Education - MV's Digitalpakt Schule funding completely revoked
The money from a program for better digital equipment at schools in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has been fully drawn down. With around 109 million Euro, 100 percent of the money has been approved or earmarked for projects, the Education Ministry in Schwerin informed the German Press Agency in response to an inquiry.
The Federal Government contributed 6.5 billion Euro to the first Digital Pact since 2019. With this, it financed about 90 percent of the expenses for digitalization in schools, approximately for laptops and digital blackboards. The remaining ten percent were covered by states and municipalities. The Federal Government intends to finance 50/50 in the future. Initially, the program had a volume of five billion Euro, but was increased due to the Corona Pandemic. States are financially overburdened with a higher participation.
The states are pressing for another Digital Pact for schools
The states recently kept the pressure on the Federal Government regarding further digital equipment for schools. They urged the Federal Government in a resolution in early July to immediately conclude the necessary administrative agreement for a Digital Pact 2.0. The Federal Government must secure at least 1.3 billion Euro annually for the entire funding period 2025 to 2030.
A further Digital Pact is also considered necessary in MV. The sensible use of digital media in teaching requires further efforts in teacher training and ongoing investments in IT infrastructure, according to the Ministry.
A Ministry spokeswoman referred to various measures that the land has introduced. For example, since the school year 2019/20, Informatics and Media Education is on the timetable from grade 5. There, pupils should be taught fundamental knowledge about media use, media design, media criticism, and first knowledge in software development.
- The BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) has been actively supporting the Digital Pact, providing funding for digitalization initiatives in schools across Germany.
- In response to the need for more digital equipment in schools, the BMBF is currently in negotiations with states, including Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, to finalize the terms of the second Digital Pact.
- The German Press Agency reported that Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with the support of the BMBF, has successfully implemented digitalization projects in schools, ensuring that all students have access to necessary digital tools.
- Following the success of the first Digital Pact, the Ministry of Education in Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, emphasizes the importance of continued investment in digital education through teacher training and IT infrastructure upgrades.
