Philippines, Manila
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GESM began as José Rizal School, opening on August 5, 1980. It was officially recognised as a German School abroad by German authorities in 1984. In 1992, the German School Manila joined with the Lycée Français de Manille to form Eurocampus on a shared two-hectare campus in Parañaque. In 2002, the European International School, Inc. was created to govern both DSM and LFM, and in 2005 the International Section opened and the school adopted the name German European School Manila. A master-plan modernization began in 2013, with new facilities completed by 2014 and further expansions through the late 2010s; IGCSE examinations began in 2014, DSD I exams followed in 2014, DSD II in 2018, UNESCO recognition in 2019, and the IB Career-Related Programme was introduced in 2021.
GESM is a non-profit, international and multilingual day school in Manila serving Kindergarten to Grade 12, with two parallel sections defined mainly by medium of instruction: German or English. The school offers the GIB, the IB Diploma Programme (DP), and the IB Career-related Programme (CP) in Grades 11–12. Its community comprises students and staff from about fifty countries, with English, German, French and Filipino omnipresent on campus. Recent student activities include projects such as the Cinematics Club film and a Model United Nations (MUN) simulation that foster international collaboration and debate.
GESM's governance framework includes the German School Association (GSA) and the Gesamtelternbeirat, the Parent Council (GEB). Families may join the GSA during enrollment by paying an annual membership fee and submitting an application, and GSA members elect the Board of Directors and vote on major school matters at the AGM. The Board of Directors consists of parent volunteers elected for two-year terms and oversees budget, staffing decisions and major projects, while day-to-day operations are managed by school leadership. The GEB is formed by parent representatives elected at the start of each school year; it meets monthly with school management to discuss pedagogy, safety, transport, and related issues, and it provides a channel for parent feedback to the school management and the German School Board. The GEB publishes a Parent Council Handbook, and parent involvement is supported by additional parent networks and a Parents' Advisory Council at Eurocampus, reflecting structured opportunities for parental participation in campus life.