“You leave us alone” is written on a poster held up by two students from the Unterschleißheim middle school. And you are not alone with this feeling. Pupils, parents, teachers, headmasters and also many representatives from civil society and business throughout Bavaria obviously have a big problem with what the so-called Bavarian coalition of CSU and free voters wants to pull through in middle schools and special schools. According to the current status, despite major problems among schoolchildren as a result of the corona pandemic, the tried-and-tested career start support is to be phased out, from which around 4,000 schoolchildren in Bavaria who are finding it difficult to make the transition from school to working life will benefit. The parents’ council at the Unterschleißheim middle school has therefore now started an online petition. And maybe there will actually be a showdown at the last moment, this Wednesday, in the state parliament.
Actually, the matter that is currently worrying many parents, students and teachers is almost decided. Because the financing of the program has long been a struggle between the European Union, the Federal Ministry of Labor and the Free State. And there have already been one or two reversals. Another one, now shortly before the decision on the state government’s double budget, would be a real coup: The Greens budget politician Claudia Köhler wants to know it again. She says that from all sides, especially from Free Voters, she only hears praise for the program, in which trained, experienced trainers are made available to students over a longer period of time. She will therefore call for a “vote by name” on this point in the plenum. It is about 2.2 million euros for the next school year, and six million euros for the next few years.
The Greens member of the state parliament, Claudia Köhler from Unterhaching, wants to make a last attempt to save the career entry companions in the budget committee.
(Photo: private)
The Free State only stepped in for co-financing in 2018/2019 because an EU program expired. When the state government wanted to get out last school year, the CSU and Freie Wahler tore the helm again after protests in May 2021. But now the CSU in particular really wants to get out and rejects further partial assumption of costs with the federal government. A motion by the Greens and FDP in the state parliament’s budget committee to correct this was recently rejected by a majority of the CSU and Freie Wahler. But the Free Voters apparently voted with their coalition partner through clenched teeth. As Nikolaus Kraus, MP for the Free Voters from Ismaning, said on Tuesday, his parliamentary group is actually united behind the proven career start support. “Unfortunately, the coalition partner didn’t play along. It doesn’t help. What should we do?”
For many outsiders, the exit is almost incomprehensible right now. The fatal consequences that the corona pandemic has had with the restricted teaching, especially for underperforming students, are becoming more and more apparent. Psychotherapists complain of a massive increase in the number of cases they have to look after. Pupils with language difficulties and from socially disadvantaged families are particularly affected. In addition, there are currently students from the Ukraine. At the middle school in Unterschleißheim, more than two hundred young people have benefited from the career start support since the program was introduced, the parents’ council there reports. From the 8th grade onwards, the supervisor helps with learning for the school leaving certificate, with the selection and with the search for an apprenticeship. Supervisors and students train together to write a letter of application. The whole thing continues until half a year into the training. That is exactly what should be gone now. “Many parents, teachers and students are stunned by this decision,” write the chairmen of the parents’ council, Christian Beissner and Kathrin Ungar. Those affected are “angry”. The petition states: “No child shall be lost.” 966 people signed it within four days.
Torsten Bergmühl, the rector at the Erich Kästner School in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn, has no understanding for the state government’s decision.
(Photo: Birgit Helwich/oh)
One of the signatories is Torsten Bergmühl, who, as the headmaster of the Erich Kästner middle school in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn, is himself affected and has no understanding that the “great measure” should be phased out. “I think it’s quite a disaster.” A well-established system will be broken. The career entry guide at his school, Karl Bayerschmidt, who also works at the secondary school in Haar, looks after six out of 60 students in Höhenkirchen. He maintains a relationship of trust with teachers, parents, students – and many contacts with companies in the region. Green MP Köhler has received many letters from companies that show that you value what you currently have. The spectrum ranges from BMW and the head of the Bakery Academy in Lochham to the Schreiner Group in Oberschleißheim. Franz Xaver Peteranderl, President of the Bavarian Crafts Day, says: “The corona pandemic in particular has shown how extremely important it is to support young people in choosing a career and to accompany them on their first steps into working life.”
The teachers’ association warns of later costs for young people without prospects
But how does the coalition justify its decision after the Free Voters had praised co-financing as a Bavarian model for success just a year ago? The parents’ association wrote to the representatives of both parties in the budget committee. Kathrin Ungar only knows of answers from the Free Voters who expressed their regret and referred to alternative programs to support the students. But the Green Köhler considers them far less good. Nikola Kurpas, principal of the Taufkirchen middle school, is skeptical about the system change. As far as she knows, there is no direct contact. “The personal supervisor for the student just falls away.” The President of the Bavarian Teachers’ Association (BLLV), Simone Fleischmann, warns of the high costs of a system change for a “later integration of young people with no prospects into the training and job market”.
At the Erich-Kästner-School in Höhenkirchen, the career entry guide has just added eighth graders to the program. They are possibly the last with whom he will work so closely right into the first few weeks of their training in the company. If everything turns out the way it looks, he will probably not get any more clients in autumn 2022. Headmaster Torsten Bergmühl observes that the proven experts are already reorienting themselves professionally. Köhler: “Here structures are completely destroyed.”