SPD presents concept for a new start in education

Shortly after the catastrophic PISA results became known, education is one of the key topics at the SPD federal party conference. Chairwoman Esken introduces a key motion calling for significantly more money to be invested in early childhood education and school equipment - financed by heirs to large fortunes.

Germany's children and young people and their future prospects are in a bad way. According to the new PISA study, the skills of 15-year-olds in the areas of reading, arithmetic and science have deteriorated significantly. The unsurprising result also concerns the Social Democrats: On the last day of their national party conference, the SPD delegates adopted a concept paper for a new start in education: more early childhood education, better equipped schools, more cooperation between the federal, state and local authorities. The paper also contains ideas for funding. "I am no longer prepared to accept that there should be no money for children and their education in this rich country," said party chairwoman Saskia Esken.

The party leader, who was re-elected on Friday, drew a depressing balance sheet on the state of the education system. "A quarter of all children at the end of primary school cannot read, count or listen well enough," said Esken. Too many children leave school, including one in seven children with a migration background. This makes early childhood education all the more important so that children are prepared for the start of school. "We want the vast majority of them to attend an early childhood facility for at least four years." This requires more daycare centers and educators, even if this is difficult to implement. The paper also envisages making daycare centers free of charge for parents, as the SPD has already implemented in some federal states.

Uli Waterman, a member of the Lower Saxony state parliament and trained educator, criticized the demand in the key motion that cities and municipalities should offer every child a daycare place from the age of two. This is "far removed from reality", he said, adding that in many places, daycare places are actually becoming fewer and not more due to a lack of educators. "Do me a favor, don't decide on such nonsense". A narrow majority spoke out in favor of retaining this demand.

Rich heirs should pay into funds

Esken called for the focus to be placed on "writing, arithmetic and communication". "Those who do not master these basic skills will not find a connection." It is necessary for the federal, state and local authorities to work more closely together. "To this end, we are proposing a Germany Pact for Education," said Esken. This should ensure that educational disadvantages are compensated for as early as possible with very targeted additional support measures."

A special fund is called for, which is to be financed from additional revenue from a reformed inheritance tax, among other things, and the lead motion adopted on Friday calls for a tax concept that would provide relief for 95% of people. The tax-free allowances for inheritances should also be increased, for example so that families do not lose their homes. Business assets should also not be jeopardized. In contrast, the SPD wants "multimillionaires and billionaires to contribute more to the common good". As inheritance tax flows into the state coffers, a significantly higher tax on large inheritances would not go to the federal government, but should be spent on education, according to the SPD.

Esken said that the Startchancen program, which will be launched in the coming school year and provides schools with project funding, is "exactly the right approach". However, the two billion euros per year - financed equally by the federal and state governments - "only reach a tenth of all schools with this program, when we need to reach at least half of all schools," Esken complained. "My goal is for us to spend at least five times what is earmarked for the Startchancen program."

But for real this time

In the debate on the motion, numerous speakers called on the SPD - which has borne and continues to bear responsibility for education in many federal states - to pursue the issue more consistently after the party conference. After all, the PISA study had once again established that educational opportunities in Germany, which was coined by the Social Democrats, depended particularly strongly on the origin of the children. Josefine Koebe, member of the Hessian state parliament, appealed "that we really mean this urgent departure seriously". She asked Chancellor Scholz to consider making education a priority in a speech in the Bundestag.

The head of government will address parliament for the last time this year on Wednesday before the EU summit. However, the focus is likely to be on solving the budget crisis. On the other hand, the as yet unresolved question of how the state intends to finance itself in the coming years and what options it should have is anything but unimportant for the future funding of the education landscape.