As one entered the premises of Goethe Institut on Thursday morning, the light atmosphere was immediately apparent. The staff was relaxed and smiling, and the premises of the institute were completely decked out in pink and red balloons.
Director Dr Manuel Negwer hopes the new addition can facilitate the learning of German for younger generations. PHOTOS: SYED ABDUL REHMAN
It was the day when the Children’s Corner in the Library section of the institute was inaugurated by its director, Dr Manuel Negwer. To celebrate the occasion, a Fun Fair was arranged at the institute.
Gala in the garden
There were plenty of fun and games to engage the children, from face painting to pottery painting to mixing colourful salts in a bottle! Iqra Aftab, an eight year old from Aisha Bawany Academy, was both ecstatic and indecisive about the prospect of having her face painted. With a red heart glistening on her cheek, she said, “It was what I could only think of getting painted; flowers didn’t strike me!”
Children’s Corner inaugurated
At the inauguration of the Children’s Corner, where numerous classics lay on the shelves in a multitude of languages, Negwer was very pleased to have a number of children present. While speaking to the children of CAS School, he said, “German is important, it is also interesting to know that more students are coming forward to learn this language.”
Director Dr Manuel Negwer hopes the new addition can facilitate the learning of German for younger generations. PHOTOS: SYED ABDUL REHMAN
While talking to The Express Tribune, Negwer talked about the plan he had to facilitate the learning of German here in Karachi. “We basically have Partner Schools who have German in their curriculums. With the help of teachers and technical training, these children can pick up the language really fast,” he said. A large quantity of the books in the Children’s corner was in German, to encourage the children to take an interest in attaining the language.
Story-telling session
Present amongst the audience was Khaled Anum, a musician and singer who opted to entertain the young crowd, first with the Vital Sign’s hit Dil, Dil Pakistan and later by reading out a German fairy-tale titled Mother Holle.
The children participated enthusiastically, singing along with Anum during his rendition of the famous song, and listened with rapt attention as he read out the Brothers Grimm story. The entire session was punctuated with giggles and peals of laughter, indicating that the children were truly enjoying themselves.
Director Dr Manuel Negwer hopes the new addition can facilitate the learning of German for younger generations. PHOTOS: SYED ABDUL REHMAN
Maha Bolbolan, a teacher representing CAS School, said that they would tour the institute with the school children on an annual basis. When questioned about whether German was easy for children to learn at school, she said, “It’s not an easy language to learn, but the number of students who are learning it is increasing by the day. By the end of this three year course, every child is completely at ease in introducing him/herself and in speaking basic German with another speaker of the same discipline.”
A final word
Negwer plans to hold such events more often within the premises of the institute, saying, “We should get in touch with the young generation. English is no doubt a global language, but learning German opens up a whole new universe for young children, who are the country’s future,” he said. “Once they learn German, there are more options open to them in the professional field, and if they plan to go to Germany for higher educational purposes, university education is completely free.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2013.
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