Tablets handed out to each teacher in Brandenburg.

Conversion to a digital format - Tablets handed out to each teacher in Brandenburg.

In a significant move towards the future, all teachers and educators working in public schools across Brandenburg are set to receive tablets. The budget committee of the state parliament has given the green light for the allocation of 6.5 million euros from the education budget, which is to be complemented by another 7.3 million euros from the federal digital pact. According to an announcement made in Potsdam on Thursday, Education Minister Steffen Freiberg from the SPD emphasized, "Brandenburg is gradually providing teachers with digital equipment to impart valuable skills and self-reliance for navigating the digital world to young boys and girls." He further stressed, "Effective teaching relies on a robust digital framework."

The earmarked sum of money for this initiative, according to a statement from the education ministry, will be employed in procuring digital devices for about 8,000 teachers. Last year, school administrations dipped into the digital pact funds for a similar purpose, shelling out 7.8 million euros and procuring approximately 8,000 devices. As per the ministry's assessment, a total of 19,000 such devices would be necessary.

These funds, alongside the remaining federal funds and the released state budget, will be tapped to fulfill this technology drive. The goal is to ensure that these devices reach all teachers, teacher trainees, and school assistants. While the initial rollout is scheduled for the beginning of the 2024/2025 school year, the education department has reached an understanding with the finance ministry and the municipalities on this plan.

The chairman of the district association, Siegurd Heinze, noted the importance of this endeavor. "It's imperative to prepare students for a quickly digitizing world," he said, adding that there are over 21,000 teachers in Brandenburg. The digital pact has so far greenlit around 130 million euros towards bolstering the digital infrastructure in schools. Through quick programs and supplementary state initiatives, around 38 million euros were also made available, and with them, roughly 60,000 devices for students were procured.

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1. Steffen Freiberg, the Education Minister from the SPD in Brandenburg, highlighted the importance of digitization in education, stating that the state is committed to providing teachers with digital equipment through the Digital Pact.
2. The budget committee of the Brandenburg state parliament approved an allocation of 6.5 million euros from the education budget for digitization, which will be supplemented by 7.3 million euros from the federal Digital Pact.
3. Brandenburg aims to provide tablets to around 8,000 teachers, and this initiative is part of a larger technology drive to digitize education, as advocated by Minister Freiberg.
4. The choice of tablets as digital devices for teachers is part of a broader strategy to prepare students for a rapidly digitizing world, as noted by the chairman of the district association, Siegurd Heinze.
5. The digital pact has already invested around 130 million euros in bolstering digital infrastructure in schools, procuring approximately 60,000 devices for students in the process.
6. With the implementation of digitization in schools, Brandenburg intends to equip its teachers with the necessary tools to impart digital skills and self-reliance to students, emphasizing the role of digital framework in effective teaching.

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