Wolmer’s boys tap into German

“Ja, wir lernen Deutsch”... We are learning German.

Those were the confident words echoing across a recent assembly of some 240 second-form students at the National Heroes Circle campus of Wolmer’s Boys’ School in Kingston. German, they said further, is nice, but difficult.

The young men made this pronouncement as they welcomed visitors from the German Cultural Agency, Goethe Institut and the German Embassy, Kingston who came to experience what was happening in the German Programme at WBS, the only high school in Jamaica where the language is currently being taught.

The brainchild of Principal Dwight Pennycooke, the teaching of the German language was introduced at Wolmer’s Boys’ in September 2023.

Pennycooke explains that he wanted his young men at the school to be exposed to another foreign language in addition to Spanish. His desire was fuelled by his vision to make them embrace a wider world view and so understand the critical role of language competence.

Pennycooke supports the view that students’ preparation for their involvement in a dynamic, modern and pluralistic world requires the nurturing of their linguistic competence and social-cultural awareness. Knowledge of the German language will open a world of opportunities for possible travel, study, employment and even residence in German-speaking countries. In fact, studying in Germany is an attractive option because tuition at public universities is free for both native and foreign students.

With this in mind, Pennycooke was very happy when German Ambassador to Jamaica, Jan Hendrik van Thiel, responded to his request for facilitating the teaching of the language at his school.

The German classes at Wolmer’s are offered with the support of the German Embassy and the Jamaican-German Society (JGS) which is affiliated to the Goethe Institut and collaborates with regional offices in Mexico City and Washington. The JGS is in its 71st year of existence and has, as its main focus, the promotion of German Language and Culture in Jamaica.

Doreen O’Connor, past president and veteran teacher from the JGS, who teaches the language at Wolmer’s Boys’, also stresses the importance of learning German as a foreign language option that provides possibilities and opportunities for Jamaican students who wish to study and eventually work overseas.

Frau O’Connor, who herself is a graduate of a German university, said that knowing a foreign language takes you across borders and forges alliances and friendships with people of different cultures.

Since the introduction of German at Wolmer’s Boys’, initiatives for exchange programmes and training have been offered by schools in Germany, while parents and students have expressed interest in visiting the country soon.