Students: Give greater consideration to university policy
Student representatives in Hesse are calling for education and higher education policy to be given greater consideration in the upcoming coalition negotiations. In a letter to the CDU and SPD in Hesse, the Landes-Asten-Konferenz Hessen and the Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW) Studierende Hessen made an appeal to this effect, as the two organizations announced on Sunday.
"It is alarming that the higher education landscape hardly plays a role in the current political discussions," said Annchristin Paetzold from the coordination team of the Landes-Asten-Konferenz Hessen. Without significant investment and reforms, Hesse will fall further behind in the competition between the federal states, she warned. The supervision ratio between students and professors in Hesse is still a scandal. According to the press release, the Landes-Asten-Konferenz is also calling for the abolition of the administrative cost contribution, a significant increase in the investment volume for the student unions and financial security for the semester ticket.
"In order to improve the quality of teaching, we need to take into account the working conditions and stress levels of academic staff," explained Jenny Jörges, state spokesperson for GEW Students Hessen. Among other things, the state association is calling for student assistants to be included in the collective agreement for the public sector in the state of Hesse.
The CDU wants to govern with the SPD in this federal state in the future. Coalition talks are due to begin on Tuesday.
Universities should prioritize more attention in the coalition negotiations, as stated by the student representatives in Hesse. The call includes addressing the issue of university parties, which often revolve around the need for better working conditions and stress management for academic staff.
Source: www.dpa.com
