Ski courses in physical education: Saxony-Anhalt reports over 2,400 participants in winter 2025/2026

The fuss about ski courses as part of physical education in Saxony-Anhalt has died down - new figures show that significantly more than 2,000 students took to the slopes last winter. This emerges from a special survey conducted by the state education office among schools. But not all schools responded, according to the Ministry of Education in Magdeburg.

“According to the available feedback, 79 schools of the schools involved in the survey reported that they would be holding a total of 87 compact winter sports courses in the 2025/2026 school year,” it said. 2,416 students took part in the reported compact winter sports courses. They were accompanied by 291 teachers and 134 other accompanying persons. There were 208 sports teachers there. 15 courses in Germany and 87 courses abroad were reported.

Exact comparisons with previous years are not possible

The Ministry of Education explained that a detailed comparison with the two previous years was not possible because the data was not available. “In addition, the legal basis and thus the framework conditions have changed in the meantime.” A new circular on winter sports compact courses was published in September 2025.

“Since such courses are usually planned and booked well in advance and there was also a transitional arrangement, the information for the 2025/2026 school year does not yet fully reflect the new requirements. Clearer effects of the new regulations will probably only become apparent from the 2026/2027 school year.

When asked about the costs that the state of Saxony-Anhalt incurred from the courses for business trips and travel expenses, the Ministry of Education replied: "For the 2025/2026 school year, a total of 185,399.92 euros have been reimbursed by the state of Saxony-Anhalt for compact winter sports courses."

That's the backstory

The former CDU Education Minister Eva Feußner had drawn strong criticism, including from within her own parliamentary group, because she had initially abolished the courses as part of physical education. Their arguments were high costs and organizational and personnel expenditure. There was then a clarifying conversation in the State Chancellery. Ultimately it was clear that the courses would remain. At the end of June 2025, the then Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) fired Eva Feußner.

These are the current rules

New rules have also been drawn up for other winter sports. From then on there was talk of winter compact courses. «The shared activities and experiences in cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, ice skating and tobogganing strengthen the group feeling and promote social well-being. This means that the competency requirements of the curricula can be conveyed in a complex manner when moving on snow and ice,” the decree states.

The winter sports compact courses should usually last 5 to 6 days and include around 30 hours of instruction. A minimum of 8 and a maximum of 15 students should take part. In addition to the teaching teacher, the use of another accompanying person is absolutely necessary. The courses can also be held during the holidays.