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Because of inflation: the student union calls for a higher Bafög increase

2022-04-06T05:26:58.288Z


The Federal Cabinet is advising on the planned Bafög increase this Wednesday. The German Student Union insists on improvements.


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Photo: Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez / picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild

Because of the price increases, the German student union has demanded a greater increase in student loans.

“Inflation is eating up the Bafög increase announced by the federal government immediately,” said the general secretary of the German student union, Matthias Anbuhl, to the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND).

An increase of five percent in the requirement rates for students with student loans is planned, but inflation was already more than seven percent in March.

"The federal government's plans are clearly too weak at this point," criticized Anbuhl.

"You have to top it up as soon as possible if you don't want to expect the students to lose purchasing power." Specifically, the Secretary General demanded: "The Bafög requirement rates must be increased by at least ten percent." The Bafög must really be enough to live on.

However, Anbuhl also found words of praise: "The federal government is much bolder elsewhere: increasing the parental allowance by 20 percent and raising the age limit to 45 years are important, big steps." These could contribute to more students in the future get student loans.

The federal cabinet wants to get the Bafög reform on track this Wednesday.

The law then has to go through the Bundestag and Bundesrat.

As early as March, the cabinet had decided on a heating cost subsidy for students with student loans.

According to the draft by Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP), the Bafög rate for students should be increased from 427 to 449 euros per month in the winter semester due to increased living costs.

The housing allowance for those who still live at home is to be raised from 56 to 59 euros.

Anyone who no longer lives with their parents should receive 360 ​​euros instead of 325 euros for the rent.

Students in a flat share could thus get 809 euros instead of the previous 725 euros.

Those who no longer have family insurance through their parents and also receive supplements for health and nursing care insurance through the Bafög could in future achieve a maximum Bafög amount of 931 instead of 861 euros.

The downward trend in the number of Bafög recipients should be stopped

The background to the amendment is the number of Bafög recipients, which has fallen continuously over the past ten years.

After a high of 979,000 (including student loans) in 2012, the number last year was only 639,000.

According to the Deutsches Studentenwerk, one of the reasons for this is that the service has not been sufficiently reformed, expanded and adapted to new realities of life over the years.

In order to enlarge the group of recipients, 2400 euros of the monthly parental income should remain exempt from deductions.

So far it's 2000 euros.

And students should be able to earn 330 euros in a part-time job without affecting the Bafög amount - currently it's still 290 euros.

In addition to raising the Bafög rates and allowances, there are also plans to raise the childcare allowance for students with children from 150 to 160 euros.

The money is intended to pay for babysitters, for example, when classes are held in the evening.

wit/AFP/dpa

Source: spiegel

All life articles on 2022-04-06

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