DigitalPakt Schule 2.0: Providing support where it’s needed

On 15 March 2023, the Conference of Ministers of Education took place. At this conference, education ministers and policymakers review the various aspects of the German school system. One of these aspects has been alarmingly neglected for some time: digital education. A ‘DigitalPakt Schule 2.0’ could help to put this important aspect back on track.

But how can a DigitalPakt Schule 2.0 tackle the current challenges facing our education system in a sustainable way? In this blog series, I would like to highlight some possible solutions. Part 2: Better digital infrastructure and appropriate support for teachers.

€5 billion for better digital education: When the federal and state governments adopted the first Digital Pact in 2019, there was great enthusiasm. Since then, digital infrastructure and teaching in German schools have certainly improved. Nevertheless, we must now step up our efforts – with a Digital Pact for Schools 2.0. The current Digital Pact for Schools expires in 2024 and has left a number of issues unresolved. One of the biggest is the lack of standards. By 2030, clear, binding regulations must be in place across all federal states so that the digitalisation of schools can finally gain momentum. I have already explained this in my last blog post. However, this is only the first part of the work. 

In order to make use of modern teaching methods and teach digital skills in our classrooms, we need to start with the basic infrastructure. This applies to primary and special needs schools as well as secondary schools. A survey conducted by Telekom amongst educational institutions for the ‘Education Digitalisation Index 2021/22’ study clearly confirms this: on average, two schoolchildren had to share a single digital device. Furthermore, we urgently need to establish uniform conditions across the country to equip schools with fibre-optic connections. This means we must secure funding for the running costs of schools’ broadband connections and capitalise on synergies through tenders at state level.

The DigitalPakt Schule 2.0 must also clearly define responsibilities: local authorities should focus on implementing and operating the solutions. It is equally important to set school-specific budgets for innovation projects and to facilitate a modern building infrastructure. The DigitalPakt should therefore also provide funding for classroom designs that promote interactive, creative and collaborative ways of working, even in digitally supported lessons. We must equip our children with modern learning environments rather than holding them back with traditional, teacher-centred lessons at the blackboard. A flexible annual budget would enable ‘flagship’ schools to trial the latest technologies and share their experiences with other institutions. A separate budget must therefore be made available for such innovation projects.

It is not only pupils but also teachers who should benefit from a DigitalPakt Schule 2.0: from new digital solutions that help them make their lessons as varied as possible. That is why we must ensure that they can use these solutions effectively and at any time. In addition to improving the digital infrastructure, we must develop suitable training and professional development programmes for DigitalPakt Schule 2.0 and make them centrally available on the planned National Education Platform. However, professional development must not stop there: legislation and guidelines on professional development must set out the necessary time and financial frameworks for this training. It is particularly important here to hold the federal states to account.

But school management teams also need support. The DigitalPakt Schule 2.0 must also clearly set out how the maintenance, operation and troubleshooting of technical school equipment are to be funded, including the freedom for schools and school authorities to choose their own service providers. In this context, it is important to regularly review the methods and tools selected. Scientifically sound monitoring should regularly assess the standard of digital education and suggest improvements where necessary. But this, too, must be funded; therefore, the federal government must fully finance this measure.  

Other countries are already a few steps ahead of us when it comes to learning content for pupils. It is high time that we in Germany followed suit and incorporated additional compulsory subjects into the curricula. First and foremost: computer science, media literacy and technology education. Digitalisation continues to advance in every professional field. Mastering the relevant tools and devices is therefore becoming a core skill for all pupils. And teaching precisely these skills is one of the core tasks of our education system. Let us ensure that, with a ‘DigitalPakt Schule 2.0’, we develop the appropriate next building block to further drive forward the ongoing project of digital education.