SCHULBAU Essen 2025: Greeting from Mukhtar Al Ghusain and a look at the school construction offensive

Education shapes urban development. Where new learning spaces are created and existing buildings become fit for the future, the everyday life of entire neighbourhoods is changing. Essen has been upgrading its school infrastructure for years. At the SCHULBAU Salon & Messe in Essen on 24 and 25 September 2025, experts will meet to discuss perspectives for educational construction. On the second day of the fair, Mukhtar Al Ghusain will give the opening speech in order to enter into dialogue with us on the status of the school construction offensive in Essen.

Speaker in portrait: Mukhtar Al Ghusain

Mukhtar Al Ghusain, Head of the Department for Youth, Education and Culture of the City of Essen, brings many years of administrative and cultural experience with him. He studied music and cultural management in Würzburg and Hamburg, ran a music school, was responsible for a cultural office, worked in the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture and then moved to Würzburg as head of the department. Since 2018, Muchtar Al Ghusain has been shaping the interfaces between education, culture and youth work in Essen – with a clear focus on high-quality infrastructure and reliable offers. In addition to the office, music remains part of his profile.

School construction in Essen: Investments for new learning spaces

The city of Essen is backing up the restructuring of its school landscape with a special investment program, among other things. A total of around 618 million euros is available for this purpose, with the majority of it flowing into school infrastructure at just under 388 million. The package includes renovations, conversions and new buildings with a direct effect on the quality of the learning environment and the cityscape. The aim is to create a robust, permanently usable infrastructure that meets increasing needs and provides spatial support for pedagogical concepts.

Why the exchange at the trade fair is important

On 24 and 25 September 2025, the SCHULBAU Salon & Messe in Essen will bundle the programme, practical knowledge and networks – from planning issues to the upgrading of existing buildings and new construction projects. The framework offers the opportunity to classify projects and strategies for the coming years and to derive concrete steps. The fact that Mukhtar Al Ghusain will give the welcome address on the second day will focus on the municipal perspective: priorities in expansion, schedules, organisational decisions and cooperation that will ensure progress.

Agenda impulse: What counts now

Essen thinks of school construction as a permanent task. The funds provided address three levers: strengthening substance, expanding capacities, strategically placing new buildings. In this logic, the modernization of individual school locations becomes part of a larger city history. This is exactly where the trade fair comes in: How can the creative will and administrative reality be synchronized? Which solutions support the company and remain financially viable? The greeting by Mukhtar Al Ghusain promises first-hand answers and opens the discussion about how Essen’s school construction offensive is shaping the next phase. Secure your ticket for our SCHULBAU Salon and trade fair in Essen now: CLICK!