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LIFE&FAMILY
128
February15
A European Education
By Katie Roberts
The new principal of the
German European School
Si ngapore (GESS) i s
clearly up for a challenge.
During our recent chat
about the school, SWEN
TRINKLERmentioned that
he had recently acquired
his scuba diving certificate
– not in balmy Southeast
Asia, mind you, or even
the Mediterranean, but in
the icy northern waters of
the Baltic Sea. Needless to
say, he’s looking forward
to this region’s warmer
seas just as much as he is to leading the school through
exciting times, including the construction of a new campus.
You started at GESS in July 2014. What attracted you to the
school and Singapore?
Of the 140 internationally accredited German Schools abroad, GESS in
Singapore is one of the few that can truly be described as international.
We have 50 nationalities and offer two educational curriculums; the
German curriculum and the International Baccalaureate (IB); it’s very
different from Kurt-Tucholsky-Schule in Flensburg, northern Germany,
where I was principal for five years. This is an exciting time to be principal,
because I’ll play a key role in the new campus project.
My wife and I had previously travelled in China, Vietnam and Thailand,
and we were keen to live in Asia. Singapore seemed to be a perfect place
to live and to work, and it’s a safe environment for bringing up our two
girls; one is in pre-primary and the other is in Grade 7.
Tell us about the new campus.
The final planning is in progress, and the campus is scheduled to open
in mid-2017. Our current two campuses will then merge into one, with
enrolment for up to 2,000 students. The location at Dairy Farm Road is
ideal – close to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and about 800 metres
from a new MRT station.
Tell us about the language programme at GESS.
GESS is the only truly European school in Singapore. In addition to
English and German as languages of instruction, students are supported
to learn their mother tongue in order to strengthen their roots for their
future academic success. The mother tongue languages offered are
Dutch, Danish and Italian. Students pick up a third
language (French, Latin, Mandarin or Spanish) at
secondary school, or pursue their mother tongue
language. Talking and writing in their respective
mother tongue gives our students roots, and it also
establishes the foundation for their future academic
success. Right now we are starting partnerships
with partner schools in Denmark and Holland,
which opens up collaboration opportunities for
children and their home country via internet,
e-learning and student exchanges.
You offer both the IB and German
curriculums. How do parents choose?
About half choose IB and half the German
programme. The German curriculum has changed
significantly in recent years; as with the IB, our
school’s programme has a significant focus on
competence-orientation, rather than knowledge
transfer. It’s more about teaching “how to” gain
the knowledge, instead of teaching only facts.
Our students benefit from two programmes to
get the best education and to be prepared for
life after school. The results are amazing as we
have students achieving the highest marks with
45 points in the IB programme and 1.0 in the
German curriculum. Our average results are 34
points for the IB Diploma and 2.3 in the German
curriculum. GESS students have gone on to
study at universities around the world, including
in Cambridge, Sydney, Johannesburg, Vancouver
and Berlin.
72 Bukit Tinggi Road
6469 1131 | gess.sg