“There have never been so many new independent Protestant schools founded in one year – and many more are waiting in the wings for next year,” says Professor Wolfgang Stock, General Secretary of the Association of Protestant Denominational Schools and Daycare Centers (VEBS) in Karlsruhe. The association unites 175 Protestant schools and 46 daycare centers at 128 locations, all of which were founded by parents and are supported by faith-based employees.
The establishment of Christian Evangelical schools is a fundamental right of citizens in Germany, which is enshrined in the Basic Law. Nevertheless, there are high hurdles to overcome when founding a school: The biggest is that in most federal states there are no state subsidies for the first three years. “The many successful Christian school foundations that we have been able to accompany for years are therefore a great miracle for which we are grateful to God. We can send a visible sign of his greatness and love,” says Stock.
The Protestant schools in the VEBS are grateful not only for the committed founding parents and the approvals from the authorities, but also for the good supply of teachers despite a general shortage of teachers. The biggest problem in Germany at the moment is finding suitable buildings and getting them approved as schools by the authorities.
