German School Award 2022 Goes to Vocational Training Center in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

• Robert Bosch Stiftung and Heidehof Foundation award top prize for German schools in Berlin.
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz: “The award-winning schools set an example for other schools. They model how a school can succeed in all its diversity and how good teaching can reach every single student.”
• Applications for the German School Award 2023 now open until February 15, 2023.

Berlin, September 28, 2022: The Regionale Berufliche Bildungszentrum Müritz [Regional Vocational Training Center] in Waren (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) has won the German School Award 2022 worth 100,000 euros. Four further prizes of 30,000 euros each were also awarded to Havelmüller primary school in Berlin, IGS Buchholz in Buchholz (Lower Saxony), Placida-Viel vocational college in Menden (North Rhine-Westphalia), and the German European School in Singapore. The remaining finalists all received a 5,000-euro award in recognition of their work. Chancellor Olaf Scholz awarded the main prize today at ewerk in Berlin. This prestigious competition sees the best schools honored annually by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH and Heidehof Stiftung GmbH in partnership with the public broadcasting network ARD and the German publishing Group die ZEIT.

“Good education should be celebrated, and this is just what the German School Award stands for,” highlighted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the occasion of the award ceremony for the German School Award. “The award-winning schools selected today set an example for other schools. They model how a school can succeed in all its diversity and how good teaching can reach every single student.” Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger emphasizes: “Good schools and their innovative concepts must be made visible and honored. This is what the German School Award does. My sincere congratulations to all the award winners.”

Vocational school prepares students for the job market of the future  

The Regionale Berufliche Bildungszentrum Müritz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is a state vocational college split over two sites and with six specialist departments. Here, a total of 1,400 young people study everything from catering to media design in preparation for the job market. “Specialized practical classes are by no means compulsory in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and yet the school has done a great job of bringing practical experience into the classroom,” says Michael Schratz, founding dean of the School of Education at the University of Innsbruck and spokesman for the German School Award jury, speaking in praise of the school. “SimLabs” (simulation labs) help create this practical focus. Whether in the carpentry workshop, the training kitchen, or the training restaurant, the equipment the students are learning with is often more state-of-the-art than is actually used in real life. “Their didactic annual planning team lays solid foundations for high-quality teaching, namely an impressive level of technical expertise and a strong focus on the real world,” explains Schratz. This annual planning includes all teaching staff involved in the educational program via specialist subject groups. They keep a close eye on the changing demands of the job market and systematically update their individual learning environments.

The German School Award: A virtuous cycle for strengthening and sharing good school practice

“The winners of the German School Award are rethinking teaching and learning, and their success extends far beyond the classroom,” says Dr. Bernhard Straub, CEO of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. “To make sure others can learn from their innovative ideas, we are working with researchers to collate the schools’ tried-and-tested practices and will make these available to all schools via training courses, publications, and the German School Portal online platform.”

Celebrating the best schools in the country, the German School Award has been awarded by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH and the Heidehof Foundation since 2006 and is the best-known, most demanding, and highest-value prize in the field. The Award is partnered with the public broadcasting network ARD and the German publishing group die ZEIT.

Around 2,500 different schools have applied for the prize since the program was launched. The winner is decided by the jury, who consider six quality criteria: quality of instruction; academic achievement; approach to diversity; responsibility; school culture, life, and extracurricular partners; and school development. These characteristics are now broadly recognized as the hallmarks of a quality school.

The motto for this year’s competition was “Making teaching better”. At the beginning of the year, a 50-member jury comprised of educational scientists and administrators and in-school specialists initially selected 20 schools from a total of 81 applicants. Jury teams then visited and assessed these schools over the course of May and June, before the selection committee ultimately nominated a total of 15 schools.

The German School Award 2023: Apply now

All general educational and vocational schools in Germany as well as German schools abroad are now invited to apply for the German School Award 2023. Applications close February 15, 2023. For more information, please see www.deutscher-schulpreis.de/bewerbung (in German)