School crisis in Cologne: Neubrück's secondary school remains despite direct demand!

School crisis in Cologne: Neubrück's secondary school remains despite direct demand!

In Neubrück, the Kurt Tucholsky School has decided to continue to function as a secondary school after the application to convert it into a comprehensive school was rejected. Loud Cologne City Gazette The CDU and Greens voted against the conversion, while the SPD, Left and Volt advocated for the creation of 108 new comprehensive school places in the Kalk district.

The numbers speak for themselves: with 72 available places, only 15 students were registered, which corresponds to an occupancy rate of less than 30 percent. The situation is not only tense in Neubrück, as other secondary schools in Cologne are also experiencing similar problems. The secondary school at Alter Griechenmarkt, for example, only has 12 registrations and the Ehrenfeld secondary school also only has 15 registrations. In total, there are 864 secondary school places available at 12 schools in Cologne, of which 627 are unused, as the statistics on the City of Cologne website show Education Cologne.

Criticism of the decision

The decision not to convert the Kurt Tucholsky School has raised some critical voices. Oliver Seeck, the SPD's school policy spokesman, expressed concerns that many children in the area on the right bank of the Rhine would remain without access to comprehensive school places. Given the impending risk of closure if there are fewer than 18 registrations, the future of the secondary school is uncertain.

In addition, more than 2,300 families in Brück and the surrounding area have collected signatures for the conversion application. The Neubrück citizens' association also protested and made it clear that many had hoped for the creation of a comprehensive school. The Greens, on the other hand, emphasize that the secondary school acts as a small framework with special support needs and plays an important role in the community.

Planned changes and improvements

In their statement, the Greens also highlighted the accessibility of the Neubrück location by public transport, which is viewed as critical. They want to review the decision to convert again as soon as the transport connections have improved thanks to the planned GAG settlement in Brück. This could form an important basis for future considerations and decisions.

For the 2025/26 school year, families have already turned their attention to options at other schools before the subsequent registration process, which takes place from March 17 to 28, 2025. For students without a school place, the doors to high schools, comprehensive schools and secondary schools with free places are open City of Cologne.

It remains to be seen where the school landscape in Cologne will go. The ongoing discussions about the capacity utilization and needs of the student body are of great importance in order to ensure the best possible educational future for all children.