German European School Manila

Deutsche Europäische Schule Manila German European School Manila Paaralang Europeo Alemana Maynila
Entrance of German and French School in Manila (European International School)
Location
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
75 Swaziland Street, Better Living Subdivision, Parañaque Parañaque , 1711
Coordinates	14°29′12″N 121°00′53″E / 14.486595°N 121.014588°E / 14.486595; 121.014588
Information
Other names	GESM, Eurocampus, European International School
Former names	José Rizal-Schule (1980-2008)
School type	Recognized German, Cambridge and IB school, UNESCO affiliated, accredited by the Philippines Non-profit, international, secular
Motto	"Learning together for our future."
Established	1980
Headmaster	Christoph-Boris Frank
Enrolment	380
Colour(s)	blue and yellow
Mascot	Tarsier
Website	www.gesm.org

The German European School Manila ("GESM") is a non-profit international school offering the full K-12 program in Manila. It is an IB World School, a Cambridge international school, a UNESCO-affiliated school and a two-time recipient of the "Excellent German School Abroad" seal from German federal authorities.^[1]

Until Grade 10, its classes have two parallel sections, defined mainly by the language of instruction: English or German. Students finish the 10th grade by taking either the Schulabschlussprüfungen (German school-leaving examinations) or the International General Certificate for Secondary Education. For Grades 11 and 12, GESM offers both the Diploma Programme (DP) and the Career-related Programme (CP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB).

French and German Pre-Primary and buildings of IB-Section

History[]

It was founded as the Jose-Rizal Schule: Deutschsprachige Auslandsschule Manila (DSM) in honor of the Philippine national hero Jose Rizal in 1980.

In 1992, the Jose-Rizal Schule and its French counterpart, the École Française de Manille (EFM), moved in together to share a two-hectare campus that came to be known as the Eurocampus and where it still is based today. This joint-campus model was the first of its kind in the world, and was followed by other European international schools abroad including Shanghai, Dublin, Zagreb, and among others.^[2][3]

The DSM and EFM joined forces in 2003 to form the European International School (EIS), a body that would be able to offer the IB Diploma Programme for Grades 11 and 12. However, by 2006, only the DSM was handling operations of the EIS. In 2006 GESM was called German International School.In 2008, the school formally adopted its present name, German European School Manila (GESM), and founded an English-based section called the "European Section" (later: "International Section").^[4]

School Year 2014-15 saw the GESM offer the IGCSE examinations for the first time. Soon after, it also received accreditation to offer the official German Language Diploma (DSD I) examinations.

In 2019 the first DSD II exams were held.

2021 saw the introduction of the Career-related Programme, offering academic subjects combined with vocational training to senior high school students.^[5]

Organization[]

The German European School Manila has two sections: the German Section, leading to official German exams after the 9th and 10th grades, and an International Section, originally called Euro-Section, starting with the PYP in Primary and going on with the Cambridge and IGCSE-programmes in Secondary.

Students can change from the International to the German Section, students without previous German are integrated through immersive language learning in GESM's bilingual kindergarten and through an intensive language training programme allowing entrance into grades 1-7 without previous knowledge of German.

Both sections lead to the IB Diploma Programme in classes 11 and 12. Students are offered the option to foster their German language skills in special courses or in one or more subjects like Biology, History, Mathematics and Chemistry where tuition is offered in German.

GESM provides not only a highly international environment but offers transition to any German and international school and university, as well as to the German Dual Study System and to 450 Vocational Training Programmes in Germany.

The school is recognized and supported financially and in personnel by the German government and follows the German G8-curriculum, the Cambridge IGCSE programme and the IB programme.

Non-German speakers are prepared for the DSD I and DSD II exams, German native speakers for the Cambridge Language exams up to the Certificate of Proficiency.

The headmaster is installed by the Board of the school and the German Central Agency for Foreign Schools Abroad (ZfA), which is part of the Federal Foreign Office led by the German Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Location[]

As part of the European International School it is located on Eurocampus in 75 Swaziland St., Better Living Subdivision, Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines.

French School Manila[]

GESM closely cooperates with the French School of Manila (French: Lycée Français de Manille). Together they form the European International School on the Eurocampus.

Accreditation[]

GESM is officially recognized by the Philippine state,^[6] and by the German government.

The school is an accredited IB school, offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.^[7] It has also got Cambridge accreditation. It is recognized as a UNESCO affiliated school.

Former students[]

• Verena Wriedt (born 9. Januar 1975 in Wiesbaden), a German journalist and TV host.^[8]
• Solenn Heusaff (born 20. Juli 1985 in Makati), a French-Philippine actress and singer.
• Sandra Ines Seifert (born 1. Februar 1984 in Manila), a German-Philippine model, Miss Earth 2009.

References[]

External links[]

• German European School Manila
• Facebookpage of GESM