Deutsche Evangelische Oberschule
Encyclopedia
Deutsche Evangelische Oberschule is an exclusive German school in Cairo
, Egypt
, operated by the German Protestant community of Cairo.
of Cairo. The school was built along with a rectory
in the spring of 1873 on land given to the Prussia
n consul
von Theremin by the Khedive Ismail. The language of instruction was French
with 15 students attending. On February 2, 1878, there was a dispute about the school’s ownership between the church and the school, which resulted in the school’s becoming community owned and adding optional Arabic lessons. In 1880, the school further expanded to include 89 students in three classes. There were students of different nationalities with 28 Turks
, 19 Egypt
ians, ten Italians
, five Germans
, five Swiss
, five French
, four Syria
ns, three English
, three Scots
, three Levant
ines and one each Austria
n, Greek
, Persian and Armenia
n. The school had students of different religions: 41 Muslim
students, 19 Protestant, 14 Roman Catholic, seven Jewish, seven Copt
ic and one Greek Orthodox. After the English conquered Egypt in 1882, English courses were added to the school’s curriculum. In 1908, the school was relocated to Boulaq
with primary
and secondary education
facilities. A year later, their first "Einjährigenexamen" (a German secondary education exam) was made before the German examination committee.
Due to the First World War, students stopped going to school and by November 1914 the school was shut down. In 1920, England liquidated
all the German properties including the community properties in Egypt. On February 17, 1930, the school was reopened with five students attending. In July 1933, the school was relocated to its old location. By 1939, the school had 13 classes with 130 students, but had to be closed again due to the start of the Second World War.
On January 12, 1953, the school was reopened with 18 students attending and the addition of a newly established kindergarten. The first director of the school was Artur Hachmeister. The school was than moved to Dr.-Mahmoud-Azmi-Straße 2 in Zamalek
. The first "Reifeprüfung
" (high school exam) was done by three female and three male students. On October 1, 1956, an Islam course was added to the school’s curriculum which was required by the Egyptian government as of June 26, 1956. In 1957, Arabic
was made a compulsory course for all students attending the school. The graduates of the school were eligible to attend Egyptian universities by January 1958. In 1959, the school’s first Arabic division director, Auni Abder Rauf, was appointed. On March 1, 1977, the school was relocated to Dokki
. In 2001, the school added a new course called "koeducative" religion for Muslim and Christian students.
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, operated by the German Protestant community of Cairo.
History
The initiative for a school was established by the Protestant congregationCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
of Cairo. The school was built along with a rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
in the spring of 1873 on land given to the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
von Theremin by the Khedive Ismail. The language of instruction was French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
with 15 students attending. On February 2, 1878, there was a dispute about the school’s ownership between the church and the school, which resulted in the school’s becoming community owned and adding optional Arabic lessons. In 1880, the school further expanded to include 89 students in three classes. There were students of different nationalities with 28 Turks
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, 19 Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ians, ten Italians
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, five Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, five Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, five French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, four Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
ns, three English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, three Scots
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, three Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
ines and one each Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n, Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Persian and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n. The school had students of different religions: 41 Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
students, 19 Protestant, 14 Roman Catholic, seven Jewish, seven Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic and one Greek Orthodox. After the English conquered Egypt in 1882, English courses were added to the school’s curriculum. In 1908, the school was relocated to Boulaq
Boulaq
Boulaq is a district of Cairo, Egypt. It neighbours Downtown Cairo, Azbakeya, and the River Nile.The name Boulaq comes from the French 'Bon Lac', which literally means 'Good Lake'. The name was arabised into Bolaq, which in Egyptian dialect is pronounced 'Bolaa'.-History:Following the Baybars’s...
with primary
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
and secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
facilities. A year later, their first "Einjährigenexamen" (a German secondary education exam) was made before the German examination committee.
Due to the First World War, students stopped going to school and by November 1914 the school was shut down. In 1920, England liquidated
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
all the German properties including the community properties in Egypt. On February 17, 1930, the school was reopened with five students attending. In July 1933, the school was relocated to its old location. By 1939, the school had 13 classes with 130 students, but had to be closed again due to the start of the Second World War.
On January 12, 1953, the school was reopened with 18 students attending and the addition of a newly established kindergarten. The first director of the school was Artur Hachmeister. The school was than moved to Dr.-Mahmoud-Azmi-Straße 2 in Zamalek
Zamalek
Zamalek Sporting Club , is an Egyptian sporting club based in Meet Okba, Giza, Egypt that plays in the Egyptian Premier League....
. The first "Reifeprüfung
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
" (high school exam) was done by three female and three male students. On October 1, 1956, an Islam course was added to the school’s curriculum which was required by the Egyptian government as of June 26, 1956. In 1957, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
was made a compulsory course for all students attending the school. The graduates of the school were eligible to attend Egyptian universities by January 1958. In 1959, the school’s first Arabic division director, Auni Abder Rauf, was appointed. On March 1, 1977, the school was relocated to Dokki
Dokki
El Dokki is a district of greater Giza, Egypt. Dokki is situated on the Western bank of the Nile, directly across from Downtown Cairo.Many Cairene landmarks are located in Dokki, the German school and the embassies of many countries including Russia, Somalia, France, Chad, the Czech Republic and...
. In 2001, the school added a new course called "koeducative" religion for Muslim and Christian students.
Notable visitors
- On March 22, 1974, Germany's Chancellor Willy BrandtWilly BrandtWilly Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....
visited the school. - On February 27, 1978, Germany's Chancellor Helmut SchmidtHelmut SchmidtHelmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt is a German Social Democratic politician who served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Prior to becoming chancellor, he had served as Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance. He had also served briefly as Minister of Economics and as acting...
visited the school. - In 1981, Egyptian president Anwar SadatAnwar SadatMuhammad Anwar al-Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981...
and his wife Jehan SadatJehan SadatJehan Sadat is the widow of Anwar Sadat, and was first lady of Egypt from 1970 until Sadat's assassination in 1981.- Early years :Jehan Sadat, also spelled Jihan, was born Jehan Safwat Raouf in Cairo, Egypt as the first girl and third child of an upper-middle-class family of an Egyptian...
visited the school. - In October 1984, Germany's PresidentPresident of GermanyThe President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
Richard von WeizsäckerRichard von WeizsäckerRichard Karl Freiherr von Weizsäcker , known as Richard von Weizsäcker, is a German politician . He served as Governing Mayor of West Berlin from 1981 to 1984, and as President of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1984 to 1994...
visited the school. - On February 22, 2000, Germany's President Johannes RauJohannes RauJohannes Rau was a German politician of the SPD. He was President of Germany from 1 July 1999 until 30 June 2004, and Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 1998.-Education and work:...
visited the school. - On November 16, 2010, German singer Adel TawilAdel TawilAdel Tawil , is a German singer part of the popular German pop duo Ich + Ich, after being part earlier of the German boy band The Boyz.-Family background:...
visited the school