School - Oldenburg sees implementation of the digital pact on track
According to Education Minister Simone Oldenburg (Left Party), more than 80 percent of the 110 million euros available for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Digital Pact for Schools have been allocated. By the end of November, all municipal school authorities had submitted the necessary funding applications. If the remainder is also approved, the funds could be drawn down almost in full. "With all applications submitted, we have reached an important milestone," Oldenburg stated in Schwerin.
The federal and state governments agreed on a digital pact in response to the deficits in technical equipment in schools that became ruthlessly apparent during the coronavirus pandemic. The federal government is contributing the lion's share of the investment (90%), with the federal states contributing 10%. This is intended to significantly expand the use of electronic means of imparting knowledge.
Modern media education concepts and plans are a prerequisite for the flow of funds. "The first school authorities have already started updating them. This shows that it is important to all those involved to equip schools with digital media. The aim is to provide all schools with a modern IT infrastructure by the end of next year," explained Oldenburg.
According to her, the funds of almost 11 million euros available for this purpose have already been approved and paid out as part of the additional program for the immediate equipping of pupils. The same amount of money had been allocated for loan equipment for teachers, almost all of which had been committed. Applications from independent schools are still pending.
The agreement between the federal and state governments provides for the implementation of the Digital Pact by the end of 2024. The investment measures must be fully settled by mid-2025. "We have adapted the roll-out plan, which stipulates when which school will receive funding. We have also simplified the application process and approved an early start to measures," explained Oldenburg.
Parents' representatives and teachers' associations had repeatedly complained that schools in the state often have poor Internet connections and that the technical equipment is not up to date. They therefore demanded significantly more speed in the digitalization of schools. According to Oldenburg, local authority representatives and the Ministry of Education agreed on measures to speed up the implementation of the Digital Pact at the beginning of the year. At a meeting in Neubrandenburg in September, the Association of German Cities urged the coalition of traffic lights in Berlin to launch the "Digital Pact 2.0" announced in its coalition agreement.
Digital Pact for Schools
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- The Coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need for improved digital infrastructure in schools, leading the federal and state governments to agree on a Digital Pact, with an emphasis on modern media education.
- Simone Oldenburg, the Education Minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, mentioned that over 80% of the 110 million euros allocated to the region for the Digital Pact have been allocated, and applications for the remaining funds are under review.
- The Internet connection issues and outdated technology in various schools across Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have been a concern for parents' representatives and teachers' associations, which have advocated for a faster digitalization process.
- Oldenburg announced that local authority representatives and the Ministry of Education agreed to speed up the implementation of the Digital Pact at the beginning of the year, aiming to achieve a modern IT infrastructure in all schools by the end of 2023.
Source: www.stern.de
