Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) – In order to get the performance problems among primary school students under control, Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann sees parents as well as the state as having a duty. “It takes a general will to educate – across the entire educational biography, by the way,” said the Green politician to the German Press Agency in Stuttgart. This thirst for knowledge must be encouraged from within the parents’ homes.
In his view, the educational partnership between parents and teachers needs to be renewed. “We sometimes have over-care – what is called helicopter parents. And there is also a proportion of parents who do not take enough responsibility for raising their children.”
Kretschmann believes that mutual respect between parents and teachers is important. A good example of this is the primary school recommendation. “I don’t know why some parents don’t stick to it. That’s the recommendation of experts who have worked with children for four years,” said Kretschmann. Parents should respect the professionals and not ignore their votes.
The FDP agreed with Kretschmann that parents must play an important role in their children’s education. However, many parents are not in a position to impart knowledge to their children, said the education policy spokesman for the state parliamentary group, Timm Kern: “Many parents and their children, for example, have a migration background – and therefore little experience with the German language on the one hand and with educational conditions on the other in Baden-Wurttemberg.” The government should therefore not withdraw from the affair. SPD parliamentary group leader Andreas Stoch also sees it that way. Kretschmann makes it too easy for himself to shift responsibility to others. “The state and therefore its state government are responsible for the education system,” said Stoch.
Educational studies have shown in recent years that performance in many core subjects is declining. In 2022, this was shown by the poor test results among fourth graders in math and German: almost one in five children did not meet the minimum standards in the two subjects. And the proportion of strong students who meet or exceed the standard standard in German and mathematics also fell.
Education Minister Theresa Schopper (Greens) introduced several countermeasures in response to the miserable results in primary schools. For example, there has been mandatory reading support in primary schools since the start of this school year.
In order to resolve the problems with basic skills in primary schools, the state government wants to present a package of measures next year, said Kretschmann. “We want to introduce compulsory language support for those who cannot speak the language well enough,” said the Prime Minister. There should also be further measures to strengthen primary schools. “We will now put together a package that will greatly expand our financial scope.”
Kretschmann also thinks more all-day operations would be helpful. “If we want to get back to the top, it won’t be possible without full-time operation. Personally, I think that’s completely impossible,” said Kretschmann. However, it is very difficult to establish more all-day schools in Baden-Württemberg. “There is a lot of reluctance.”
The teachers’ union VBE does not see more all-day offers as a panacea. “We have enough examples of successful education in Baden-Württemberg that work without full-time operations,” said Gerhard Brand, state head of the Education and Upbringing Association. Brand demanded that the decision about the exact structure of school operations should be left in the hands of those involved on site.
Kretschmann is hoping for help with this issue not just from politicians and parents, but from society as a whole. “I think we can expect many people to volunteer,” he said – for example as reading sponsors. “Every reading sponsor who does this voluntarily helps a child directly. When you do something like that, you immediately see the effect.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240108-99-526140/3
2024-01-08 19:22:04
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