Federal and state governments plan next steps
No! – The Federal Minister of Education Dr. Johanna Wanka and the Ministers of Education of the federal states agreed at the end of January that a joint working group would work out the details of the planned federal-state agreement.
“The federal and state governments have a common goal: We want to support schools in Germany in providing good digital education. Equipping schools with digital technology is not an end in itself; the focus must be on smart pedagogical concepts for confident use of digital opportunities. With the Digital Pact, the federal and state governments can tackle this task together.”
Statement by Federal Minister of Education Johanna Wanka
The President of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Susanne Eisenmann, also expressed optimism: "The states and the federal government will now agree on the details and the next steps. I am confident that we can manage a joint initiative. With the desired federal-state agreement, we have the opportunity to also be able to afford the high financial outlay for the necessary digital infrastructure for our 40,000 schools. However, it will not be done with an initial investment; this is a long-term task."
Between 2018 and 2022, massive investments are to be made in digital equipment at general and vocational schools as well as at special education institutions run by public and private providers.
The working group’s first results are expected as early as June.
A flexible solution is being sought, as educational institutions have significant differences in their technical equipment and the qualifications of their teaching staff. Educational institutions should be able to decide for themselves which measures the funds are to be used for.
The exact distribution of funding between the federal and state governments is also currently being discussed and negotiated. As soon as the financing issue has been clarified, a decision will be made as to which schools are eligible for financial support and which will then receive it.
So an agreement could be reached soon. We are looking forward to a positive outcome and will continue to monitor.
Press release – Digital Pact: Federal and state governments set up working group, accessed on 18.05.2017
Ministers want to adopt key points of the digital pact in June, accessed on 18.05.2017
