Minister of Education - Holter calls for education to be included in the Basic Law
In view of the poor results of German pupils in the Pisa study, Thuringia's Education Minister Helmut Holter has called for more federal involvement in education issues. "The federal government must also make a permanent financial commitment to education," the Left Party politician told the German Press Agency in Erfurt. He called for the "joint task of education" to be enshrined in the Basic Law.
Divided school system a failure?
Since Thursday, the Conference of Education Ministers has been meeting in Berlin to discuss the PISA results. Following the poor performance of German pupils, there have been some calls for a special conference of minister presidents to discuss the results.
Holter questioned the structured school system. "In Germany, and also in Thuringia, the fourth grade basically determines a child's school career and therefore also their life biography." However, international experience has shown that longer joint learning is the answer to what Pisa and other studies have revealed.
Commitment to federal and state programs called for
With regard to the budget crisis at federal level, Holter warned of the impact on the planned Digital Pact 2.0 and the Start Opportunities program. "In terms of content, we are clear, but the financial backing is lacking," said Holter on the Start Opportunities Program. He had expected the program to be finalized on Friday. This is no longer to be expected due to the budget discussion. The program is intended to provide 4000 schools in difficult situations with special state funding worth billions in the coming years.
According to Holter, there is also still no certainty regarding a follow-up program to the digital pact from 2025. "We need to catch up," said Holter and called for "a clear commitment to the Digital Pact 2.0". However, the two do not have to be linked, said Holter.
In Germany,education is a matter for the federal states, which is also enshrined in the Basic Law. In recent years, however, the federal government has increasingly contributed financially - for example with a programme for digitalization, the so-called Digital Pact. Holter renewed his call to abandon the so-called cooperation ban in the Basic Law. "I am convinced that, especially when it comes to money, the prohibition on cooperation must become a requirement for cooperation," he said.
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- Despite the poor Pisa results in Thuringia, Helmut Holter, the Minister of Education, believes that education should be included in Germany's Basic Law to ensure a more significant federal commitment.
- The Conference of Education Ministers, currently meeting in Berlin to discuss the Pisa study results, has sparked calls for a special meeting of minister presidents to address the poor performance of German pupils.
- In light of international evidence, Helmut Holter questions the structured school system in Germany and Thuringia, suggesting that longer joint learning may be the solution to issues revealed by studies like Pisa.
- Due to the budget crisis at the federal level, Helmut Holter has expressed concerns about the impact on educational programs like the Digital Pact 2.0 and the Start Opportunities program, which aim to support schools facing difficulties.
- During the Conference of Education Ministers, Helmut Holter also highlighted the lack of certainty concerning a follow-up program to the Digital Pact from 2025, stressing the need for a "clear commitment" to this initiative.
- Although education is primarily the responsibility of the federal states in Germany, as stipulated in the Basic Law, the federal government has recently increased its financial contributions to educational programs, such as the Digital Pact.
Source: www.stern.de
