Campaign Promise - The CDU promises parents of kindergarten children 250 Euro
In the event of a government takeover in Thuringia, the CDU promises the introduction of a so-called School Start Package for first-graders. For every school starter, parents should receive 250 Euro from the state to buy school supplies, says CDU party chairman Mario Voigt. "That's also a question of educational equality." This would result in annual costs of five million Euro for the state. "We will find the money in the budget," Voigt said.
Voigt, like CDU education politician Christian Tischner, criticizes the red-red-green school politics of the past approximately ten years fundamentally. While the number of students has increased during this time, the number of teachers in schools has decreased.
Preventing teachers from leaving
To get more teachers into the civil service, it is essential to make job offers directly to new teachers after their second state exam. "We need the fastest hiring procedures nationwide," says Tischner. This can prevent young teachers from leaving the state. Tischner has the impression that many other federal states are currently trying to attract young teachers from Thuringia for themselves because the hiring procedures in Thuringia take so long, says Tischner.
The Left: No need to denigrate development
The Landesvorsitzende of the Left, Ulrike Grosse-Roethig, had previously demanded that the development at Thuringian schools not be denigrated – exactly what the opposition is doing. "Almost half of all the teaching staff who are teaching today were newly hired in the past ten years," said Grosse-Roethig. Instead of just criticizing the circumstances, the CDU should not close themselves off to constructive solutions.
Does the CDU want the Education Ministry?
According to Voigt and Tischner, the Union intends to make education policy "a top priority" in the event of a victory, and to start a new beginning in Thuringia's education policy. Whether the CDU will claim the Education Ministry if they form a government, Voigt left open. Tischner did not express any ambitions to become Education Minister. "One can imagine a lot," he said.
- The CDU's proposed School Start Package, a part of their campaign promise, includes a 250 Euro allowance for parental school supply purchases for each first-grader in Erfurt, as stated by CDU party chairman Mario Voigt.
- Voigt emphasizes that this initiative is crucial for educational equality, implying that it may help bridge any financial disparities between families during the commencement of their children's education.
- Criticizing the past decade of red-red-green school politics in Thuringia, Voigt and education politician Christian Tischner point out that while the student population has risen, the number of teachers has declined.
- Tischner advocates for direct job offers to new teachers following their second state exam, suggesting that swift hiring procedures nationwide can deter young teachers from leaving Thuringia for other states with shorter application processes.
- Ulrike Grosse-Roethig, Landesvorsitzende of the Left, counters the CDU's critique of Thuringian schools by noting that nearly half of the current teaching staff were hired in the past ten years.
- Denigrating the development at Thuringian schools may not be the most constructive approach, according to Grosse-Roethig, who calls on the CDU to consider collaborative solutions to improve education policy in Thuringia.
- Voigt and Tischner remain ambiguous about the likelihood of the CDU assuming control of the Education Ministry in the Thuringia State Parliament, emphasizing that their intention is to prioritize education policy should they form a government.
