Student tablets in Lower Saxony: More than just device distribution planned

Contents

In Lower Saxony, the SPD had run on the election promise to equip students with free loaner tablets. Currently, parents have to pay for tablets, which are often mandatory in lower secondary schools (Sekundarstufe I). The 2022 election promise is now to be finally put into practice and was advanced this week in the Lower Saxony state parliament through a motion by the governing factions.

The opposition primarily criticizes that the financing problem, which has so far prevented implementation, is not sustainably solved now either and that schools should be given more freedom of choice, including the option to purchase laptops instead of tablets. The government wants to trigger a digitalization boost with the loaner tablets that is intended to have a deeper impact.

Unequal Framework Conditions = Unequal Opportunities

According to the motion by the SPD and the Greens, dealing with digital media has long been part of young people's lives. Digital education is therefore essential to enable adolescents to “competently use digital media and critically reflect on the content presented there.” For this, “reliable framework conditions and equal opportunities” are needed. Loaner tablets are therefore intended to ensure equal educational participation and, at the same time, modernize schools themselves. Specifically, the motion calls for students in Lower Saxony to be equipped with tablets free of charge for the first time from grade 7 onwards starting in the 2026/2027 school year, and for vocational schools and teachers to also receive such equipment. In order for teachers to be able to adequately teach digital education and media literacy at all, comprehensive further training offers are also to be developed.

According to the motion, the nationwide provision of loaner tablets is also intended to alleviate another problem: the differing digital equipment of schools in Lower Saxony and the use of digital learning and teaching materials. As the motion explains, this is “very varied.” Some schools already have proven digital concepts and comprehensive WLAN and tablet classes, while other schools are still working predominantly analog. The goal is therefore to “create equal starting conditions.” Schools that deliberately work analog will – even if the motion explains that every school can go at its pace – be driven towards the pursuit of digital.

That the entire digitalization progress of schools in Lower Saxony is to be driven by the loaner tablets may also be surprising in that the Digital Pact School should actually have already ensured this, which is now being continued with the Digital Pact 2.0. That there is still a great need here, Lower Saxony's Minister of Education Julia Willie Hamburg (Greens) also explained, however, during the final agreement between the federal and state governments on the Digital Pact 2.0, parallel to the state parliament debate: “I am pleased that after long and intensive negotiations, the Digital Pact 2.0 can finally be concluded. This will ensure a further expansion of digital education infrastructure and enable us to use digital instruments to ensure that students can learn as well as possible. [...] Only if we make schools fit for the digital age can they prepare our students well for the digital world of tomorrow. For this, it is crucial to continue to support school authorities in expanding WLAN, network infrastructure, and equipping classrooms.”

Tablets vs. Laptops, Tablet Distribution vs. Free Budget

A point of contention in the plenary was the motion's focus on tablets. While these will continue to be primarily provided for schools, according to SPD representative Kirsikka Lansmann, they could also opt for laptops: “We are not dictating anything to the schools, but giving them the freedom to make pedagogically sensible decisions.” AfD representative Harm Rykena praised this. He commented, “It is really difficult to work with tablets. These devices encourage pure media consumption.”

Opposition leader Sebastian Lechner (CDU) criticized that the planned expenditures are a “huge mortgage” for Lower Saxony. Around 800 million euros are planned for the loaner tablet program until 2031. The CDU, on the other hand, advocated for giving only half of the money as a digital budget for schools to use freely and using the remaining money to strengthen school social work.

Subsidies and New Permanent Budget in Bavaria

In Bavaria, subsidies for mobile devices are still maintained as a “voluntary service of the state” to relieve parents of costs. Loaner devices are to continue to be procured for primary and special schools, and schools will be able to maintain pools of loaner devices. This was explained by Finance Minister Albert Füracker (CSU) and Minister of Education Anna Stolz (Freie Wähler). In the next two years, 296 million euros could be accessed for the digitalization of schools – for digital infrastructure, device procurement, and maintenance. Costs for teacher devices would be fully borne by the state. Furthermore, from 2027 onwards, a permanently established four-pillar subsidy will ensure that investments in the digital infrastructure of Bavarian schools can be planned in the long term. Around 207 million euros per year are to be allocated in the state budget for this subsidy. Funds from the federal Digital Pact 2.0 are to supplement it.

(kbe)