Education
Student union demands continuous increase in BaföG
In the coalition agreement, the traffic light set out to “fundamentally” reform the Bafög and make it more “parent-independent”. photo
© Peter Kneffel/dpa
The traffic light has decided to “fundamentally” reform Bafög. The student union is now putting pressure on people and criticizing the fact that the Bafög rate is stagnating in contrast to the minimum wage and citizens’ benefit.
The German Student Union has called for the Bafög rates to be continuously adjusted to income and price developments. “Members’ diets, pensions, citizens’ benefits and housing benefits are regularly increased, but BaföG is not,” complained the chairman of the board Student Union (DSW), Matthias Anbuhl, in the newspapers of the Funke media group. “This investment in educational equity is systematically disadvantaged.”
Anbuhl criticized that the Bafög rate was chronically too low. The minimum wage, however, will rise by 41 cents at the turn of the year, and the citizen’s allowance will also increase from 502 to 563 euros per month. “The Bafög basic requirement continues to stagnate at 452 euros per month – that is 111 euros less than the citizen’s benefit,” said the chairman of the DSW.
Last winter semester, the traffic light coalition raised the Bafög rate for students from 427 to 452 euros per month. In the coalition agreement they had planned to “fundamentally” reform the Bafög and make it more “parent-independent”. Among other things, a more regular adjustment of allowances and requirement rates was planned.