Education: Relief for students and technical students

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The gas meter keeps running: Ministers of Education of the federal states criticize "well-intentioned but not adequately prepared" draft law

Photo: IMAGO/Christoph Hardt / IMAGO/Future Image

The federal and state governments are at odds with the one-off payment of 200 euros for students and technical school students already decided by the Bundestag to provide relief in the energy crisis.

In a letter to Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP), the state ministers of education criticized a "well-intentioned but not adequately prepared" draft law, the implementation of which they are now faced with.

They are calling for this to be “improved by legislation” quickly.

This is the only way the 200 euros can be paid out quickly.

The Bundestag had already passed the law for the energy price flat rate at the beginning of the month.

Stark-Watzinger had previously announced that the payments should "be able to start right at the beginning of next year, i.e. in winter".

It should be possible to apply for the aid payment via a platform that is yet to be set up online.

But there are still so many unanswered questions that a quick payment is currently unrealistic, as the Minister of Education said on Thursday evening.

more on the subject

• Part of the relief package: the cabinet decides on a one-off payment of 200 euros for students

• Figures from the Federal Statistical Office: More than a third of students are poor in numbers

"The federal government has been dealing with the payment of these 200 euros for several months and is still presenting a draft law that leaves essential implementation questions regarding approval and payment open," says the letter, which Karin Prien (CDU) signed as President of the Conference of Ministers of Education.

It also criticized the fact that the federal states felt “not included and unheard in the crucial parts of the process”.

Uniform data protection requirements instead of 16 individual regulations

Among other things, they are demanding uniform data protection rules from the federal government for the data of students and technical school students, which they would have to transmit to the common platform - and also rules for cross-border data comparison so that multiple applications are ruled out.

Otherwise, they argue, they would have to regulate everything individually with their 16 data protection officers and state parliaments, which would take even longer.

It is also criticized that the states should pay out the money and then have it reimbursed by the federal government.

According to the presentation, 16 paying state cash registers would have to be connected to the application platform.

From the point of view of the federal states, it would be easier if the federal treasury took over.

Paying in advance also poses "considerable problems" for the state budgets, since the corresponding funds are not planned.

»In the interests of the students, the technical students and our political credibility, we urgently ask that the 200 euros be paid out as quickly as possible.

But this is only possible if our suggestions are taken up and the existing and expected obstacles are removed," the letter says.

sun/dpa