Sluggish BAföG digitization: Federal Government refers to the federal states

The Federal Government is in favour of pushing ahead with the digitalization of the BAföG process, but believes its hands are tied. This task "is the exclusive responsibility of the federal states", emphasizes the lead Federal Ministry of Education in a recently published answer to a question from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag. In letters dated 16 May 2022 and 11 October 2022, Federal Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) called on all ministers of the federal states to swiftly introduce the "electronic file" in the offices for education funding "to eliminate the existing media discontinuities in the electronic processing of BAföG applications and to advance digitization".

At the Conference of Education Ministers in mid-March, Stark-Watzinger "reiterated her demand", the response continues (PDF). Pilot projects for the introduction of the e-file have been successfully completed in selected student services in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Hesse. The application process via the "BAföG Digital" assistant has also been fully digitalized since 2021. Previously, there had been reports that student unions across Germany were struggling with the digitization of applications. Many of the responsible offices had to print out the documents submitted online by hand, meaning there was even a shortage of paper. Applicants were waiting months for their money. In addition, many of the submissions were incomplete.

According to the government, the 27th BAföG Amendment Act introduced electronic applications as an equivalent alternative to the written form in mid-2022. The former is playing an "increasingly important role" considering the communication habits of the target group covered. The analog version is currently still available "to reach as many trainees and their parents as possible who should benefit from the training grant". With the 29th BAföG amendment currently being discussed in the Bundestag, a new funding instrument is to be created with a study start-up grant of 1000 euros. According to the plan, it will be possible to apply for this exclusively digitally "with little checking effort for processing and only two verification requirements". The further development of electronic application figures for the other benefits will then also be assessed.

Register modernization could simplify BAföG applications

According to the executive, the forms to be used for applications were last optimized in 2020 "regarding the graphic presentation and the clear recognizability of the required information and in some cases fundamentally revised". It is constantly checking whether and when which analog or digital application forms need to be updated. The use of the online assistant is recommended, "which guides applicants through the information required in each individual case in a targeted manner". The process has also been simplified by the fact that, since the end of 2023, trainees no longer have to submit proof of assets as long as their reserves do not exceed 10,000 euros. Figures on how much administrative work, measured in hours, is required at the relevant offices to check the asset declarations are not available.

The government hopes that the ongoing modernization of the register will increase the potential for administrative simplification, which is to be exploited within the framework of a federal-state working group with organizational, IT and data experts as well as lawyers. However, the register retrieval option requires "a common understanding of the data available from the data-providing authorities and institutions on the one hand and the data requirements of the BAföG offices receiving the data on the other". Furthermore, the provision and operation of a uniform IT system for a comprehensive exchange of evidence between federal and state authorities ("National-Once-Only-Technical-System" aka NOOTS) would require an amendment to the Basic Law or an international treaty.

(olb)