The SPD politician took over the chairmanship of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs at the beginning of 2020.
(Photo: dpa)
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Berlin In mid-October, Stefanie Hubig reassured parents and teachers: In Rhineland-Palatinate, where she is Minister of Education, there is just one infection per 5000 students and teachers. And announced: In the future, all countries would collect the infection numbers in schools. The chairwoman of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) has not yet been able to keep the promise – apparently not all of her colleagues are keen on transparency.
Hubig took over the KMK chairmanship at the beginning of 2020 – and made it immediately clear that she did not believe in false solidarity: Of course, all countries had to train enough teachers, said the former judge and prosecutor at the time, referring to the teacher shortage. For KMK standards that was a slap in the face for some colleagues. But while her predecessors were able to distinguish themselves nationwide with topics such as inclusion or the promotion of German lessons, the 51-year-old social democrat was hit by the corona crisis.
Since then, the KMK has maneuvered them carefully and objectively through the pandemic shallows. Her motto from the beginning was: Health politicians have to decide about possible school closings. But at the same time she always insisted on the “primacy of education”, that is, to keep schools open as long as possible.
To do this, she also brought colleagues in line: When individual countries wanted to skip the Abitur exams in the corona chaos, she enforced the unanimous decision for nationwide exams.
The fact that the heads of government decided against school closings in the second lockdown in October, unlike in the spring, goes back – in addition to the desperation of the parents – also to the clear line of the KMK. Most recently, Hubig rejected Armin Laschet’s suggestion for an extended Christmas vacation: That would “not help to get the infection under control” and is also “unreasonable for the parents”.
Digitization progressed even more slowly in some cases
However, Hubig has no magic bullet against the miserable digitization of our schools in international comparison and the deficits of the teaching staff, which became so evident in the lockdown. The outflow of the billions that the federal government has made available for the project has not accelerated so far, on the contrary: many school ministers and rectorates were apparently so busy with corona management that digitization progressed even more slowly.
After all, the KMK very quickly negotiated further aid amounting to one billion euros with the federal government: for laptops for needy children, for teachers’ laptops and the necessary administrators. That won’t help much in the current crisis, but hopefully it will finally give the necessary boost in the medium term.
Traditionally, the ministers of culture of all political stripes defend themselves with all their might against any trespassing of the federal government. This year, too, they managed to soften the pedagogical concepts that the federal government actually wanted to see before giving money. They should now be delivered later.
In general, however, the dealings between the KMK and the federal government in the Corona year are remarkably objective – even though Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek is a member of the political competition. Perhaps it helps that Hubig knows the federal “opposite side” well: In 2014, she became the head of the Federal Justice Minister Heiko Maas’ office, where she organized, for example, the tightening of sexual law. After two years she then moved to Malu Dreyer’s cabinet in Mainz.
Hubig will be KMK President until the end of 2020. In the last few weeks, she not only has to finally deliver the nationwide infection figures in schools – the KMK also has to improve on hygiene measures if it does not want to abolish the primacy of education. The biggest test could still be ahead of Hubig.
More: The corona pandemic is putting increasing pressure on schools. The teachers’ association misses clear guidelines from the federal states on how to deal with the aggravated situation.
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