The idea of a National Education Council has failed. Now the German Ministers of Education have agreed on a new body. They are seeking a scientific advisory council to advise the countries on education issues. Brisant: The body should be set up without the participation of the federal government.
The federal states want to better coordinate their cooperation on their own initiative, and in a timely manner, as they announced after two days of deliberations by the Conference of the Ministers of Education (KMK) in Berlin. The starting signal for an education council is given, one will see a result relatively fast, communicated KMK president Alexander Lorz. How exactly the body should be called, however, is not yet clear.
"Duped in front of the fence"
The procedure is highly controversial. Green education politician Margit Stumpp sees Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek (CDU) in the new body "duped in front of the fence" stand. She did not succeed in involving the countries in a National Education Council at eye level. Because the scientific advisory board should be set up in March, lost time again, criticized Stumpp.
Because each federal state is responsible for education itself, it always comes back to the dispute between the countries and each other and the federal government. Constant burners are topics such as the different holiday planning or different rules during high school. Because of the federal structures, it is repeatedly criticized that, for example, school-leaving certificates are not comparable enough and there are uneven quality standards.
Originally, Karliczek wanted to build a National Education Council, also to ensure better comparability. The establishment of such a body had the CSU enforced in the coalition agreement. Bayern, however, announced after months of deliberation at the end of November to get out of this project. Shortly thereafter, Baden-Württemberg moved to. Reason: one feared too much influence from Berlin on the own education policy.
"The first time after decades"
Now the countries want to try to coordinate better in an expert council without the federal government. This is to be occupied less with politicians, but especially with scientists. They should be recommendations for action for the federal states, so that they can coordinate better in educational matters.
The Länder also aim to conclude an international treaty or agreement for the coming year. "That would be the first time after many decades that we close such a comprehensive agreement in the KMK again," Lorz said.
The Baden-Württemberg Minister of Education Susanne Eisenmann (CDU) said that the school systems from Flensburg to Friedrichshafen would have to become more comparable. "We need binding regulations that apply in all provinces, and a treaty between the countries for better education is the right path and a strong signal."
Karliczek wants to continue shaking hands
Karliczek praised the project. "I think it is very good that the Ministers of Education see this need for action and yet want to use an advisory board." She wanted to wait and see how the scientific advisory board should be designed and the federal government should be included in concrete terms - "the countries are still here on the ball". She will continue to reach out to integrate the interlinking of educational institutions.
Karliczek claimed that the goal must be "an excellent education system in Germany". Therefore, every form of cooperation must be designed in such a way that, in the end, the education system in Germany will be improved overall. German students had recently shown worse results in the international PISA test. That alarmed education politicians.
more on the subject
The ministers of education also presented new model calculations on teacher demand at their conference over the next ten years. Key messages: Especially the elementary schools will have to struggle in the coming years with a great lack of teachers.
