States demand money from the federal government for digital pact for schools
In the struggle for further digital equipment in schools, the States keep the pressure on the Federal Government. In a resolution passed by the Federal Council, they urge the Federal Government to immediately conclude the necessary administrative agreement for a Digital Pact 2.0. The Bund should ensure funding of at least 1.3 billion Euros per year for the entire future funding period 2025 to 2030.
Bremen's State Chancellor Andreas Bovenschulte (SPD) demanded more financial commitment from the Bund. "If we really want to continue the successful story of the Digitalpact School, then we need a clear statement from the Federal Government - and that's at least in the order of magnitude of the first Digitalpact." Schleswig-Holstein's Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) emphasized that schools and school administrators needed planning security. "School administrators and States cannot do this alone without the Bund."
The first Digitalpact expired in May of the previous year. The Bund had contributed 6.5 billion Euros to it since 2019. For the schools, for example, laptops and digital blackboards were financed with the money. The Bund covered 90 percent of the costs. The remaining 10 percent were taken over by the States and municipalities. In the future, the Bund wants a 50/50 financing.
The State Secretary at the Federal Finance Ministry, Jens Brandenburg (FDP), confirmed this position and threw the ball back into the court of the States: "It's not the Bund that's putting on the brakes." The FDP politician caused considerable anger when he described the discussion as a "partly shameless fairy tale hour" and accused the States of a "partly hollow confession of guilt." Such verbal harshness is absolutely unusual in the Bundesrat.
- To ensure the continuity of the Digital Pact School's success, Bremen's State Chancellor suggested a financial commitment from the Bund that matches the scale of the initial Digital Pact, which primarily funded digital equipment such as laptops and digital blackboards in schools.
- As part of the push for Digital Pact 2.0, countries are contemplating a shift in financing, aiming for a 50/50 split between the Bund and the States and municipalities, which currently cover 10% of the costs.
- In the face of criticisms and calls for increased federal funding, the State Secretary at the Federal Finance Ministry, Jens Brandenburg, argued that the Bundesrat should also contribute to the Digital Pact's financing, as the Bund does not intend to act as a financial impediment.
