School: Germany should set up IT centers for schoolchildren

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The federal government is planning free IT courses for schoolchildren at dozen locations in Germany

Photo: Sebastian Kahnert / picture alliance / dpa

Angela Merkel is promoting an Armenian education strategy as a role model for German schoolchildren: On Thursday, the Chancellor spoke out in favor of IT learning centers for children and young people based on the model of the Armenian Tumo project being built across Germany.

The Tumo Centers are named after a park in the Armenian capital Yerevan.

They offer free courses in ten subject areas, including film technology, game development and programming.

The courses are free for schoolchildren between the ages of 12 and 18.

First and foremost, it is about the practical implementation of projects.

In order to make the idea fruitful in Germany as well, the federal government, states, municipalities and sponsors must work more closely together, said Merkel.

She took part in a virtual event organized by the Berlin Tumo Center.

The offshoot of the original project from Armenia was opened in the German capital in autumn 2020 - and according to the will of the federal government, it shouldn't stay that way.

Federal Minister of Education Anja Karliczek said that 20 more locations had already been identified in Germany, and another 25 should be added in the summer.

The facilities should now "like a spider web" spread across Germany and also into rural areas, said Karliczek.

They are financed by state and private donors.

The background is also the growing need for professionals with programming knowledge in business.

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Merkel got to know the first Tumo Center in Yerevan in 2018 during a state visit and was impressed by this type of IT qualification.

In Berlin, based on the Armenian model and with the help of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), an offshoot was built in which up to 1,500 children can learn IT techniques in a playful way.

Due to the pandemic, only 350 young people are currently being looked after in virtual courses.

The project, which started in Armenia in 2011, is now being copied in several countries.

There are four centers in Armenia, one each in Lebanon and France, with another opening soon in Albania.

him / Reuters