German Education Ministers Urge Speed in Digital Pact Talks
The education ministers of Germany’s federal states have called on the federal government to conclude negotiations on the Digital Pact 2.0 swiftly, in order to avoid jeopardizing the connection to previous digitalization measures at schools. The decision was made at the 4th Education Ministers’ Conference in Klütz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, according to the Secretariat of the Cultural Ministers’ Conference.
The ministers emphasized the urgency of the matter, as they want to ensure the continuity of digitalization efforts at schools. The outline of the Digital Pact 2.0, which includes federal funding of 2.5 billion euros for six years, was agreed upon in December 2024.
Simone Oldenburg, the president of the conference and Minister of Education in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, stated that modern education requires a reliable digital infrastructure. Federal Minister of Education Karin Prien, on the other hand, assured that the Digital Pact 2.0 will come to fruition and referred to the planned 2.5 billion euros to be allocated over a period of four years. She also called on the federal states to make use of the special fund for infrastructure.
The first Digital Pact, which ran from 2019 to 2024, provided 6.5 billion euros for the digital equipping of schools. The successor is expected to encompass not only technology, but also long-term tasks such as maintenance, support and teacher further education. The federal states are pushing for a practical design and a reliable financial framework.