The education ministers of the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, and Baden-Württemberg have expressed support for the introduction of measurable education goals. “The results of the latest education comparison studies show that we cannot be satisfied” said Stefanie Hubig, the state education minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, on Monday at a press conference in Berlin.
“The number of children in elementary schools that do not meet the minimum standards is a quarter, the number of school dropouts is increasing, and the connection between social origin and educational success is as great in Germany as in hardly any other country” Hubig said. “This must be changed and this is what we want to change.”
Together, they have defined four strategic education goals for the period until 2035. “First, we want to achieve a better connection between the early childhood education sector and elementary school” said the SPD politician. “Second, the education system must ensure that children and young people acquire competencies and achieve performance. They should be able to develop their full potential with the support of kindergartens and schools.”
The ministers also emphasized education opportunities. “The connection between social origin and educational success must be decoupled. All children and young people should, regardless of their origin, reach the necessary competencies at the end of their school career to lead a self-determined life and to be an active part of a democratic society as citizens.”
As the fourth goal, Hubig named that school should be a “learning and living place” for “successful personality development.” It must be achieved that students develop into self-confident personalities.
For these goals, measurable indicators will be established. The number of children who do not meet the minimum standards should be reduced by 50%, explained Karin Prien, the education minister of Schleswig-Holstein. “We do not want to just make progress with the weaker ones” she said. The number of students who reach the standard level should be increased by at least 20%, and the number of those who reach the optimal level should be increased by 30%.
“We want to reduce the connection between social origin and the achieved competencies by at least 20 percent” Prien said. The number of students without a first general school leaving certificate should be reduced by half.
“These are the goals at which we also want to measure ourselves and we are of the firm conviction that a federal system can only function if, first, the willingness to cooperation exists in the fields where it simply makes sense, and if we also measure ourselves against the goals I have mentioned” said the CDU politician.
According to Markus Warnke, the managing director of the Wübben Foundation for Education, the idea for the goals and their measurement goes back to a journey. “We were in Alberta, Canada, about a year and a half ago” he explained. “I believe we can say that we were very impressed by how, using clear key figures, politics, but also education policy, was shaped there.