Every child counts – on every educational path: School start tour showcases the diversity of the Saarland educational landscape
At the start of the 2026/2027 school year, Minister of Education Christine Streichert-Clivot visited six schools of different types in Saarland. The focus was on direct exchange with students, teachers, and school administrations as well as the question of how good education can best support children and young people on their various educational paths.
Minister of Education Christine Streichert-Clivot: “Every child counts – regardless of their circumstances and the educational path they choose. Our goal is that every child in Saarland receives the support they need to develop their abilities and talents. For this, we invest in strong schools, in more staff, and in good framework conditions – while also giving schools the space to take new paths.
On my school start tour, I experienced what emerges locally from this: individual support, new forms of independent learning, lived democratic participation, European perspectives, and strong vocational education. Our schools take different approaches but share a common goal: to leave no child behind and to enable every young person to have a good future.”
The school start tour began at the CJD Christophorusschule in Homburg, the only state-recognized vocational school for people with disabilities in Saarland. The focus was on practice-oriented educational paths and the transition from school to training and work. The school shows how young people are individually supported on their journey into the working world and how vocational education opens up concrete future prospects. In doing so, it also makes an important contribution to greater participation and to securing skilled workers in Saarland.
How important tailored support for the development of each individual child is became clear at the Regenbogenschule in Emmersweiler and its branch Dorf im Warndt. The school is breaking new ground with the school experiment “Several Special Educational Needs Priorities at One Special Education Location” and is testing how students with different support needs can learn better together. The work of the school also shows the importance of the interplay of multiprofessional teams in supporting students toward greater independence, social participation, and as self-determined a future as possible.
That democratic participation already begins with the youngest was shown during the visit to the Riegelsberg Primary School. With its children’s conference and the Axel-Buchholz Award-winning podcast, the school gives children an early opportunity to express their interests and actively help shape their school environment. In addition to a good start to the educational biography, democracy education and participation were therefore particularly central, topped by a special podcast episode with the minister.
New approaches to independent learning were the focus at the Saarlouis Gemeinschaftsschule “In den Fliesen.” With the newly introduced “Saar-Time,” students work independently and at their own pace on learning packages. They can choose which subject and on what level to work and are supported by subject teachers in the specialist rooms. The school thus combines individual support and personal responsibility with communal learning. With the new school year, and fitting the school’s STEM focus, the profile subject “Nature and Me” also started.
Europe is lived concretely every day at Warndt Gymnasium. With AbiBac, the close connection to France, and a variety of cross-border offers, Saarland’s European orientation is firmly anchored in everyday school life. Multilingualism strengthens not only language skills but also opens up additional educational, study, and career opportunities beyond borders for young people.
The school start tour concluded at the Von-der-Leyen Gymnasium in Blieskastel. There, students presented their activities within the framework of FreiDAY and handed over the project from grade 7 to the new grade 6. This learning format creates free spaces in which students develop their own ideas, implement projects, and take responsibility. Independent learning, creativity, and social commitment are thus strengthened in everyday school life.
“This tour has shown how much energy, ideas, and commitment are in our schools. Our task as a state is to create the right conditions for this: sufficient staff, reliable support, modern learning conditions, and spaces for good pedagogical ideas. Because good education ultimately depends on whether we reach every child – regardless of school type, background, or individual circumstances. My special thanks go to all the students, teachers, school administrations, and staff who work every day to make this happen and to turn our schools into places where learning together, trying new things, and shaping the future take place,” concludes Christine Streichert-Clivot.
If the photos are used, pleasecite as image source:
© Christine Funk
