Berlin is making schools gender-neutral – no more “he” and “she” in the report card

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Gender-neutral language in schools: Berlin removes “he” and “she” from reports

Testimonies often cause frustration. In Berlin, children should no longer be annoyed with “she” or “he”.

© Bernhard Classen / Imago Images

So far, schoolchildren have been assessed with pronouns on their reports in Berlin. This should soon be over: Instead of “he” or “she” only a gender-neutral formulation appears on the certificates.

Again and again there are debates about gender and the right way to address fellow human beings. In Berlin, too, the topic is now topical again: there, children will soon no longer be addressed with gender-related pronouns on certificates, as the RBB reports.

Previously, certificates in Berlin were formulated in such a way that they contained a reference to the gender of the student. According to the RBB, for example, it said, “In the coming school year, he/she will be a student in grade ..” According to a letter from the education administration to the school management, this should no longer be the case. Instead, the schools should now use gender-neutral formulations – for example, the first name can be used instead of the pronoun. The designations student would also be omitted in this example: “.. will move up to grade ..” in the coming school year.

The ulterior motive behind these fundamental changes is obviously to give the children as much attention as possible to their wishes. Accordingly, teachers should always take the wishes of the students into account when addressing them according to the letter.

According to RBB, the education administration writes: “Whenever there is a desire to be addressed in a neutral manner or by name in relation to gender identity, gender-related personal pronouns and formulations should be avoided.”

At a request from starThe education administration initially did not comment on the costs associated with the measure, whether the change was made at the suggestion of the students and whether all schools are obliged to use the new formulations.

Sources:RBBrequest education administration

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