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Berlin (dpa) - CDU chairman Friedrich Merz insists on the fastest possible opening of schools in the corona pandemic.
In an interview with the newspapers of the Funke media group (Online Friday / Print Saturday), he supported a corresponding demand from Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Education, Susanne Eisenmann (CDU).
"Susanne Eisenmann has the courage to say something right, namely that the schools have to be reopened as soon as possible," said Merz.
"And it is also the political will of everyone involved to go in this direction, depending on the incidence situation."
Eisenmann is the CDU's top candidate for the state elections in March 2021 in Baden-Württemberg.
She had demanded that kindergartens and elementary schools should open again from January 11th.
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the prime ministers should make this decision at their conference this Tuesday, she had recently said in the newspaper "Bild".
The education ministers of the federal states want to coordinate the school issue one day before the chancellor's talk with the heads of government.
Merz said that from the chancellor's round with the heads of government of the federal states, he would like a "uniform approach as possible".
On the subject of schools in the corona pandemic, he said: "What complains most to me is not the economic damage caused by the lockdown, but the massive damage to our children's education from the closed schools."
Children from socially disadvantaged and poorly educated families suffered from this in particular.
"In my opinion, this is the greatest challenge during and after the pandemic."