BUSINESS RALF NAEVE, DIRECTOR OF THE GERMAN SCHOOL OF BELGRADE CHRISTOPH CZETTL, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE GERMAN SCHOOL OF BELGRADE
From Pre-School To Post-Diploma RALF NAEVE
Since 1864, when the German School in Belgrade was first established, many parents have entrusted their children to the hands of its staff and educators, confident that their children would be challenged by an academic education that would open them up to unlimited opportunities in any field of science, economy or even craftsmanship
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nterest in a German education remains unabated today, allowing graduates to gain access to universities all over the world and promising that students are invited and taught not only to reproduce knowledge, but also to question any given content, to think critically and to create an individual perspective. The “Deutsche Schule Belgrad” (DSB – German School of Belgrade) feels bound to the general principles of German education and has more to offer, as we discovered when conversing with the new headmaster, Mr Ralf Naeve, and head of the school board, Mr Christoph Czettl. • Why should parents opt for DSB? C.C: The German School of Belgrade offers a perfect mix of tradition and wellestablished educational goals, with the courage of modernisation. We try to use the best of the experience amassed by our German colleagues, coming from all over Germany, and to combine it with the knowhow of Serbian teachers. If we wanted to describe it in stereotypes, one could say that we have the opportunity to fuse German orderliness with Serbian passion 24 |
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– and this seems to be a perfect match for learning and for life . R.N: And let me add that this can be convincing at the rational level, but we are a small school and with our approach we try to convince the parents and students that every single person is important to our school community and we care! We know many of our students from kindergarten to graduation, and are therefore able to accompany and support them in a very individual way. • How do parents react to your approach? R.N: First of all, families are interested
CHRISTOPH CZETTL
an easy transition from German schools and back. But more and more parents seem to value our conviction that learning is based on good relationships. They treasure our smaller classes and opportunities to promote individually. And, of course, the reputation of high requirements is still present. • Who enrols in the German school? C.C: We have families from all over the world. There are families from Germany, Austria or Switzerland – often related to embassies or companies doing business in Serbia. There are also Serbian families with a
Besides our lessons and our extracurricular activities, we promote a sense of responsibility, intercultural exchange, democratic values and an awareness of acting and thinking in a sustainable way in the German language, the German culture and the German school-leaver certificate, which enables entrance into any university in Europe. German families that are not resident in Serbia permanently want to ensure
close connection to Germany. Often at least one of the parents was raised in a Germanspeaking country. Additionally, there are a lot of families from all over the world that trust the German education system. And,
