Training funding
Bafög reform soon in the cabinet – no higher funding rates?
The Education and Science Union describes the Federal Ministry of Education’s plans for BaföG as a “statement of poverty”. photo
© Andrea Warnecke/dpa
A “start-up aid” of 1,000 euros for particularly needy students and higher allowances – that is what a Bafög reform should bring. The Greens and the SPD still want to negotiate hard on one point in particular.
The federal cabinet is scheduled to launch the planned Bafög reform on March 6th – but without higher funding rates. Representatives of the coalition partners stated that they wanted to renegotiate this point in particular during the upcoming discussions in the Bundestag.
A spokesman for Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) confirmed information from the ARD capital studio on the content of the reform plans. For example, a one-off start-up grant of 1,000 euros is planned for particularly needy students, including those receiving housing benefit. This does not have to be repaid. In addition, there should be an increase in the allowances from the income of parents or spouses and life partners by five percent, which will increase the number of those eligible to apply. It should be easier to extend your studies by one semester or change your subject without jeopardizing your Bafög entitlement. The reform is scheduled to come into force in the winter semester of 2024/25.
Criticism of the level of requirement rates
The Education and Science Union (GEW) described the plans from Stark-Watzinger’s house as a “demonstration of poverty”: “The minister doesn’t even want to pay the students an inflation compensation, but rather expects them to go through another round of zero. Many people no longer know how they have to pay rising costs of living and skyrocketing rents,” said GEW Vice President Andreas Keller. “The traffic light coalition must finally keep its promise from the coalition agreement and fundamentally renew training funding.” Stark-Watzinger is planning small steps in the right direction, such as introducing student start-up assistance, but this has nothing to do with real reform.
The Green parliamentary group decided on a position paper about a week ago. It says: “The amount of BaföG is currently no longer sufficient: the most urgent need for action is to increase the BaföG requirement rates.” The Bafög must be adjusted regularly and increased in line with the development of citizens’ money.
The chairwoman of the German Social Association, Michaela Engelmeier, also said: “The basic requirement of 452 euros is below the subsistence level given the extreme price jumps in recent years. In addition, the flat rate for accommodation of 360 euros in many study locations does not even cover the rent of a shared apartment -Room off.”
BaföG benefits for 630,000 people
For the 2022/23 winter semester, the traffic light coalition increased the Bafög rate for students – it concerns basic needs – from 427 euros to 452 euros per month. In the coalition agreement, the SPD, Greens and FDP set out to “fundamentally” reform Bafög and make it more “parent-independent”. A more regular adjustment of allowances and requirement rates was therefore planned.
According to information from the Federal Statistical Office from August, around 630,000 people received benefits under the Federal Training Assistance Act (Bafög) in 2022. 78 percent were students and 22 percent were pupils. 56 percent of Bafög recipients received full funding. Pupils or students receive partial funding if their own income or that of their parents exceeds certain limits.
Minister Stark-Watzinger called on the federal states to quickly introduce electronic files so that Bafög can soon be applied for and processed fully digitally. Since last weekend there has been a Bafög app with which applicants can upload their evidence and send it to the responsible Bafög office.