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Baerbock pushes for an agreement in the dispute over all

2021-09-05T05:53:58.400Z


The grand coalition wanted to give elementary school children the right to all-day care - but the law failed because of money issues in the federal states. The Green Chancellor candidate calls for an agreement - "despite the election campaign".


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Second grade elementary school children in Munich while learning through play

Photo: Sven Hoppe / dpa

Should every elementary school child in Germany be entitled to all-day care?

In June, a corresponding law by the grand coalition failed for the time being due to financing issues.

Before the meeting of a mediation committee between the federal and state governments, Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock is now urging a quick solution.

You expect the committee to find an agreement on Monday, Baerbock told the dpa news agency in Berlin.

The Greens have long called for this in the Bundestag and Bundesrat and are ready to reach an agreement.

“If we want children to have a good start in life, then we have to do more, especially in elementary schools.

This is where the course is set for the future of our children. "

Dispute over money

The mediation committee of the Bundestag and Bundesrat will discuss the planned legal claim on Monday evening.

According to the original plans, the legal entitlement should initially apply to first graders from the school year 2026/2027.

However, the Federal Council called the mediation committee because of the disputed financing of the legal claim.

The federal states were accused of not wanting to contribute adequately to the costs.

The federal and state governments do not have much time for an agreement if the law is to be passed in this legislative period.

According to the plans of the grand coalition, every child who starts school from summer 2026 should be entitled to a full-time place in the first four years of school.

But hundreds of thousands of new places still have to be created for this.

The federal states are demanding that the federal government make a significantly greater contribution to investment and operating costs.

If the mediation committee does not find an agreement, the law can probably no longer be passed before the federal election and will expire.

"Despite the election campaign, do not let the opportunity for an agreement slip by"

Baerbock emphasized that different starting opportunities could be balanced out at elementary schools. »Children from disadvantaged families in particular are dependent on the support offered by high-quality all-day offers in primary schools. And it will be easier for all parents to reconcile family and work. Despite the election campaign, we must therefore not let the opportunity to reach an agreement slip by. "

The Education and Science Union (GEW) and the German Children's Fund also called for an agreement between the federal and state governments.

"If the campaign speeches are not supposed to be empty words, then it is now a real step to take towards a better work-life balance," said GEW chairman Maike Finnern to the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND).

An agreement on Monday would therefore be an important signal for the families.

"You were and are particularly affected by the effects of the pandemic," said Finnern.

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The German Children's Fund is also hoping for an agreement, but the children's rights organization places a strong emphasis on qualitative aspects.

"In all discussions about financing, the quality must not fall by the wayside," said Federal Managing Director Holger Hofmann to the RND.

It should not be about safe custody for children.

That would not help anyone.

The federal government should not cap its contributions from the outset and load the burdens solely on the states.

Last but not least, it is also about qualified staff.

According to Hofmann, all-day care must also enable “all-day education”, “which is geared towards the needs of children, individual developmental steps and the diverse worlds of children and families.” In addition, there must be room for play, relaxation and exercise.

mrc / dpa / AFP

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-09-05

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