Berlin's head of government Wegner: "We need to rethink education"

Mayor - Berlin's head of government Wegner: "We need to rethink education"

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner is calling for reforms in education policy in view of the poor results of German pupils in international comparative tests. "We must have the courage to rethink education," the CDU politician told the German Press Agency. "We must also have the courage to focus on the essentials again," he continued. "By that I mean, above all, that children can read, write and do arithmetic." These core skills need to be strengthened.

It is important to start at an early stage in kindergarten, not just from Year 1 at school, said Wegner. In an international comparison, the countries that invest a great deal in early childhood education are far ahead.

In this context, Wegner also sees a need for reform in the federal system in Germany, in which the federal states have sovereignty over school and education policy and a ban on cooperation with the federal government applies. "The ban on cooperation is no longer appropriate in this form," he said. "I am very much in favor of federalism, I am also in favor of competition between the federal states. But I would welcome it if we could agree on a uniform structure for the education system in Germany."

Wegner gave an example: In Berlin, he said, there is the integrated secondary school (ISS) alongside the grammar school. "When parents from Baden-Württemberg come to Berlin to work and bring their children with them, they don't even know what an integrated secondary school is." It does not exist in their current federal state.

"We need a uniform structure in Germany - I think that would be right and very important," said the CDU politician. "In times when we expect more and more flexibility from people, including where they work, parents and, above all, their children should at least have the right to a comparable education system in which they can continue their education and training."

Wegner also called for greater financial support from the federal government for the federal states in education - here, too, the ban on cooperation enshrined in the Basic Law has so far set narrow limits. The head of government referred to federal funding for universities and science, for example as part of the so-called Excellence Initiative or as part of the Digital Pact for Schools. More is possible here.

"Education is the sovereignty of the federal states, and that should remain the case," said Wegner. "But ensuring that there are uniform structures and that the federal government is also given the opportunity to contribute to funding is an absolute issue for the future." The recent poor results in the Pisa study, at the latest, had shown where Germany stood in terms of education policy. "That should give us all food for thought and encourage us all to talk about both financial resources in the field of education and educational structures."

In this context, Wegner added that he would also like the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) to have more powers. "There is always goodwill at the KMK."

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1. In response to the poor results of German pupils in international comparative tests, such as the PISA study, Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, from the CDU, is advocating for a reevaluation of education policies.
2. Wegner emphasizes the importance of focusing on fundamental skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic, suggesting that these should be strengthened from kindergarten and beyond, in a more unified educational structure across Germany.
3. The current federal structure in Germany, wherein school and education policy is primarily under the control of the federal states, has been highlighted by Wegner as needing change, to allow for more cooperation and uniformity in the education system.
4. Wegner underlined the need for greater financial support from the federal government in education, as a means to improve educational structures and opportunities for children, who are often disadvantaged by the lack of uniformity.
5. The recent Pisa study results have prompted Wegner to call for enhanced powers for the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK), as well as increased dialogue about both financial resources and educational structures in Germany.

Source: www.stern.de