Parochial School

As a parochial school or parochial school is called in Germany a school where they teach the students the principles of a religious confession.

Originally, a total intake restriction for " confessional foreign" students. Most schools have now opened pupils of other faiths, also is often religious instruction given in each other's commitment. In denominational schools to attend religious instruction is usually binding. The recording confessional foreign graders must also be rejected in public denominational schools under state auspices, if parents refuse their children's participation in religious instruction and worship in school.

• 2.2.1 Catholic parochial schools
• 2.2.2 Protestant denominational schools

Historical development

The origins of the school system were closely linked with the churches and therefore has an impact denominational from the start. As part of the Kulturkampf, schools were placed under state school inspection, but still in the Weimar Republic, there were regional differences both faith schools and community schools (also called " simultaneous schools ").

1927 - at that time ruled the Cabinet Marx IV - put the Centre Party before the draft of a new Education Act, which provided for equality of religious schools with community schools. According to Article 146 of the constitution was priority of inter-faith community schools against schools for children of individual denominations. The BVP and the DNVP wore this design with; was strictly against the German People's Party. In particular, the measured center of the school about outstanding importance. Neither side gave in the question. On February 15, 1928, the failure of the legislative proposal, it was stated. This meant the end of the coalition. Reich President Paul von Hindenburg dissolved the Reichstag a few weeks later and ordered a general election for 20 May 1928.

Under Nazi rule, the " German Community School" became the mainstream school, however, the Reich Concordat of 1933 the retention and refurbishment of Catholic denominational schools was also guaranteed under international law in Article 23.

In the postwar years there were violent political conflicts, which should represent the first two types of schools the constitutional mainstream school (see also cleavage theory). After the founding of the Federal Republic of the Reich Concordat kept although its validity, the Constitutional Court did in 1957 but in the Concordat judgment finds that the countries were not to be bound by the provisions of the Concordat school in shaping the country's education law. At the same time converted to the Catholic side in the wake of the Second Vatican Council the Church's education claim. The responsibility of the state in education was recognized. The German Catholic Church no longer held firmly to the state denominational school as regular school. Given the increasing confessional mixing and the decrease in religious bonds managed in the late 1960s almost all German federal states, where denominational schools still exist, from those in favor of the Christian community schools as a regular school. Only in North Rhine -Westphalia and parts of Lower Saxony provide denominational primary schools to date on an equal footing, even locally the dominant type of school in addition to the Community Primary School dar.

Forms today

Denominational schools in public ownership

In two German states, North Rhine -Westphalia and Lower Saxony, there are denominational schools as government schools under the auspices of political communities.

Lower Saxony

§ 129 para 1 of the Lower Saxony Education Act provides: "At the request of guardians of public primary schools are to be established for students of the same denomination. " This provision refers to Article 6 of the " Concordat between the Holy See and the State of Lower Saxony " of 26 February from 1965, which states: " the country ensures the maintenance and new construction of Catholic denominational schools. "

This regulation was revised, after which the Lower Saxony state parliament in 1954 explains the " Christian community school" to mainstream school, albeit with exemptions for the territory of the former Land Oldenburg. There was up to the new Lower Saxon constitution of 1993 in primary education exclusively denominational schools. In the school year 2005/2006 were in the state of Lower Saxony from a total of 1760 primary schools 128 public primary schools for Catholic children and 7 for Protestant children.

After the Lower Saxony law school, up to 30 % of students to be at a school " confessional foreign." Since a change in the law of July 17, 2012, exceptions may be made ​​to this rule, so that schools can absorb a higher proportion of foreign -denominational children without challenging the religious status of the school in question ( § 129 para 3 and § 157 para 1 NSchG ). Up to a revision in July 2011, the maximum rate was 20 %, initially at 10 %. In fact, the proportion of " confession stranger " in public Catholic denominational schools in Oldenburger Munsterland is up to 60 percent. Denominational schools can be converted into community schools with a majority vote of the guardians ( § 135 para 5 NSchG ). Headmaster need not belong to the school commitment in Lower Saxony.

In the city of wages in the district of Vechta the Concordat regime has meant that in 2010, six out of seven elementary schools were Catholic denominational schools administered by the city until July. With effect from 1 August 2010, the only school has been closed for lack of students of all faiths applications. Since the school year 2010/2011 Lohner so all children of primary school age children attend Catholic parochial schools, even though only 66 percent of the Lohner population are Catholic.

In the town of Vechta, where similar conditions are to be found, the request was made to convert three parochial schools in schools for students of all faiths. In a vote on 15 December 2008, the time required two-thirds majority of Catholic parents was achieved in only one of three schools, although the mayor and the city council of Vechta and representatives of the Episcopal Münstersche Offizialats had previously called for the conversion.

North Rhine -Westphalia

In North Rhine- Westphalia, the denominational school has constitutional status. In Article 12, paragraph 3, sentence 2 of the North Rhine-Westphalia Constitution states: "In faith schools children of the Catholic or the Protestant faith or any other religious community are informed and educated according to the principles of that commitment. " § 26 paragraph 6 of the Education Act sets ". teachers at parochial schools must be members of the profession concerned and be willing to teach at these schools and educate " Religion is taught as a rule only in the school commitment, guardians of non- commitment children must as a condition for receiving a consent for the information and education in the school confession sign. For a conversion to community primary schools the voices of the parents of two-thirds of all students is required ( § 27 para 3 of the Schools Act ) are.

