The Deutsche Höhere Privatschule (DHPS) is a private school in
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...
and a . It is situated in the capital
Windhoek
Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...
. The DHPS is funded by the German Federal Government as well as by school fees.
Scholars have the option of leaving with the
Cambridge certificate, the common school-leaving certificate in Namibia, in grade 12, or doing the (DIA, The German International
Abitur
''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
), also in grade 12.
History
The school was established in 1909 under the name Kaiserliche Realschule Windhuk (Windhoek Imperial Secondary School). Its name changed to ''Deutsche Realschule'' (German secondary school) upon the abdication of the German emperor
Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...
at the end of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. In 1926 the school introduced the Abitur and thus assumed the name ''Deutsche Oberrealschule'' (German senior secondary school). When the Abitur was replaced by the
matric
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used now ...
in 1941, the school was renamed ''Höhere Privatschule'' (lit. Higher private school), and it got its current name in 1958.
Culture
DHPS offers kindergarten and pre-school,
and primary and secondary grades from grade 1 to 12. Classes are split into a German and an English stream, depending on the language in which the majority of the subjects are taught.
With a mix of black and white students, teachers, and parents, the school has long grappled with accusations of discrimination, racism, and bullying.
[ Henning Melber opined in 2020 that:
]" HPSreproduces significant features inherent in parts of the German-speaking minority ..Their mindset points to white supremacy. The superiority complex is perpetuated more than a generation into independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
. It is passed on to the offspring at home."
DHPS has boarding facilities, a school garden, and various sporting facilities, e.g. swimming pool, basketball courts, soccer fields, a beach volleyball field and a roller hockey rink.[ The school runs an annual bazaar with food stalls and entertainment.
]
Alumni
* Henning Melber (political scientist and sociologist, matric 1970)[
* ]Calle Schlettwein
Carl-Hermann Gustav "Calle" Schlettwein (born 13 June 1954) is a Namibian politician who has served in the country's cabinet from 2012 to 21 March 2025. In March 2020 to 21 March 2025 he was appointed the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land ...
( member of cabinet, matric 1972)
See also
* Germany–Namibia relations
Germany–Namibia relations are the bilateral relationship of Germany and Namibia. This relationship is of particular importance as Namibia was colonized and occupied by the German Empire in the 19th century. There is also a community of approxima ...
* German language in Namibia
Namibia is a multilingual country in which German is recognised as a national language. While English has been the sole official language of the country since 1990, in many areas of the country, German enjoys official status at a community level ...
* German Namibians
German Namibians (; ) are a community of people descended from ethnic German colonists who settled in present-day Namibia. In 1883, the German trader Adolf Lüderitz bought what would become the southern coast of Namibia from Josef Frederiks ...
References
External links
Deutsche Höhere Privatschule Windhoek
*
Deutsche Höhere Privatschule Windhoek
100 Jahre DHPS 1909 - 2009 (100 Years DHPS 1909–2009)
supplement to ''Allgemeine Zeitung
The ''Allgemeine Zeitung'' was the leading political daily journal in Germany in the first part of the 19th century. It has been widely recognised as the first world-class German journal and a symbol of the German press abroad.
The ''Allgemein ...
'', 12 August 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deutsche Hohere Privatschule Windhoek
German-Namibian culture
Schools in Windhoek
Boarding schools in Namibia
Educational institutions established in 1909
1909 establishments in German South West Africa
German international schools in Namibia