Andreas Pelzer is a teacher at the Rudolf Steiner School in Dahlem, Berlin. Since 2006, he has made regular visits to the Green Earth Roshni School in Lahore, Pakistan, which he has known and advised since its beginnings. In a series of training courses, he teaches the teachers about Waldorf education. In April 2024, he was on site for the sixth time. He talks enthusiastically about his time in Lahore, the positive development of the school, and the great interest shown by the teachers and pupils:

Waldorf education has developed steadily in Romania since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with the result that Waldorf schools and kindergartens are now established in many places. The Ministry of Education has officially recognised Waldorf education as an alternative form of education. However, as it is not easy to establish non-governmental and independent schools in Romania, the vast majority of Waldorf schools and kindergartens are part of the state school system, including the Liceul Waldorf Timișoara.

Waldorf schools in Great Britain have undergone an impressive development in recent years. A crisis which led to the closure of some schools also forced an urgent process of reflection and renewal. This has contributed significantly to Waldorf schools being better equipped to remain relevant in a changing world. Fran Russell from Waldorf UK reports on this process.

The Ukrainian capital Kiev is repeatedly the target of attacks. At the beginning of October, for example, the Russian army carried out massive air strikes in which dozens of missiles were fired at Kiev and the surrounding region. Last year, the Sophia School was damaged in an air raid by pressure waves and debris from missiles deflected in the air. In the most recent attacks, all missiles were intercepted by the air defence systems, but the alarms and the extremely tense situation have had a massive impact on the everyday school life of the students and teachers. Teacher Iryna Karasiova reports on one such school day, which was marked by air raid alarms.

My name is Matthias Nikolaus Eckstaedt. Since 13th August 2024, until August 2025, I have been doing voluntary service in one of the highest capital cities in the world, a metropolis in the Andes, a city that I have already grown fond of after six very eventful weeks: Bogotá.

Unlike in the Scandinavian countries, or in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, independent schools in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece do not receive any state subsidies. They are also treated differently to church-run schools. As a result, the economic challenges are great to enormous.

The coastal city of Salvador in the state of Bahia is one of the poorest cities in Brazil. For many families in the municipality of São Lázaro, securing a livelihood has always been an almost insurmountable task. In addition, many people have lost their previous, albeit meagre, sources of income due to the coronavirus pandemic. In this respect, risk factors have greatly increased for most families. Drug trafficking has reached the community, and the psychosocial strain has led to an increase in alcohol and drug consumption, as well as crime for many. In the midst of this poverty, Projeto Salva Dor offers children between the ages of two and thirteen a reliable place to go every day, providing a counterbalance to the often-chaotic everyday life. Schoolchildren are looked after here outside of school hours by Waldorf teachers. The kindergarten also offers a safe space with loving care and three meals a day. Andrea Naka Marinkovic, a teacher at the Freie Fachschule für Sozialpädagogik…

Waldorf education in Transylvania has undergone progressive development over the last ten years. Gábor Kulcsár, director of studies and lecturer at the Anthroposophical Pedagogical Workshop, reports on this for us.

For many years now, Waldorf education in France has been repeatedly attacked in the press - mostly with unsubstantiated claims. At the same time, independent schools are generally heavily regulated by the French authorities. According to the government, a law that came into force in 2018 is intended to make it easier to monitor and evaluate independent schools. As a result, independent schools, including Waldorf schools, have since been subject to even greater arbitrariness on the part of the authorities. Lucie Iskandar and Pascale Xheneumont from the Fédération Pédagogie Steiner-Waldorf en France summarise the current situation for us.

Every four years, four representatives from Waldorf schools in different Latin American countries organise a conference in one of the Latin American countries. The Covid pandemic led to an interruption, and the last conference took place online. This year, from 19th to 25th July, over 400 Waldorf teachers flocked to the Colegio Rudolf Steiner in Santiago de Chile to take part in the XV Congreso Iberoamericano Waldorf.