THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Goethe-Zentrum, the German language institute and the office of the Honorary Consul, is set to inaugurate its new facility in Jawahar Nagar, Trivandrum. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will officiate the opening on Thursday at 5 pm, with consul general HE Achim Burkart as the chief guest, joined by dignitaries including MP Shashi Tharoor. Currently housed in a rented building at Kunnukuzhy near Palayam, the institute has been operating in the city for fifteen years under the Indo-German Language and Cultural Society, chaired by former Kerala Planning Board Member G Vijaya Raghavan.
The Goethe-Zentrum serves as a vital resource for individuals migrating to Germany, offering consular assistance, language training, and document certification. Originally starting with approximately 400 students in Kerala, the institute now enrolls over 5,600 students annually, aiding them in learning German and preparing for Goethe-Certificate exams.
The first institute was opened in Calcutta in 1957. Goethe-Institut has emerged as a trailblazer in German language education. Over the years, it has expanded its presence to encompass six institutes and five centres across India, with locations such as Trivandrum and Kochi.
Established in 2008, the Goethe-Zentrum Trivandrum expanded to Kochi in 2013 to meet the growing demand for admissions to renowned German universities and pursue professional goals. With the German Parliament’s new Migration Law in 2021 and the Mobility and Migration Partnership Agreement with India in December 2022, the institute played a crucial role in providing German language training to professionals.