The head of education policy of Bitkom eV, Elisabeth Allmendinger, is committed to the necessary political and economic framework. The DigitalPakt School (2019 to 2024) is a positive game changer, but it was long overdue. Decided before Corona, the lockdown ruthlessly exposed weaknesses. The process was to be speeded up through three special packages which were decided quickly. Today it can be said that there are schools that have found individual, creative and pragmatic solutions to digital education. On the other hand, 80% of schools still lack reliable WLAN and stable internet access.
Between 2019 and 2022, only 11.8 percent of funds have exited the DigitalPakt School, and so far 61.1 percent have been approved. “These numbers cannot be satisfactory. An evaluation process must be carried out as soon as possible to determine where we are today and why it has taken so long,” says Elisabeth Allmendinger. An interim report for the planned Digital Pact 2.0 would help to learn from mistakes and to be able to better advise and support schools.
Elisabeth Allmendinger, Head of Education, Bitkom eV
Infrastructure alone is not enough
The Standing Science Commission demands that students be better prepared for the tasks of a digital world. Digital education is a transversal task for all subjects and cannot only concern computer science lessons. Teachers should be qualified and there should be more attention to pedagogical concepts. Computer classes may already be part of the curriculum in early childhood.
There are huge differences within the federal states: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony are already far apart. Hesse and Bremen have not yet received an offer. According to the 21st Entry School Study, one in four parents in Germany say digital devices and applications are still not used in their children’s lessons and 42% of parents say their children’s school is overwhelmed by digital teaching methods . Parents and students live in a digital world, but too many schools were still on the move, sometime in the 1990s.
Are there any good practices?
Bitkom launched the “Smart School” network a few years ago as part of the digital summit. Here, schools and teachers are rewarded for their individual concepts. Furthermore, the competition should create visibility and be an exchange platform for other schools and teachers. Schools should take more personal responsibility and create new learning spaces. Together with Bitkom, good ideas should be made visible at fairs, conferences and in politics.
“Our goal is that good ideas are used in other schools that are not yet so advanced with their concepts and their implementation. The ‘smart schools’ could be expanded into model schools,” says Elisabeth Allmendinger. “Unfortunately, federalism is holding back digital progress in schools, given that each federal state wants to invent its own path.” Minimum technical standards at national level would be useful. This should be considered in the Digital Compact 2.0.
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Schools see the opportunities of digital education
Most schools see the opportunities offered by digital education. “But we have to be careful that it doesn’t overturn. Arguments such as not imposing further restrictions in the wake of the corona pandemic, a shortage of teachers and a lack of digital qualifications for teachers could help ensure that tested methods are used again,” he warns Allmendinger.
“I am confident that Digital Compact 2.0 will arrive. But it also needs to arrive in time to secure follow-up funding. There should also be an experimental budget that can be called up without red tape. Measurable education policy KPIs are also badly needed to ensure progress digital and regression to make visible.”
How should digitization be implemented in our schools? How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting what is happening? What was achieved in the 2020/2021 school year – what happened next in 2021/2022? This is what our series of articles aims to shed some light on.
Where are we in digital education outside of schools?
The update of the national continuing education strategy describes the current state. The policy framework for lifelong learning therefore needs to be defined as soon as possible. Against the background of 96,000 vacancies in IT in Germany, and the trend is increasing, qualifying offers should be offered for secondary candidates. At the moment, the continuing education offer is still very opaque, so it would be beneficial to communicate existing offers more widely in the future, reduce parallel structures and ensure that the offered measures complement each other.
It would also make sense to ensure diversity in the target groups through low-threshold access. Family situations and working schedules must also be taken into consideration. There is still great potential for digital technologies to actively engage women and girls, but a strong enthusiasm for IT must first be created here. Stereotypes should also be dismantled in the future and users’ attitudes should change. Permanent qualification needs to be addressed proactively. “We all have to go through life curious and curious and learn all our lives,” says Elisabeth Allmendinger.
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