For a long time, students threatened to get nothing from the relief packages from the federal government in the energy crisis. That is now changing.
Erfurt (dpa/th) - Several thousand students and pupils in Thuringia who received BAföG last year during the cold season are now receiving a subsidy to cover the increased heating costs. The payment will start on November 4th, as announced by the Ministry of Science in Erfurt. A flat rate of 230 euros would be paid for each beneficiary. However, this only applies to young people who no longer live with their parents.
The subsidy will be paid out via the responsible BAföG offices in Thuringia. "In this way we are making a contribution to ensuring that nobody stumbles when an additional payment for increased energy costs flutters into the house," explained Science Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee (SPD). According to the ministry, around 11,000 students with BAföG entitlement in Thuringia receive the subsidy for their heating costs. The payments were estimated at a total of more than 2.5 million euros. In addition, around 2,600 students would receive support - a total of around 600,000 euros would be paid to them.
For 2023, the federal government has already decided on a second heating subsidy of 345 euros for these two groups, according to the ministry. The payment of the second amount could start at the beginning of 2023 at the earliest, because the BAföG entitlements in the current winter semester or school year are a prerequisite for this.
As a reaction to the high inflation caused by the sharp rise in energy and food prices, the federal government has decided on a further one-off payment for all students of 200 euros in addition to the flat-rate heating fee. The ministry explained that there are currently still agreements between the federal and state governments on the payment modalities.
According to Tiefensee, 1.5 million euros will also come from the state treasury for the Thuringia student union. The money should serve to offset increased energy costs, for example for the operation of canteens and cafeterias.
