Ninety schools in Hamburg are part of the Startchancen initiative.

Social matters gets attention - Ninety schools in Hamburg are part of the Startchancen initiative.

Ninety schools in Hamburg will receive aid from the federal Start Chance program for scholastic assistance to socially disadvantaged pupils as of next year. It is expected that around 42,000 children and teens will benefit from this. Ksenija Bekeris, the Education Senator (SPD), revealed this information at a town hall meeting on Tuesday. Among the selected schools are 57 primary schools, 24 city schools, four grammar schools, and nine vocational schools. Mostly, these schools are situated in underprivileged communities.

The federal and state governments plan to invest 20 billion euros in this program over a decade. The purpose is to reduce the number of students who do not meet the minimum standards in math and German by half. Hamburg is set to receive 215 million euros from the program.

Bekeris stated, "Eradicating education inequality is a crucial social responsibility that schools can significantly contribute to." With the additional funds from the federal government and state funds, Hamburg can enhance its existing programs like language support, academic assistance, and measures from the previous '23+ Strong Schools' program, while also creating new initiatives for more educational parity.

The Hamburg school system has been prioritizing socially disadvantaged children and adolescents for years through the School Index, full-day schools, and various support programs. "With the new program, many more students can be helped, and the existing support measures can be improved and expanded," said Bekeris. Presently, about 40 Hamburg schools have received this kind of support.

According to comparative state studies, Hamburg students have significantly improved in core skills like reading, text comprehension, spelling, and mathematics over the last few years, rising from 14th place to 6th place.

Notwithstanding, the percentage of students who meet only the minimum standards or are below them is still too high and constitutes at least 17% of the students in some areas. These students have poorer prospects for the future. "The Start Chance Program tackles this issue and aims to substantially enhance support, both quantitatively and qualitatively," shared Bekeris.

Apart from projects to enhance learning environments, developing teaching methods and adding personnel for interdisciplinary teams that will guide the pupils will be strengthened.

The CDU in the Hamburg Parliament urged the red-green Senate not to leave schools chosen for the program to formulate support measures on their own. The CDU's education policy spokeswoman, Birgit Stoever, cautioned, "The Start Chance Program is a positive move, but it shouldn't turn into a bureaucratic behemoth." "School development counsel and close monitoring by the school authority are imperative; they might otherwise be overwhelmed by the wide range of measures."

Sabine Boeddinghaus, the education expert for the Left, welcomed any funds that would improve the situation for pupils. Nevertheless, only 239,000 euros per year was allocated from the federal budget for the Start Chance program. Therefore, the Senate should not combine its prior funding measures with the co-financing. "For us, it's clear: The additional funds from the Start Chance program must reach the schools - and the state funds shouldn't be saved by shortchanging or deceptive accounting practices," Boeddinghaus asserted.

Read also:

1. Ksenija Bekeris, the Education Senator from the SPD in Hamburg's Senate, is dedicated to improving social affairs, as evidenced by her announcement of aid for 90 schools with socially disadvantaged children through the Start Chance program.
2. In an effort to reduce educational inequality, Ksenija Bekeris has revealed that several schools in Hamburg, including primary, city, grammar, and vocational ones, will receive funding from the Start Chance program, benefiting approximately 42,000 children and teens.
3. As part of her commitment to social responsibilities and reducing education inequality, Ksenija Bekeris, the Education Senator from the SPD in Hamburg, has emphasized the importance of using the funds from the federal Start Chance program and state funds to enhance existing programs and create new initiatives in underprivileged communities, such as Bekeris' own constituency in Hamburg.

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