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50 years of Bafög: "It would do more justice to adult students if they were not treated as children"

2021-09-01T12:51:08.504Z


Wolf Dermann is committed to ensuring that more children from non-academic households study. He is happy that there is a student loan. But he also knows: the current regulations exclude too many - and put them off.


Enlarge image

You have to be able to afford to study.

Bafög should help those who cannot.

(Symbol image)

Photo: Christoph Hardt / Geisler-Fotopress / picture alliance

SPIEGEL:

Mr. Dermann, while shortly after the Bafög was introduced in 1971 almost every second student received funding, only 11 percent are now receiving the benefit.

Has the student loan recently failed to achieve its goal, namely to help people finance their studies?

Wolf Dermann:

The falling funding rate is certainly a problem.

The Bafög as a social benefit has become more and more complex due to a number of changes over the decades - this unsettles many eligible applicants.

That is why more and more institutions such as the University Rectors' Conference or the German Student Union are calling for a reform of state funding for training.

SPIEGEL:

As a co-founder of “ArbeiterKind.de”, you have a particular focus on the interests of schoolchildren who come from non-academic households.

In your opinion, what are the biggest problems?

Dermann:

The question of whether the

student loan

really starts on time is often overlooked.

Especially at the beginning of their studies, students incur high expenses: fees for the semester ticket, possibly moving to another city, deposit, rent and equipment in the form of books or a laptop.

As early as September, 1000 euros and more will come together.

However, students often do not receive their first student loan payment until November or December, and there is no additional loan for the above-mentioned expenses.

If there is not a wealthy aunt somewhere, this is hardly achievable for high school graduates from low-income homes and is a deterrent.

A faster and simplified procedure would be needed.

Another problem is the ability to plan.

SPIEGEL:

To what extent?

Dermann:

Many students don't know exactly how much student

loans

they would get.

There are student loans calculators from private providers on the Internet, but there is no official offer that provides reliable and reliable figures.

Many people only find out whether and how much they will receive funding after submitting an application.

Smaller student loans in particular are often not paid out because students assume they are not entitled to them.

more on the subject

DGB youth criticizes the government: These three things go wrong with the student loan from Armin Himmelrath

SPIEGEL:

Your offer is aimed primarily at schoolchildren from families with no university experience.

Do most of them even know student loans?

Dermann:

When we work in schools, we notice that almost all students have heard the term Bafög at some point.

But they do not know exactly what is behind it and what requirements are attached to it.

We therefore clarify and sometimes really advertise the student loan program, because despite all the criticism, it can still be the basic financing for studies, and it enables young people to have this opportunity in the first place.

Bureaucracy is a deterrent

SPIEGEL:

What other experiences do you have with the students?

Dermann:

If you take a closer look at

student loans

, you will first see a lot of bureaucracy.

You can fill out your own form in an afternoon to get the documents - especially from your parents - but it often takes a week or two.

But there is also help, for example from the student unions or organizations like ours.

SPIEGEL:

Half of the funding paid out has to be repaid after the end of your studies.

Are worries about over-indebtedness also hiding behind the falling applications?

more on the subject

Student finance: Answers to the most important questions about student loans by Sebastian Maas

Dermann:

The maximum

amount to be

repaid is limited to 10,000 euros,

something that

many do not know.

We try to take away fears and make it clear that this is only a small part of the amount that they receive as funding over the entire course of study.

Still, that sounds daunting to young people, especially when money is tight at home.

And of course it's different when I start my professional life with 10,000 euros in debt.

Depending on the parents

SPIEGEL:

Do you think it is fair to link the student loan rate to the income of your parents or your partner?

Dermann:

It would do more justice to adult students if they were no longer treated as children and supported independently of their parents.

That would also save a lot of bureaucracy.

But it is also a very political question because it involves a lot of money.

In the election campaign we now have the chance to take a closer look at how the parties deal with the issue.

Bafög expenditure is currently around three billion euros a year.

If each of the nearly three million students were to receive student loans in the future, enormous costs would arise.

The item cannot be built into the federal budget just like that.

SPIEGEL:

Does the path through parents often lead to problems in practice?

Dermann:

First looking at the parents' salary and maintenance obligations requires a lot of paperwork.

The students have to ask their parents how much they earn, everything has to be disclosed and possibly proven.

Given what you get for it, you could say it's still a moderate effort.

Still, many say it is too complicated for them.

There are also problems when the relationship with the parents is difficult.

There are ways and means and the office can send demands, but then the house blessing is all the more crooked.

SPIEGEL:

Is it still up-to-date that, as a rule, only those who study full-time and are younger than 35 years of age are eligible?

Dermann:

It is certainly important to

readjust

one more time with this group as well.

I believe, however, that the major need for reform of student loans lies elsewhere.

The core problem lies more with the regular high school graduates who do not dare to apply for student loans or who are wrongly excluded from funding.

more on the subject

Bafög and part-time job: What is allowed - and what is not? By Korinna short

SPIEGEL:

The maximum student loan rate - which by no means all sponsors receive - is currently 861 euros per month for students.

Is that enough?

Dermann:

First of all, the maximum rate of 861 euros is defined somewhat curiously,

because

it includes grants for health and long-term care insurance. But almost nobody gets it because most of the under 25-year-olds are insured through their parents. Therefore, the more realistic maximum rate is 752 euros per month. Of this, 427 euros are basic requirements, the flat-rate flat rate is 325 euros. But you can hardly get by with this, especially in larger cities, because shared apartments and living costs are often more expensive. And there are no sentences taken into account for starting at university. If something goes wrong, such as losing your part-time job, as is now the case with the corona pandemic, then the problems are big.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-09-01

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