Overview
- Under a new regulation, Berlin gymnasium students would need only two compulsory history semesters, allowing them to skip courses in the third and fourth Kurshalbjahr.
- Topics on the third semester syllabus include post‑1945 history such as German division, the DDR and the fall of the Berlin Wall, which would no longer be guaranteed for all Abitur candidates.
- The national and Berlin history teachers’ associations and the Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED‑Diktatur call the change a serious mistake and urge a reversal.
- A spokesperson for Education Senator Katharina Günther‑Wünsch confirmed she received the letter and said the administration will take another look at the decision, with no formal change announced.
- Critics note DDR content in lower grades often gets only one lesson per week and is sometimes taught by non‑specialists, and they contrast Berlin’s plan with Brandenburg’s requirement for four mandatory upper‑level history semesters.