Deutsche Internationale Schule Pretoria

Deutsche Internationale Schule Pretoria
Address
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Simon Vermooten Road Die Wilgers Pretoria 0041 South Africa
Coordinates	25°44′58″S 28°19′44″E / 25.74944°S 28.32889°E / -25.74944; 28.32889Coordinates: 25°44′58″S 28°19′44″E / 25.74944°S 28.32889°E / -25.74944; 28.32889
Information
Type	German International School
Opened	December 1899
Principal	Wolfgang Ehrich
Grades	Crèche through Grade 12
Website	dspretoria.co.za
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap

The Deutsche Internationale Schule Pretoria (DSP) is a German and English-medium school in The Willows, Pretoria, South Africa.^[1][2]

History[]

The DSP was founded in December 1899, with the first school building officially opened in 1900.^[3]

1924 saw the school move to bigger premises in the Pretoria city centre.

In 1965, the DSP had 16 teachers and 399 learners from pre-school to Grade 7.^[4]

Until 1967, the DSP was a primary school only. In 1968 a Grade 8 class was started, followed by a Grade 9 class in 1969 and so on, until the DSP sat its first Matric class for school-leaving exams in 1972.

With the school growing too small for its Pretoria city centre facilities, DSP’s current property was purchased in 1969. Construction of the new school began in 1975 and the DSP moved officially in 1977.

In 1985 the DSP Kindergarten was opened, while in 2013 the school opened a crèche, for children from 3 months of age.

In 1988 the DSP launched an outreach “Education Builds Bridges,” aimed at previously-disadvantaged learners from Mamelodi and Eersterust. Since then, over 800 children have taken part in the programme, which is made possible by a grant from the Federal Republic of Germany. At a ceremony for the 30th anniversary of the programme on 8 November 2019, former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe thanked the DSP for playing a role in the creation of a new South Africa 30 years ago. “The decision of the German School was courageous and gave additional impetus to the process of democratisation of South Africa”, said Motlanthe.^[5]

As of 2021, the DSP has roughly 50 teachers and 750 learners, from its Crèche through to Grade 12.

Operations[]

The school is funded through school fees, donations, fundraising and support from the German government.

It is founded on the German Education model of teaching, which emphasizes developing independence in children, encourages critical thinking, supports children taking ownership for their learning process, and stresses the development of creative problem-solving skills.^[6]

Since 1999, the school has added a new Media/Computer Centre, an Arts, Crafts and Design Centre, dedicated music facility, as well as a LEGO Robotics Lab.^[7]

Curriculum and Graduation options[]

The DSP follows German and South African curricula, with German and English taught as both mother tongue and as a foreign language.^[8]

The school is divided into the following phases:

Early Learning (including a Crèche and Kindergarten), Primary (Pre-school to Grade 4), Secondary I (Grades 5-9) and Secondary II (Grades 10-12), all of which work closely with each other.

In the Secondary School I phase, learners in German classes can complete a school-leaving certificate equivalent to the German “Hauptschulabschluss” (Grade 9) or “Realschulabschluss” (Grade 10).

At the end of Grade 9, in preparation for entry to Secondary School II, learners decide whether they want to follow the German Kombi-Abitur or the South African National Senior Certificate (NSC) Programme. In the NSC, learners are prepared in the English medium for the NSC examination at the end of Grade 12, as set by the Independent Examination Board (IEB). This can then be supplemented by the German Language Diploma (DSD II), which qualifies a learner to study in Germany.^[8]

The language of tuition in the Kombi-Abitur is mainly German and affords learners the opportunity to earn a dual school-leaving certificate (the German international “Abitur” and the NSC).

Oktoberfest[]

Pretoria’s annual Oktoberfest (occurring in September) was first held at the DSP in the Willows in 1977, as a fundraiser for the school. Attractions include an authentic Oompah band, German food like Eisbein, Bratwurst, Schnitzel, Brezel and Lebkuchen, as well as both German and local beers. For the first time in its history, the Oktoberfest was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the decrease of funding.^[9][10]

Racism and controversies[]

According to the article "German school in racism row" published on 12 February 2017 on the South African news website City Press, a mother chose to remove her daughter from the DSP following racist insults from German schoolmates. The mother allegedly laid a complaint with both the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the Gauteng Department of Education.

Gauteng education department acting spokesperson Oupa Bodibe at the time said the department had no record of the allegations levelled against the school, while the SAHRC indicated that they had requested more information from the complainant. DSP school board chair Wolfgang Selzer in a statement said, "... the Deutsche Internationale Schule Pretoria does not tolerate any form of racism, and that the standard procedure in place to deal with such a matter has been initiated and is currently in progress." No other update or comment has ever been given by the DSP and the perpetrators remained unpunished by the school, although several other cases of racism were reported.

The same article states that multiple parents and teachers were not allowed to complain because the German government pays their school fees and "the school has partners in the department of education that helps the German school get rid [of] complaints". These claims were also confirmed by several open letters sent to the school community in 2020 by teachers and parents formerly at the DSP.

To cause further unrest and controversy in the school community, vandalism, thefts and lack of communication and maintenance at the DSP were frequently reported, but little action was ever taken by the school. On one occasion in 2019, a Grade 8 student caught a schoolmate stealing his phone and wallet from his school bag and reported him to his homeroom teacher, as by procedure. However, the teacher belittled the crime by claiming that "...after all, nothing bad happened." and the schoolmate received no disciplinary punishment of any kind. The thief even publicly mocked the Grade 8 student on various occasions for having reported him.

Other events include a student falling down the three-story high "T-Block" building, badly injuring himself, and vandals repeatedly damaging the secondary toilets, which remained unusable for a prolonged period of time. Music instruments and sport equipment were also often damaged and not replaced, while the school ill-maintained facilities such as the swimming pool, the Aula, the Art Centre, the Sports Hall and several "B-Block", "F-Block" and "T-Block" classrooms. Computers of the library and IT rooms also suffered hacker attacks and misuse by the students of the DSP.^[11][12]

Gallery[]

• 

  Aerial view of the DSP

• 

  DSP Main Entrance

• 

  DSP Kindergarten

• 

  DSP Primary School

• 

  DSP High School

• 

  DSP Siemens Forum

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Media related to Deutsche Schule Pretoria at Wikimedia Commons

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