Phone +57 5 3598520 | Founded 1913 | |
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Address Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia Similar Colegio Karl C Parrish, British Internatio School, Internatio Berckley School, Colegio San José Barranqui, Universid del Norte | ||
German School of Barranquilla (Spanish: Colegio Alemán de Barranquilla, German: Deutsche Schule Barranquilla) is a German international school in Barranquilla, Colombia. It serves primary school through senior high school, grades 1-12.
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The main instructional language is Spanish. As of circa 2015 under 1% of students are native German speakers.
History
The school first opened on February 9, 1913, making it the oldest German school in Colombia. Its first facility was a tenement building in the center of Barranquilla, and initially the school used rented facilities. It moved into its own building in 1930.
The school originally used German as the language of instruction, and it used a German-Spanish bilingual program. In 1940 the pre-World War II school reached its peak student population of 253. 65% of the students were Colombians, 26% were Germans, and the remaining 9% were of different nationalities.
It closed in 1942 due to political reasons stemming from World War II, it did not reopen until 1956. In the interim there were secret classes held at the Colegio del Prado. When the school officially reopened with 255 students, it became a Spanish-medium school, while German was only an academic subject. Students were required to use the Colombian curriculum. In 1957 the student body increased to 345. The first post-war teachers from Germany came in 1959. In 1961 an inspection committee from West Germany looked at the school. That year the first post-war graduates finished their studies. In October 1961 the National Ministry of Education officially acknowledged the German School of Barranquilla.
The West German government eventually canceled its financial aid till since German was no longer the medium of instruction. It did, however, give financial aid to the construction of the building which opened in 1963.
In the 2000s the school moved to its current location, midway between the center of Barranquilla and the center of Puerto Colombia.
Curriculum
The main instructional language is Spanish. The German language is offered as a subject in grades 1-12, and the school offers Levels I and II of the German Language Exams. German is used as a medium of instruction in Biology and History classes. English classes are taught in English.