Goethe-Institut Continues Language Courses Online in Germany
Cohesion

As part of the nationwide closure of educational institutions, the Goethe-Institut is ending all classroom courses in Germany with immediate effect. All German courses now underway will be offered as online courses from 18 March to 19 April or later. Johannes Ebert, Secretary-General of the Goethe-Institut, has also spoken out in favour of securing the incomes of artists and freelancers in the field of education.

Secretary-General of the Goethe-Institut Johannes Ebert commented on the situation as follows: “Around 90 of our 157 institutes worldwide are now closed to the public. Wherever possible, the language course operations will completely switch to online courses at short notice. For us, too, the health of course participants and our employees in the host countries and in Germany is paramount. We are relieved and grateful that the Federal government is taking precautions to safeguard revenue slumps and liquidity shortages. This must also apply to the protection of artists and freelancers in the field of education. They are a fundamental part of cultural life worldwide and thus make a significant contribution to social cohesion.”

The Goethe-Instituts in Germany

As of today, all twelve Goethe-Instituts in Germany will restrict public traffic. Specifically, this means that from 18 March to 19 April 2020 or later, all language courses will be offered as online courses. Course participants in the courses currently underway in Germany will complete these courses with a teacher online from 18 March. Only digital courses will be offered for the month of April. All exam dates will be rebooked free of charge from 27 April. Further information on the present range of courses at the Goethe-Instituts in Germany can be found here.

Head office and capital city office

The head office of the Goethe-Institut in Munich and the capital city office will also be closed to external guests until further notice; the majority of employees will work from home.

The Goethe-Instituts abroad

At the beginning of February, most Goethe-Instituts in East Asia severely restricted or completely halted visitor traffic. Core teams continue to keep the institutes running. Classroom lessons have been converted to digital courses, and the institutes in East Asia are also experimenting with digital formats for their programmes.