Status: 03/12/2023 03:17 am
The education summit starts in Berlin on Tuesday. Minister Stark-Watzinger sees structural problems in the education system – and calls for a new culture of cooperation between the federal, state and local governments.
Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger has called for far-reaching reforms in the school and education system. The German education system is in a deep crisis, the FDP politician told the “Bild am Sonntag”. The federal, state and local governments should all pull together in education. The federal government cannot always continue to give money.
“We finally have to tackle the structural problems,” said Stark-Watzinger. “This will only work with a new form and culture of cooperation with everyone involved. We have to set up a team education instead of pointing fingers at others.”
Education summit comes together
Representatives of politics, science and civil society will meet in Berlin on Tuesday for the “Education Summit”, and Stark-Watzinger will also take part. The traffic light had agreed a meeting under this title in their coalition agreement. Improvements in the education system are often hampered by the different responsibilities between federal, state and local governments. After the summit, a new working group with representatives from all sides and additional experts will develop proposals for better cooperation.
“More speed” in digitization
The Minister of Education told the newspaper that “more speed is needed, especially when it comes to digitization”: “Of the five billion euros of the actual digital pact, a lot has already been planned, but not enough has reached the schools. This is also due to the overly bureaucratic implementation. “
At the same time, Stark-Watzinger criticized the fact that school buildings were dilapidated in many places: “It’s true that some schools in Germany are in a bad state. There are deficits not only in digitization, but also in terms of sanitary facilities and gymnasiums. The investment backlog has to be tackled in parallel with digitization.”