More money for numerous students?
Education minister announces rapid reform of student loans
Created: 12/22/2021, 3:38 PM
The number of Bafög recipients has fallen sharply.
© Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez / dpa
The Studentenwerk has long criticized the fact that benefits and allowances have not been adjusted vigorously enough over the years.
The new education minister wants to tackle the problem quickly.
Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger has announced an
imminent student loan reform
.
The FDP politician told the newspapers of the Funke media group that this will be launched “now very quickly”.
According to their statements,
students from families with low incomes
should
benefit
from so-called
start
-
up packages of up to 1,500 euros
.
"High costs for a laptop or other necessary purchases to start your studies shouldn't be a hurdle for studying."
Bafög reform announced: Stark-Watzinger gives details
The traffic light parties had
agreed a student loan reform
in their
coalition
agreement.
It is intended to expand the group of students who are funded.
In the past few years, fewer and fewer people had received student loans.
Stark-Watzinger gave further details: The
Bafög funding
times are to be extended and
age limits
raised.
"We also want to increase the funding rates and the tax exemptions so that more young people are entitled to student loans."
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Traffic light plans: Basic child security should also come
The Minister of Education also reaffirmed the goal set out in the coalition agreement of making funding less dependent on parents in the long term.
The traffic light government is planning to introduce a so-called
basic child benefit
, which should consist of a uniform guarantee amount for all children and an additional amount depending on the parents' income.
The
guaranteed amount
is to be the future, according to plans paid directly to adult trainees or students.
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The number of Bafög recipients has fallen in recent years
According to the Federal Statistical Office, the number of
Bafög recipients
has continued to decline in recent years.
After a high of 979,000 Bafög recipients (including student Bafög) in 2012, it was only 639,000 last year.
The German Student Union repeatedly criticizes the fact that benefits and allowances have not been adjusted strongly enough over the years and that families with medium incomes are no longer reached with the student loan.
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