German

German is a world language and next to Spanish and English is spoken by most people around the world.Germany is a highly developed country and is recognised as one of the leading forerunners of technological, scientific and medical research. The language is therefore widely used in under and post graduate studies and a reading knowledge is beneficial to learners who intend to obtain under and post graduate qualifications.The teaching of German has changed greatly in the past years. With the introduction of Outcomes Based Education (OBE), the emphasis of teaching has moved from a grammatical focus to one of communication. The ability to speak German is helpful in careers such as engineering, music, teaching, trading, economics, reporting, journalism, translation, politics, diplomacy, importing, hotels and tourism. Furthermore, in the European Union, to be able to communicate in German is no longer an advantage, but a necessity.

The Matriculation Syllabus for German

The general aim is to promote the acquisition and the sustained study of the German language with special emphasis on communicative skills.

This includes:

• The development of 4 basic skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing;

• The study of carefully selected examples of German and/or Germanic literature to stimulate the learner's thinking and to encourage reading;

• The development of the learner's ability to cope in day to day situations in a German environment;

• The use of modern, colourful text books, audio and video cassettes.

One can conclude that, a study of German language and culture:

• enriches and educates an individual

• is an INVESTMENT in any child's future. Die Türen zu einer neuen Welt stehen auf.