To mark the launch of the new annual programme, District Administrator Frank John and the new head of the KVHS, Sandra Brettar, welcomed guests to the KVHS premises in the former boarding school in Blieskastel. Alongside lecturers and the heads of the Kirkel and Mandelbachtal learning centres, Manfred Hoffmann and Willi Habermann, Guido Freidinger, Deputy Mayor of Blieskastel, and Dominik Hochlenert, Mayor of Kirkel, were also delighted to accept the invitation to the event. Media designer Friedhelm Siffrin and staff from the Unit for Shaping Social Change, Education and Demography rounded off the group.
District Administrator Frank John:
“Our district adult education centre is once again offering a wide range of opportunities for lifelong learning – close to home, practice-oriented and for people of all ages. Whether it’s languages, health, culture, digitalisation or creative pursuits: education opens up new perspectives, strengthens social cohesion and enriches everyday life. I am delighted that we are able to offer our residents a varied programme at the start of the term on 15 September, and I warmly invite everyone to discover something that suits them.”
In her first presentation of the programme, Sandra Brettar stated that she would build on tried-and-tested approaches whilst also implementing new ideas. She was delighted that the new programme booklet had been sent to the printers whilst the summer holidays were still underway – a result of the close collaboration between the volunteer leaders of the learning centres – Willi Habermann, Wolfgang Brebeck and Manfred Hoffmann – and the lecturers.
The new annual programme comprises over 270 courses and events covering the fields of politics and society, languages, nature and the environment, culture and the creative arts, as well as health and nutrition. These include topics from the fields of AI, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and Europe. With ‘vhs-wissen-live’, high-calibre live streams featuring experts from the worlds of science and society are once again available online.
A particular priority for the new director is to raise the profile of the Saarpfalz District Adult Education Centre as an educational institution within the Saarpfalz district. The existing branch centres in Bexbach, Blieskastel, Gersheim, Kirkel and Mandelbachtal are therefore to be consistently designated as learning centres of the Saarpfalz District Adult Education Centre. At the same time, the aim is to gradually expand the range of courses on offer – particularly in Bexbach, Gersheim and Mandelbachtal. Sandra Brettar is convinced that closer cooperation with the towns and local authorities, as well as with other partners – including within the district administration – will help to achieve this goal.
She took the opportunity to thank the long-serving course leaders, who have shaped the KVHS’s educational programme for many years, as well as all the heads of learning centres, staff and partners for their long-standing commitment. She also expressed special thanks to KVHS staff member Ruth Zeiss, who is due to retire shortly. District Councillor Frank John presented her with a bouquet of flowers.
In her address, the new director stated: “I was made to feel very welcome by the KVHS team, and it was a pleasure to start working together on the new programme straight away, even though we had to move very quickly. I have ideas for the future, and I intend to approach their implementation with caution. Launching new initiatives goes hand in hand with taking on and carefully addressing the challenging tasks – such as those of a structural or financial nature – that our district adult education centre faces.”
The 2026/27 annual programme has a print run of 2,500 copies. It is available, amongst other places, at the KVHS office in the former boarding school in Blieskastel, at the district administration office in Homburg and at the town halls. It can also be found online at www.kvhs-saarpfalz-kreis.de. Online registration for the courses is now also open. The KVHS team will be happy to answer any questions you may have on tel. (06842) 924310 or by email at [email protected].