German students up in arms about funding cuts
Germany's research minister Dorothee Bär says German students' situation is "very privileged" and has rejected reform of the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG), in the
Germany's research minister Dorothee Bär says German students' situation is "very privileged" and has rejected reform of the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG), in the process turning many students against her. Wiebke Jaeger is 23 and works part-time for 12 hours a week, helping young refugees with job applications. At the same time, she is studying Politics and Society at the University of Bonn. Jaeger is one of the reported 66% of students across the country who work to finance their studies — and at the moment many of them are not particularly pleased with the Federal Minister of Research, a member of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) party. Jaeger explained her position to DW: "I was frustrated, because once again cuts are set to be made in the social sector, and decisions are being taken over the heads of young people. When Dorothee Bär says that students are privileged and do not really need an increase in BAföG [state assistance for studies], that is quite an audacious statement for a federal research minister." Germany's BAföG reform in jeopardy What is currently causing considerable frustration among many of the nearly three million students in Germany is, above all, Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär's reasoning for why the reform of the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG), as set out in the governing coalition agreement, is not a priority for her at present. Bär argued: "It is no tragedy if students take on jobs alongside their studies — many even gain valuable experience for life and their careers in the process." She went on to say that there will be no fully cushioned, all-inclusive course of study, as she termed it, as the situation of students in Germany is in her words "very privileged." The background: Germany's coalition government, comprising the center-right Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), had agreed to raise the housing allowance included in BAföG for students no longer living with their parents from the current €380 to €440 per month ($438 to $507) starting in the upcoming winter semester.
From 2027 onward, BAföG standard rates were also set to be gradually increased from the current €475 ($548) to the level of basic income support (currently €563, or $650). The additional costs of the reform for the current legislative period were estimated at just over €1 billion ($1.15 billion). Foreign students working in Germany To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Part-time work long the norm for most students Vasco Silver is one of roughly 500,000 students in Germany who receive state support for their studies. At €740 ($856), the monthly funding received by the physics and astronomy student in Bonn is slightly above the average rate of €657 ($760). Although support levels have risen steadily in recent years, they still fail to keep pace with the rising cost of living. This is why the 27-year-old father and student also works eight hours a week on the side — rent, in particular, consumes a large share of his income. "BAföG is supposed to ensure that anyone can study, regardless of their social background. But it is simply no longer fulfilling that role." It angers him when the German research minister suggests that students can always just work a bit. "The reality is that two out of three students already do. Everyone in my circle who receives BAföG also works part-time." Germany’s housing crisis hits students To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video One in three students at risk of poverty For many students, life is anything but privileged.
The BriefWire