School stations in Cologne: Parents and teachers demand immediate reopening!

School stations in Cologne: Parents and teachers demand immediate reopening!

The schoolyards in Cologne remain closed, much to the disappointment of students, parents and teachers. The Cologne Council alliance from Greens, CDU and Volt had submitted an application to reopen the schoolyards, which all factions represented on the school committee agreed at the end of January. Nevertheless, the access to these important leisure locations remains blocked after lessons, which causes displeasure, such as [ksta.de] (https://www.ksta.de/koeln/schulhoefe-weiterhin-chechen-niehler-- and- teacher--ihren-treffpunkt-im-tel-1036986) reports.

In an open letter, teachers and parents of GGS Nesselrodestrasse demand the reopening of the schoolyards as a meeting point for children and adolescents, as there are only a few alternatives in Niehl. Headmaster Heusinger emphasizes that only a few problems with vandalism or pollution occurred during the project phase in the school yards in the afternoon. In contrast, the GGS Spoerkelhof expresses critical concerns based on some incidents during the opening hours, such as vandalism and garbage accumulation.

an important leisure location

The schoolyards are viewed by many as an essential place for leisure activities. Nine Cologne school yards have been open after class since the end of 2021 as part of a pilot project. However, this project was discontinued in December 2024 without warning, since the necessary financial resources- around 500,000 euros for listing and completing as well as cleaning- could no longer be provided. Oliver Seeck from the SPD therefore demands new urban planning concepts to develop schoolyards as public exercise areas.

The city administration has now contacted the schools to receive feedback on the possible opening of the schoolyards. This is particularly important in compacted residential areas, where the need for designed open spaces for children and adolescents is high. According to Robert Voigtsberger, deputy for education, youth and sport, such areas are essential to promote more movement and social interaction, which is also supported by stadt-koeln.de

a new project for Cologne schoolyards

In order to do justice to the need, Cologne starts a new project to open school yards, in which one schoolyard per district should be made available to the public after the lesson. The use of the school centers would be possible on weekdays after the end of school and on Sundays and public holidays. The opening times are adjusted according to the seasons: in spring (April to September) from 4 to 8 p.m., in autumn and winter (October to March) from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The schoolyards remain closed on quiet holidays.

The total costs of this pilot test amount to around 1.15 million euros. After all, an evaluation by the German Sport University Cologne shows that the response to the opening of the schoolyards was positive. The hope is now on a corresponding planning, which also takes into account the interests of all actors involved, especially the children. Because child and youth-friendly freedom are crucial for the healthy and the quality of life in cities, as well as bbsr.bund.de in his recommendations.

As the project is ultimately designed, the city administration, which was asked, will also depend on concrete proposals for the organizational and financial implementation of the reopening. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop and whether the voices of parents and teachers will be heard.