Standstill in Higher Education Pact initiative and excellence.

On Germany's dual baccalaureate colleges roll-born, but the country misunderstandings further paralyze the education policy. Federation and the Länder on Monday were again unable to agree who is how much money from the billion package for teaching and research should receive.

 

The Science Minister of the Federation and the countries in three crucial questions again postponed. Neither the "Higher Education Pact 2020" still in the initiative or the Excellence Initiative for Research and Innovation came Federal Education Minister Annette Schavan (CDU) and their country counterparts on Monday to a result.

AP
Schavan Minister: No breakthrough in the distribution of billions

Schavan said after the meeting of the Joint Scientific Meeting of the Federation and the Länder (GWK) in Berlin, it was regrettable that no consensus had been achieved. The GWK-Chairman and Berlin Senator education Jürgen Zöllner (SPD) said he hoped to reach an agreement by June.

Overall, there were 16 billion in additional investment. Of the federal government should take eleven billion, five billion the country. On 22 April, according to customs, a special meeting of the scientific conference on the same topic. At this meeting, in addition to Minister Schavan but only six of the 16 ministers from the Länder to participate.

At the Higher Education Pact 2020 stands next only to the framework: 275.000 places it more in the years 2012 to 2015 indicate, because of the expected flood of first semester due to a double baccalaureate vintages. These figures are
been over five months. A study will be with 26,000 euro, so the cost is 7.1 billion euros. The federal government had promised, with 3.5 billion euros, nearly half to fund. Next are the ministers from federal and state, even after today's meeting yet.

"No consensus" - as always

There was "no consensus regarding the allocation of resources to individual countries," said North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister of Science Andreas Pinkwart (FDP) in an interview with the "German Radio". Last week was an attempt at unification of the state secretaries of education failed, as the "Handelsblatt" reported. The GWK wanted to meet with Prime Minister of the Federal Chancellor on 4 June, a solution can be found, so Pinkwart.

As so often in the maze of federal education policy is the biggest sticking point again, which state how much money. There are two major camps: On one hand, countries with a large influx of students from other states, such as Berlin, Hamburg and Rhineland-Palatinate. On the other hand there are countries whose graduates to study in many other regions, including Bavaria. For the idea of financial compensation argue particularly the representatives of the SPD, especially the Rhineland-Palatinate's Minister of Education Doris Ahnen and Berlin Senator Jürgen Zöllner, the first for many years minister in Rhineland-Palatinate was.

"Money follows students" is not entirely new idea, which so far by the resistance of the shattered Union countries. In 2006
wedges, the science minister in the details of the design of this "second fiscal Countries", as critics from the southern Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, the principle contemptuous name.

SPD and the industry for transfer payments

Countries to reward the students clear about their own workforce needs training, but also takes place outside the SPD applause. So advocates of the Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (BDI) why there should be the country pay for a study from which the student originally comes.

In terms of excellence initiative showed the GWK meeting also hardly Countable. In the first edition of the competition in 2006 and last year awarded federal and state Eliteuni nine titles and 1.9 billion euros for research - an idea that is still on the red-green government is falling. These funds will now be reduced by 30 percent, then it would go so well for 2.5 billion euros. The total amount for Excellence Initiative and the Pact for Research until 2018 to be around 16 billion euros, said Minister Schavan. But even when the research pacts is nothing decided yet, there is only "benchmarks" and "unanswered questions".

Margret Wintermantel, President of the German Rectors' Conference, called the outcome of the ministerial meeting "unacceptable". With reference to the economic program of the federal government said the winter coat, it was "paradoxical" if the monetary policy for the Hochschulbauförderungsgesetz do, but then the argument is too little savings funds for future programs would afford. The budget of a second Exzellenzinitiative need by nearly one billion euros to be increased.

Pinkwart scholarship plan failed

Sharp criticism of the new employer representatives expressed adjournment. The Confederation of German Employers' Associations and the BDI accused federal and state as follows: "Instead of the expansion of student places for school age twice rapidly and on demand oriented forward, igniting a dispute that, and on the backs of young people out."

Also, the Left and the Greens in the Bundestag criticized the outcome of the ministerial meeting. Union and SPD put the "future viability of the country in jeopardy," said the Green Bundestag deputies Kai Gehring. For the Left said the education policy spokeswoman Nele Hirsch: "It is a tragedy that the updating of the Higher Education Pact 2020 in the air depends, while the number of Studierwilligen always reached new record highs."

Failed plans for a nationwide system of grants in addition to the student loans. North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister of Science Pinkwart (FDP), inventor and avid supporter of a private sector funded education scholarships, made tactical calculus party responsible for the SPD. Social Democrats are fighting for an expansion of student loans and keep a large number of scholarships for talented students will be unnecessary.