Sankt Blasien (KNA) - The head of the Jesuit School College Sankt Blasien, Father Hans-Martin Rieder (41), sees the Corona crisis as placing a heavy burden on children and young people. "Admittedly, the Corona pandemic has lost its horror for children due to the vaccinations and the mild courses. On the other hand, many pupils are still deeply affected and frightened," Rieder told the Catholic News Agency (KNA) on Wednesday. He cited as examples children's fears of infecting their grandparents. In the meantime, many children and young people lack a relaxed and open attitude. 

Counteracting this is currently an important goal of the school, for example through excursions and team building in the classes, said Rieder. The college chaplaincy and the liaison teachers also made corresponding offers. For the college, which is attended by 800 students, including about 250 boarders, the corona protection measures meant enormous additional financial and organisational costs, said the college director. As a result of the lockdown and the pandemic, many parents had run into financial difficulties, he said. "Some called here and said our only income at the moment is child benefit." Through financial support from the Altschüler Circle and the Corona Emergency Fund of the Archdiocese of Freiburg, individual solutions were found so that no child had to be deregistered, he said. In 2021, the college had paid scholarships of 1.3 million euros. The Catholic school charges tuition fees of 140 euros per month for all pupils and 2,260 euros per month for boarders. 

Located near the Swiss border in the Upper Black Forest, the Jesuit school is one of the most renowned and best-equipped schools in Germany. In addition to a focus on religious education, there is a wide range of music, science and language programmes. The college also has a music school, an indoor swimming pool and a large sports hall. All students are obliged to do social work. There are also classes on Saturdays. The teachers are supported by a team of educators, psychologists and chaplains. 

Boarding school director Father Marco Hubrig (40) said that unlike several other renowned boarding schools in Germany, demand at Sankt Blasien is growing. "The families trust us. I believe this is also a consequence of our comprehensive, offensive transparent processing of abuse and the strengthening of prevention." According to the college management, schools nationwide are requesting recommendations for a prevention concept. 

Currently, the school is planning extensive renovation work, especially in the boarding flats. The possibility of an advanced class, in which secondary school students from the region are prepared for the upper school at the college, is also well received. Rieder emphasised that this is important for the entire region because a shortage of skilled workers is becoming apparent. 

The student exchange with China is on hold. Beijing is currently not issuing visas for this. Conversely, about 30 Chinese pupils attend the boarding school. Altogether, children and young people from around 30 nations study and live at the school.