Hanover declares war on IServ: New school platform from 2024!

Hanover declares war on IServ: New school platform from 2024!

School operations in Hanover will soon be transformed digitally. The city has announced that it will require all schools to use the city platform schulen-hannover.de by summer 2024. This means that the previously established IServ platform, which has proven to be a popular tool for schools over the years, is no longer supported. The decision to switch off IServ serves the aim of avoiding duplication of structures and centralizing technical support for schools taz.de reported.

However, there are mixed feelings for the almost 100 schools in Hanover that currently use IServ. Only 43 schools expressed concerns about the move, which some see as a step in the wrong direction. “It is important that we pool our resources,” argues the city administration, while also planning to integrate Microsoft 365 as part of the new package on schulen-hannover.de.

Farewell to IServ

IServ was launched in the early 2000s by a computer science teacher and students and showed a sharp increase in the number of users, especially during the corona pandemic. The platform offers a wide range of offerings for schools, from hardware management to various modules for completing school tasks. IServ's managing director, Martin Hüppe, expressed concern about the lack of communication from the city. He learned about the upcoming changes through conversations with school leaders who were unaware of the loss of financial support for IServ ndr.de communicates.

Hüppe plans to write a letter to Hanover Mayor Belit Onay to draw attention to the situation. However, the city government has already initiated a rapid transition to Microsoft products to gain experience, with access to Microsoft 365 being made available as early as December.

Impact on digital education

Digitalization in schools in Germany is making progress, but the challenges remain. The State Audit Office has criticized the financing of double structures between the Lower Saxony education cloud and private providers such as IServ. However, according to a recent ICILS study, the digital skills of students in Germany have declined, which underlines the urgency of the reforms. It becomes clear here that the financing of digital education, in particular, remains a central problem, despite numerous announcements of investments Statista emerges.

In summary, it can be said that the city of Hanover is trying to free schools from technical difficulties with its move to switch to a uniform platform and switch off IServ. But as infrastructure improves, the question remains whether these centralized solutions can actually meet the educational demands and needs of schools. This means that the discussion about the necessary specialists for digital education and the equality of educational opportunities remains a current and important topic.