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SPD federal chairwoman Saskia Esken: “Financing would undoubtedly be a feat of strength”

Photo: Jacob Schröter / IMAGO

During the day, the Bundestag wants to approve the 2024 budget after months of wrangling - and after negotiations that have been at least as long, the federal and state governments want to finally present details of the billion-dollar funding program for disadvantaged schools. Saskia Esken has now questioned both things, at least in terms of content, by demanding a fivefold increase in funding for the so-called Start Chance Program.

"It would be necessary to expand the program to at least half of the schools," the SPD chairwoman told the Handelsblatt. That's ten billion euros per year instead of the previously planned two billion euros from the federal and state governments combined. To put it into perspective: The farmers' protests over the abolition of subsidies for agricultural diesel involve around half a billion euros. “The financing would undoubtedly be a major effort, but one that would benefit our economy as a whole,” said Esken.

Dispute over the effect of the program

According to current information, the starting opportunities program is scheduled to start in the 2024/25 school year. The federal government wants to give up to one billion euros annually. The states should contribute equally. Around 4,000 schools and vocational schools are expected to benefit. There are around 40,000 schools in Germany. Esken generally considers it to be a “great step in the right direction” if the Start Opportunities program is completed now and can start in the fall.

But in view of the "glaring gaps in the basic skills" of primary school students and ninth graders, as shown by the latest educational trend of the Institute for Quality Development in Education (IQB) and the last Pisa study, the program does not do justice to "the size of the task". "Students - despite all their own efforts - need support from the school when learning that meets their needs," said the Social Democrat. »We all depend on the potential of all young people to be able to develop optimally, regardless of their parents’ home.«

Recently, however, there was also criticism of the program. Mathematics didactician Olaf Köller recently told SPIEGEL that it could hardly improve the performance of children and young people: "It won't do any harm, but it won't do any good either."

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