Tablets, digital boards, WiFi in schools: The digital pact between the federal and state governments was well received, and it expires today. A new pact is supposed to come, but the federal and state governments do not agree.
11-year-old Liam enjoys going to school. Classes in the fourth grade at the Berlin primary school in Friedrichshain are now more digital: “For us it’s with a whiteboard.” But laptops are also used. Liam thinks it’s “cool”.
The “Digital Pact School 1.0” between the federal and state governments, a funding program from 2019, also contributed to this. It has been known since before the pandemic that digitalization in schools is lagging behind. The pact has so far provided 6.5 billion euros: for WiFi in schools or tablets instead of blackboards. 90 percent of the funds were financed by the federal government and ten percent by the states.
Digital boards and tablets…
The first digital pact expires today. When asked, the Federal Ministry of Education said: More than 90 percent of the money has now been almost completely drawn down, i.e. already planned or spent. A random one ARDA query to the federal states also revealed that most of the money was used to purchase digital devices. Their conclusion: The digital pact has led to a boost in digitalization in schools.
… but there is no WiFi in some places
However, the situation varies greatly depending on the federal state or municipality. There are still schools that do not have WiFi. “The digital pact ensures fast internet from the curb. But if there is no fast internet right up to the curb, or none at all, then nothing works,” said the chairman of the German Teachers’ Association, Stefan Düll, in an interview tagesschau.de.
The federal and state governments are arguing about the second digital pact
A second digital pact is needed – the federal and state governments agree on this. But there has been debate for months about what this should look like. Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) has recorded concrete ideas in a draft that… ARD capital studio is present. It states that the federal government no longer wants to contribute 90 percent of the financing as before, but that the federal and state governments each want to share 50 percent of the costs.
How much money is available for the second digital pact remains unclear. It is supposed to start in 2025, but it also has an end date: 2030. The draft speaks of a “last time[n] Federal support”.
Teacher training should become mandatory
In addition, the federal government wants to give the states more specifications in the next digital pact than before. The digital equipment of schools is one thing, the digital skills of teachers are another. The ministry’s draft therefore also mentions digital qualification for teachers as a prerequisite for the next pact: 30 hours of training should be mandatory. Opposite tagesschau.de says Stark-Watzinger: “The Digital Pact 2.0 must not become a mere ordering list for devices. Teachers are central to good digital education and need appropriate training.”
This is met with criticism from the federal states. In a position paper that… ARD capital studio is available, the states are demanding exactly the opposite: among other things, they want to maintain the current financial distribution (90:10). By requiring further training, the federal government is exceeding its authority. The countries do not want to accept that the digital pact also has an end date. The paper states that digital transformation is a national and permanent task that must be “recognized in partnership”.
relationship of trust shattered
In an interview with tagesschau.de emphasizes Christine Streichert-Clivot (SPD), Saarland’s Minister of Education and President of the Conference of Education Ministers (KMK): There is a need for discussion, especially about the budget. She is worried about the digital pact because Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) has prescribed austerity measures for all ministries.
The widely divergent ideas of the federal and state governments make it clear: the relationship of trust in education is deeply broken. Streichert-Clivot says: “I invited the Federal Minister to the KMK, which is taking place in Saarland in June, but unfortunately she declined the invitation, which I very much regret.”
At its core, everything revolves around educational federalism: the federal government doesn’t just want to act as a donor, it wants to have more of a say. The states, on the other hand, are resisting giving up competencies.
Teacher President challenges others Financial division
Teacher President Stefan Düll therefore calls for consideration to be given to generally changing the distribution of finances. If the federal government intervenes more and more in state tasks with its money, it shows that the states and municipalities have too little. “It would perhaps be more sensible to leave the money with the municipalities and not transfer it to the federal government first.” Ultimately, it is the municipalities that, as school authorities, are responsible for purchasing digital devices.
“School must not remain an analogue cosmos”
For Ralph Müller-Eiselt, board member of the non-profit association “Forum Education Digitalization,” digitalization in schools must not suffer as a result of the federal-state battle. In times of digital disinformation, it is important to be prepared for a digitally networked world. “When the world changes, schools must not remain an analog cosmos, but must actively deal with digital developments and phenomena.”
Fourth grader Liam also wants to deal with this in Berlin. He wants to become a car inventor when he grows up, because one thing is clear to him: his future is digital.