Eine ganz besondere Schule ...

Ich lebe bereits seit fast 17 Jahren als Auswanderer auf den Philippinen.

Seit fast acht Jahren unterrichte ich Deutsch an der University of Southeastern Philippines am Fremdsprachen-Institut in Davao City.

Bei meinem letzten Besuch in Manila fragte mich Konsul und Verwaltungsleiter sowie Sachgebietsleiter RK, Ulrich Koehler, ob ich ueberhaupt schon einmal die Deutsche Manila besucht haette. Ich verneinte ... .

Und prompt arrangierte er ein Treffen mit dem neuen Schulleiter Andreas Thiergen, der seinen Posten Anfang September 2015 angetreten hat.

Andreas Thiergen, der sich im April 2015 ueber die Zentralstelle fuer das Auslandsschulwesen fuer Izmir bewarb, bekam Manila vorgeschlagen. Wie er in einem frueheren Interview sagte: "Der 50-jaehrige hat die Entscheidung gemeinsam mit seiner Familie getroffen, erneut ins Ausland zu gehen".

Ich empfand Andreas Thiergen von der ersten Minute sehr symphatisch und offen. Es war eine Freude, seinen Erzaehlungen zu lauschen. Bis vor den diesjaehrigen Sommerferien war er Lehrer fuer Deutsch, Geschichte, Gemeinschaftskunde und Ethik am Andreae-Gymnasium in Herrenberg. Nun ist er also Schulleiter der beruehmten Deutschen Internationalen Schule in Manila - oder auch German-European School Manila genannt.

Er kennt die Tropen. Er kennt Asien. Er unterrichte acht Jahre in Jakarta/Indonesien und lernte dort seine liebenswuerdige Frau Elita Nasution kennen. Die beiden Kinder Alifah und Arifin wurden in Jakarta geboren.

Ja, die Arbeit als Schulleiter an der GESM mit ueber 300 Schuelern ist eine Herausforderung fuer Andreas Thiergen. Er ist fuer -neben vielen anderen Dingen-  fuer die Kooperation zwischen Deutscher Botschaft, Goethe Institut und "seiner" Schule zustaendig.

Die German European School Manila, die mich sehr beeindruckt hat, bietet von der Krabbelgruppe ueber den Kindergarten, die Grundschule und die hoehere Schule verschiedene Betreuungsangebote und Bildungsmoeglichkeiten an. Zusammen mit der Franzoesischen Schule bildet sie den Eurocampus Manila. GESM besitzt einen deutschen und internationalen Zweig und als SEK-II-Abschluss das "International Bacalaureat Diploma".

The German European School Manila (GESM) started its Special Education Needs Policy in 2013 based on long lasting experience with special needs students at GESM.

This SEN policy is GESM's own take on the Concept of Inclusion wherein the school increases the participation, by reducing barriers of learning, of students who have "special educational needs" or with physical or sensorial impairments.

The Student Services Department oversees the daily operation and implementation of the SEN policy and its spearheaded by the Guidance Councelor (Socio-emotional) and SEN Coordinator (students with special education needs).

Check out for more here:

http://www.gesm.ph

At the moment, the side is down for maintenance.

The German European School Manila, is an international school in Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines. GESM is an IB World School in its Diploma and Primary Years Programme and a Certified Excellent German School Abroad. Wikipedia

Address: 75 Swaziland Street, Better Living Subdivision, Parañaque, 1711 Metro Manila

Phone: (02) 776 1000

Founded: 1983

New Borders in Europe?

Philippines Cancels Flights and Alerts Hospitals Over Haze

By: Agence France-Presse

A woman takes a photo from a building of the thick haze, believed to be from Indonesia's forest fires, engulfing the city of Davao on Friday. Smog from the fires on Sumatra island and the Indonesian section of Borneo island has affected several Southeast Asian countries. Photo by Dennis Jay Santos, AFP.

