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Schoolyards in Cologne: Parents and teachers demand immediate reopening!
In Niehl, students, parents and teachers are calling for the reopening of closed schoolyards as an important meeting point in the Veedel.
Schoolyards 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 made up of the Greens, CDU and Volt had submitted an application to reopen the schoolyards, which all factions represented on the school committee agreed to at the end of January. Nevertheless, access to these important leisure places remains blocked after school, which causes discontent, as ksta.de reports.
In an open letter, teachers and parents from GGS Nesselrodestrasse are calling for the schoolyards to be reopened as a meeting place for children and young people, as there are only a few alternatives in Niehl. Principal Heusinger emphasizes that there were only a few problems with vandalism or pollution during the project phase, in which schoolyards were open in the afternoon. On the other hand, the GGS Spoerkelhof expresses critical concerns, based on some incidents during opening hours, such as vandalism and accumulation of rubbish.
An important leisure place
Schoolyards are seen by many as an essential place for leisure activities. Nine Cologne schoolyards have been open after school since the end of 2021 as part of a pilot project. However, this project was stopped without warning in December 2024 because the necessary financial resources - around 500,000 euros for opening and closing and cleaning - could no longer be provided. Oliver Seeck from the SPD is therefore calling for new urban planning concepts to develop schoolyards as public exercise spaces.
The city administration has now contacted the schools to receive feedback on the possible opening of the schoolyards. This is particularly important in densely populated residential areas where the need for designed open spaces for children and young people is great. According to Robert Voigtsberger, councilor 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 meet the demand, Cologne is starting a new project to open schoolyards, in which one schoolyard per city district will be made accessible to the public after school hours have ended. The use of the school yards would be possible on weekdays after school hours as well as on Sundays and public holidays. The opening times are adjusted according to the seasons: in spring (April to September) from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., in autumn and winter (October to March) from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The schoolyards remain closed on public 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 now lies in appropriate planning that also takes into account the interests of all those involved, especially the children. Because open spaces suitable for children and young people are crucial for healthy growth and the quality of life in cities, as bbsr.bund.de highlights in its recommendations.
How the project will ultimately be designed will also depend on the city administration, which has been asked to make 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.