In the school year 2012/13 were Catholic and 96 Protestant of 3,028 public elementary schools 914, in addition, there were two Jewish confession primary schools. In 75 municipalities, there were exclusively denominational primary schools. 44 Of the 575 public secondary schools were Catholic and Protestant 5.

Since the school year 2008/2009 the abolition of school districts led by the provincial government in individual cases to the fact that children were rejected from the immediate vicinity of denominational primary schools there place of residence in favor of further commitment children. In Bonn, where then 21 of 50 elementary schools were denominational schools, therefore, formed in March 2009, a citizens' initiative, initially campaigned for easier conversion of confession primary schools in community schools and finally for its abolition. Since 2012, five Catholic elementary schools by parents were converted to community primary schools in Cologne alone, mostly because otherwise the school heads of denominational reasons could not have been occupied.

In February 2014, the five NRW dioceses of the Catholic Church submitted a position paper containing proposals for reform of the confessional primary schools under state auspices. In this they are in favor of opening schools for non-Catholic students and for non-denominational and non-Catholic teachers if endorse the school profile.

Confession of private schools

Most religious schools are Catholic; but there are also many Protestant and some others, such as parochial schools of Seventh- day Adventists. At about 90 locations in Germany Protestant denominational schools have arisen independently operated since 1973.

2011 about 475,000 students were taught in different types of schools, from primary schools through elementary and secondary schools to high schools to parochial schools. In this case, make the most of denominational schools church organizations from: 674 Catholic schools with about 327,000 students, 115,000 students attend one of the 541 Protestant denominational schools. The Confession 92 independent schools had in 2011 about 33,000 students.

The schools are under the supervision of the school authorities and convey usually as a substitute schools, the contents of the curricula of public schools. According to the country-specific cult Legislature approved as alternative schools facilities are funded. Typically 50 to 60% of the costs can be covered by it. The school fees collected will be graded mostly according to the income of the parents. At many schools, there are reduced school fees. Additional funding is through donations. Support the schools are non-profit associations in the rule.

Catholic parochial schools

According to the declaration of the bishops of NRW of 30 October 1985 3 sentence 2 of the state constitution are taught in NRW children according to the principles of confession and educated in parochial schools in accordance with Article 12 paragraph to which they belong. In this sense, the applicable guidelines and curricula are applied. The formulation of the principles responsible for Catholic parochial schools of the Catholic Church. The policy was last defined in 1986. The regime is based on the previously existing conditions, as yet no " confession strangers " were included in Catholic parochial schools.

Protestant denominational schools

The most significant free carrier of schools protestants are the Protestant Churches in Germany. In the "new " federal states they are carriers of most Protestant denominational schools and also the most common carrier of free schools in total.

Within the totality of the Protestant denominational schools, a flow of evangelical schools has established that the term " denominational school " - claiming specifically for facilities of its religious upbringing - in abgrenzender importance to all other denominational schools. A considerable part of these schools has a common umbrella organization, the Federation of Protestant denominational schools ( Pdal ) formed. Most of the evangelical faith schools emerged since the 1970s, " as a reaction against neo-Marxist school reforms ".

Criticism

The institution of the Parochial School is criticized to be abused under the guise of religion as a means of social exclusion. Parents hoped for by the targeted enrolling their children in a parochial school a more socially excepted environment without migrants.

Another point of criticism is that non-Catholic primary school teachers in North Rhine -Westphalia and Lower Saxony regional or nationwide poorer job prospects have as a Catholic, because there is a high proportion of Catholic denominational schools to public schools and to them Catholic applicants for a teacher or school head preferably be adjusted or moved. This, however, does not conflict with the General Equal Treatment Act, according to which a discrimination on religious grounds is indeed illegal, but an exception exists that further enables the selection of employees of church organizations and institutions according to denomination, similar to parties arises.

In the debate is the preference of the children who bring the right confession. Are there too many candidates to choose religious schools not on where you live nearby, but according to denomination.

In February 2014, the Administrative Court ruled Minden on the action of a Muslim family from Paderborn. The inclusion of a child had been rejected by a Catholic primary school, after her parents had refused to sign a statement on mandatory participation in Catholic religious education and religious services. The plaintiff saw the status of the school as a denominational school called into question, that only 40 % of pupils were Catholic. The Court confirmed in its judgment, the legality of the decision of the head teacher, not to include the child as long as the parents contributed not consent to participate in their child's religious education and school worship. The unconditional right to choose a denominational school, there was basically due to the country's Constitution (Article 12, paragraph 3, sentence 2) only for children of the appropriate confession. A recording confessional foreign children could only be made in exceptional cases, provided that the confessional homogeneity of the school was not prejudicial or if the child is not a school of his own confession could still reach a community school within a reasonable distance. As the school is considered reasonable for primary school students in NRW, if a school term of more than one hour is not exceeded. Regular waiting times at school before and after classes should be no more than 45 minutes.