Digital Pact 2.0: unity without commitment

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Shortly before the remaining coalition government is only in office on a caretaker basis, the federal and state governments have agreed in principle to continue the Digital Pact. However, it remains to be seen when this will happen. Cem Özdemir (Greens), who has also been federal education minister since the FDP left the federal government, called the agreement a "breakthrough" at the federal press conference this morning. This had been a goal for his – foreseeably short – term of office. Previously, years of negotiations under his predecessor Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) had failed to produce a result.

According to Özdemir, everyone involved was concerned with the matter at hand, the well-being of the pupils. The joint declaration had created the basis for a successor government to immediately ensure planning security. The federal government intends to provide 2.25 billion euros for infrastructure, while the federal states are to invest a further 500 million euros in addition to the two billion euros already planned.

Focus on new teaching and learning concepts

According to Özdemir, the new Digital Pact 2.0 will focus on new teaching and learning concepts in addition to digital infrastructures and end devices. However, this is the original responsibility of the federal states. As a third strand, an initiative for quality development in digital teacher training is to be accompanied by corresponding research – The federal government intends to provide 250 million euros for this purpose. This would ultimately result in 5 billion euros being available – from 2025 to 2030.

In Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein's Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) welcomed the joint declaration of intent on behalf of the CDU and CSU states: "We are very much in agreement that the agreement is of almost existential importance for our country." It is equally about the viability of liberal democracy and the economic future. At the same time, she regretted the delays that had occurred."We have basically lost a legislature," said Prien. It would probably be 2025 before applications could actually be submitted as part of the planned extension.

This Friday the 13th brings a clear commitment to further commitment to education digitization, also to the joint responsibility of the federal, state and local governments, says Stefanie Hubig, Minister of Education in Rhineland-Palatinate, who had negotiated for the SPD-led states. She is glad that the stalemate over the digital pact has come to an end. In schools, it is no longer a question of whether schools should digitize at all and deal with the topics and teaching integration, but how. "We need new devices, we need more modern devices," said Hubig. However, the further training and know-how of teachers is another urgent topic that needs to be addressed in the coming years, just like the topic of social media skills, including outside of schools.

Willingness to compromise on both sides

Christine Streichert-Clivot (SPD), President of the Conference of Education Ministers and Minister of Education in Saarland, sees the digital pact as urgently needed – with changes. The continuation of the Digital Pact is also about making people fit for the digital world with artificial intelligence and not just strengthening user skills. The dynamic nature of digitalization is also a challenge for teachers: "Our teachers need to be supported in the effective use of digital technology."

Both sides had moved towards each other, so that in the end a unanimous decision in the Conference of Education Ministers would have been possible. An administrative agreement is now being drafted to make the agreement that has now been presented binding. "Anyone who starts now can rest assured that we have reached an agreement that is not detrimental to funding," says Streichert-Clivot. This would mean that school authorities, usually local authorities, could now initiate concrete procurements.

However, there is still a residual risk: if a future federal government were to change its position, the projects would not be counter-financed, at least not by the federal government – as this can only be decided by a future government, as the current one will no longer pass a federal budget. However, according to Federal Education Minister Özdemir, the current Finance Minister Jörg Kukies (SPD) has signaled his approval of the agreement that has now been reached. How much money will be available and when is also still open for the time being.

Criticism of former minister

"That would also have been the job of the previous head of house," said Union Coordinator and Schleswig-Holstein Minister Karin Prien, criticizing former Federal Education Minister Stark-Watzinger (FDP) in no uncertain terms. She called for a permanent and reliable joint commitment to the digitalization of the education system: "The volume of federal participation falls far short of what the traffic light originally intended and what the federal states also consider appropriate."

(vbr)