More staff, equal opportunities and real participation in the Berlin school system: This is exactly what the »Schools must be different« campaign is taking to the streets again and again.
Photo: dpa/Jörg Carstensen
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Education policy initiatives, parents’ representatives and the Education and Science Union (GEW) are mobilizing again before the final budget consultations in Berlin. In an “nd” open letter, which is to go out this Monday to the Senate and the members of the main and education committees of the House of Representatives, they call for significant improvements in the area of education and schools in the currently negotiated double budget 2022/2023. “We are dismayed that in many central places in the education sector planned and urgently needed expenditure and investments are to be cut, and call on you to change course here,” says the statement from the GEW, the State Parents’ Committee and the “School must be different« signed letter.
Specifically mentioned is the lack of the ten million euros per year agreed in the coalition negotiations at the end of 2021, with which the increase in study place capacities for prospective teachers should be financed. In addition, no funds are provided in the double budget to continue the special program “Best (teacher) education for Berlin” – which is due to expire this year – in 2023 – as also promised by Red-Green-Red. The non-existent “financing of a significant number of pedagogical teaching aids, supervisors, school assistants or other professions that could now immediately provide support and relief at schools” is also criticized.
The letter’s clear demand – “Invest in education now instead of saving at the expense of the children” – is aimed primarily at budget politicians. At the same time, the letter can also be understood as a broadside against Education Senator Astrid-Sabine Busse (SPD). “It cannot be denied that Ms. Busse allowed herself to be ripped off during the budget negotiations, as even SPD head of state Raed Saleh recently had to admit,” says Philipp Dehne from “School must be different” to “nd” .
Not only the education administration vehemently denies this (“nd” reported). Also in the house of finance senator Daniel Wesener (Greens) one refers to the big picture. “The same applies to the budget of the education administration as to that of all other specialist administrations: it will grow significantly,” says Wesener’s spokesman Frederik Bombosch to “nd”.
In fact, the spending budget of the education, youth and family administration is increasing to 5.1 billion euros per year, at least 400 million euros more than in 2021. Senator Busse’s individual plan for the cosmos is thus one of the very big roasts in the budget. The finance department has no influence on the details of how the funds are used, says Bombosch: “The education administration decides on the priorities itself.”
Education activist Philipp Dehne is confident that the train for improvements has not yet left: »There is music in there, also because according to the recently published tax estimate for 2022 and 2023 the financial situation is better than assumed. Schools and teacher training must also benefit from this.«
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