Overview
- A new Berlin regulation would let upper-secondary students skip history in the third and fourth semesters, making coursework on post‑1945 topics such as the GDR and German division optional.
- History teachers' associations and the Federal Foundation for the Study of the SED Dictatorship sent an open letter urging Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch to reverse the change.
- The groups argue that treating the division of Germany as optional undermines democratic education and propose four compulsory history semesters, following Brandenburg’s model.
- Critics cite Berlin’s limited lower‑secondary history hours and teacher shortages as reasons an optional upper‑secondary module risks leaving graduates without solid knowledge of dictatorship and the peaceful revolution.
- The senator’s office acknowledged the letter and said the issue will be reviewed, while press commentary warns of growing generational ignorance and revisionist narratives about the GDR.