MANILA -- The Philippines cancelled flights and put hospitals on alert on Sunday, as its southern and central islands were covered by thickening haze from Indonesian forest fires.

Smog from Indonesian slash-and-burn farming has choked vast expanses of Southeast Asia for weeks, killing at least 10 people, forcing events to be shut down and schools to close across the region.

International efforts to douse the blazes have done little to clear the air, and Filipino authorities warned ash levels were becoming increasingly dangerous in the southern islands.

"The department of health is advising those who have breathing problems or respiratory diseases to wear face masks in areas covered by haze," presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma told reporters.

Hospitals in the south were ready to receive anyone affected by the haze, he added.

Six flights to central and southern islands were cancelled or delayed Sunday due to the thickening smog, after thousands were left stranded over the past 10 days.

Pilots flying in the central city of Cebu could only see eight kilometers ahead, said government weather observer John Agbay, adding that visibility was also impaired in the western island of Palawan.

Indonesian forest fires are an annual occurence, but dry weather has made them particularly bad this year and Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Japan have all sent help to fight the blazes.

While the haze in the Philippines has been mild compared to other parts of Southeast Asia, the smoke has been largely unexpected as the islands affected lie thousands of kilometers away from the fires.

Singapore, one of the worst hit, on Sunday urged fellow ASEAN members to take "firm and decisive action" against ahead of a group summit in Malaysia next month.

The city-state issued the call after Singaporean troops and firefighters returned from an international assistance mission in Indonesia's Sumatra island.

Experts say Typhoon Koppu (local name "Lando"), which passed over the northern tip of the Philippines last week, may have contributed to the problem in the archipelago by dragging the smoke across from Indonesia.

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Professor Files Third Petition vs Poe

By: Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News

A political science professor of the De La Salle University has filed the third case against Senator Grace Poe here at the Commission on Elections since the senator filed her certificate of candidacy for president last week.

Professor Antonio Contreras filed a Petition to Deny Due Course or Cancel the COC of Senator Poe before the Comelec's Clerk of the Commission Tuesday using her residency as grounds.

Contreras believes that the senator is two months and 9 days short of the 10 years minimum residency requirement to run for president.

Compared to the earlier petitioners, Contreras in his petition did not use Poe's citizenship status against her as there is no clear jurisprudence yet on foundlings.

He also did not choose to file a disqualification case against Poe because he believes that she has not committed any election violations when she filed her COC.

He added that his decision to file the petition was to prove that someone without any political backing or dubious motivations could question the qualifications of any candidate, even one who is leading in the surveys like Senator Poe.
Contreras told reporters that he is acting on his own, and that he is using his own money to finance the case, even going against his own mother who he said will vote for Grace Poe.

The Poe camp said the different petitions against the senator are meant to condition the minds of the voters that she will be disqualified.

"In their quest to achieve that malicious objective, the barrage of petitions being filed is already turning the electoral process into a circus. To reiterate, Sen. Poe is ready to answer all these unfounded petitions in the proper forum point per point," the Poe camp said.

The DLSU professor is the third person to file a petition against Poe before the Comelec since last week.
Last Friday, Atty. Estrella Elamparo filed a petition to deny due course or cancel Poe's COC for alleged "material misrepresentation in stating that she is a natural-born Filipino."

Elamparo argued that Poe is not a natural-born Filipino citizen because she is a foundling, and that her adoption did not have the effect of transmitting or conferring upon her the status of a natural-born Filipino.

READ: A foundling named Grace

She also argued that international conventions and treaties on stateless persons are not sufficient to grant Poe the status of a natural-born citizen, and any presumption that the senator is a natural-born Filipino is not sufficient for the residency requirement under the Constitution.

On Monday, former senator Francisco "Kit" Tatad also filed a disqualification case against Poe, saying Poe cannot run for president next year because she is not a natural born Filipino and because she failed to meet the residency requirement for candidates.