Siebengebirgschule, five other schools were also awarded the school prize and received 30,000 euros each. This includes institutions in Berlin such as the Friedenau community school and the Wilhelm-von-Humboldt-Gymnasium as well as three schools from NRW: the Thomas Morus-Gymnasium in Oelde, the St. Pius High School in Coesfeld and the Joseph-Dumont vocational college in Cologne. These honors come in the middle of a growing discussion about the future of school lessons in Germany, whereby the seven excellent schools are considered exemplary models, as www.merkur.de reports .