Federal Ministry of Education and the Cultural Ministers’ Conference (KMK) have agreed on a new digital pact for schools. In the state conference, 14 of the 15 attending ministers voted in favor of the agreed-upon decision, with Saxony-Anhalt abstaining.
The Digital Pact 2.0 foresees an investment of a total of five billion euros, to be borne equally by the federal government and the states. This is a larger state share than in the first Digital Pact, which expired in May. The compromise allows states to account for previous expenditures and obliges the states to involve the municipalities in the financing.
The goal of the investments is to improve the digital infrastructure in schools, to further train teachers, and to promote the development of innovative teaching and learning methods.
“School must prepare our children for a world shaped by digital technology” said Federal Education Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens). “They must learn to use digital technologies in a sovereign manner. I am convinced that our democracy can only be preserved if we learn to handle the new technologies sensibly.”
KMK President Christine Streichert-Clivot (SPD) said: “We are aware that digitalization not only brings technical challenges but also requires a fundamental change in the teaching and learning culture, particularly in light of the opportunities offered by the developments in artificial intelligence.