The year 2021 begins with a disadvantage for the independent schools: They are not entitled to a single euro from the new “Program for Political Education in Berlin Schools”. State Secretary for Education Beate Stoffers (SPD) has now confirmed this at the request of FDP MP Paul Fresdorf.
As a reason she explained that according to the School Act, the independent sponsors are only entitled to part of the financing of the personnel costs: “Independently sponsored schools do not have any further claims,” says the as yet unpublished answer that the Tagesspiegel has received in advance.
Education Senator Sandra Scheeres (SPD) had set up the program so that schools could, for example, enter into cooperation with extracurricular educational partners in order to develop their democratic school culture. “Workshops on issues such as anti-racism” were named as an example. 3000 euros per school.
FDP education expert Paul Fresdorf therefore wanted to know “what causes the Senate to assume that 38,000 pupils in independent schools do not need public funds for promoting democracy and political education”. Stoffers replied that the Senate welcomed it “if the private sponsors also provide their schools with special funds for political education”. Just not from the said public program.
“The free schools remain the unloved stepchildren of the Berlin school landscape,” concludes Fresdorf, who, however, does not consider the “political education program” to be sufficient anyway. Rather, socio-political education must also have “more space in regular school lessons”, Fresdorf agrees with a demand made by the Berlin / Brandenburg history teachers’ association.
[Wenn Sie alle aktuellen Nachrichten live auf Ihr Handy haben wollen, empfehlen wir Ihnen unsere runderneuerte App, die Sie hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen können.]
The association regrets that the subjects history, geography and ethics have been cut in order to anchor politics in the school instead of giving socio-political education additional space in regular lessons. Fresdorf agrees with this view and points out that the teachers’ union GEW also consider a “new consideration” of the teaching content to be necessary.
In view of the criticism, Stoffers reminds of the long lead-up to the decision, including the “intensive discussions” with the regional student committee and the professional associations.
–
