Bad Segeberg under pressure: G9 return forces schools to adopt radical solutions!

Bad Segeberg under pressure: G9 return forces schools to adopt radical solutions!

The return of the G8 to the G9 is currently causing a lot of conversation in Bad Segeberg. Thomas Schwerin, the director of the municipal high school (STG), is facing a number of challenges that not only affect him, but also the entire city. From the coming school year, the school will urgently need six new specialist rooms and two replacement rooms in order to meet the increased requirements. This situation is exacerbated by the dilapidated teaching containers, which are forced to continue to be used. [LN Online].

The city of Bad Segeberg, as the school authority, sees itself as responsible, but cannot always count on the support of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. For 2026, costs of around 865,000 euros have already been estimated for renting and setting up the urgently needed containers, which could total up to 2.65 million euros. Although the city has decided to examine the schools' needs in detail, the pressure remains to make decisions quickly.

The planned new building and its challenges

A planned extension for the STG is intended to provide an auditorium for up to 400 people and is expected to cost 20 million euros. However, completion is not expected before 2030, which could further worsen the situation for affected students and teachers. The CDU parliamentary group leader Michael Hintz has suggested that schools could “move closer together” and is examining the possibility of modular construction instead of using containers. However, Schwerin expresses concerns that this “coming together” cannot be implemented in practice and that competition could arise between the schools.

The return to G9 is not only an issue in Bad Segeberg. More and more federal states in Germany, including Bavaria, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, are also planning to switch back to a 13-year education program. The introduction of G9 is considered necessary because it could offer more freedom and independence in learning, especially in view of the perception that the stress of afternoon lessons under G8 is too high. ZDF reports fears among students who may not be able to continue their school career as desired during the transition to G9.

A look outside the box

In Baden-Württemberg, the introduction of G9 is also considered important, but it is pointed out that a convincing pedagogical concept for the new secondary school is therefore necessary. Wacker, who is active in the education sector, demands that schools be able to decide for themselves whether they want to differentiate according to level. A waiver of grades up to the 7th grade was considered sensible in order to reduce the pressure to perform and give the students time for social stabilization. German school portal emphasizes that a binding primary school recommendation is necessary in order to control the transition to high school.

The developments in Bad Segeberg are therefore part of a larger nationwide trend. This not only brings with it new challenges, but also new opportunities for shaping the school structure and culture. The coming months will be crucial in determining how schools in Bad Segeberg and beyond will respond to these changes.