Medal of Honor for Bettina Scheiber: Strong commitment to promoting reading!

Medal of Honor for Bettina Scheiber: Strong commitment to promoting reading!

On June 1, 2025, Bettina Scheiber, 63 years old, from Devesen was awarded the Hanover Region Medal of Honor. Her dedicated work as an insurance specialist and her outstanding voluntary work, particularly in the area of ​​promoting reading, were recognized. After 40 years in the profession, Scheiber is now increasingly dedicating himself to supporting children who have difficulty reading.

As coordinator of the mentor project at the Hemmingen-Westerfeld elementary school, she has been offering personal support to a primary school student and, at times, to a third-grader for about a year and a half. “The amount of reading aloud by parents has decreased significantly,” she criticizes and emphasizes the immensely important role of language support in early childhood. The increase in reading support is inevitably necessary in order to counteract the alarming state of the reading skills of many children. Current data shows that one in five 15-year-olds in Germany can barely read at primary school level, as the Deutsche Schulportal reports.

Commitment during the flood disaster

Scheiber's commitment during the Leine flood in 2023/24 was particularly noteworthy. She initiated a fundraising campaign that collected over 5,000 euros for the fire departments in Hemmingen. The funds collected were divided among the local fire departments and led to a successful family afternoon in Devese, strengthening the sense of community in the region. Scheiber is also a supporting member of the fire department.

In his acceptance speech, Region President Steffen Krach (SPD) praised the importance of volunteering for society and emphasized that this year a total of 23 citizens were honored for their remarkable commitment. Scheiber is an outstanding representative of this group who wants to make a significant difference in the lives of many children through her work.

The need for reading support

The professional association MENTOR – The Reading Learning Helpers Bundesverband e.V. supports around 16,500 students in Germany with 12,500 volunteer mentors. These mentors are critical to providing the necessary individual support to the many children who do not have a supportive learning environment. The current situation shows that the reading support offered in schools is often not sufficient to meet the requirements. A fundamental change in the education system is required.

Successful programs in other countries, such as the national reading promotion strategy in Ireland, could provide valuable guidance for Germany. According to the PISA study, Ireland ranks fourth, while Germany comes 15th. More resources and support from politics and business are needed to address these challenges and improve the quality of reading promotion.

Bettina Scheiber is an example of all those who are willing to work voluntarily for a better future. Your tireless commitment to children's reading skills could be an inspiration for many others to also get involved and help children through education.