The President of the German Teachers' Association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, warns of the permanent educational deficit of an entire generation because of Corona and calls for an expansion of the catch-up program.
"The deficits that accumulated among many students due to the cancellation of classes and distance learning in the Corona years are still significant," he told the editorial network Germany (RND). "Politicians are currently glossing over this fact by lowering requirements, facilitating exams and making it difficult or even prohibiting sitting down."
In the end, there are even more good grades in case of doubt, but important skills are not taught sufficiently, said Meidinger. "But the gaps in math, German and foreign languages could fall on the toes of a whole generation of students for the rest of their lives." He criticized: "The Corona catch-up program works insufficiently." It must be increased financially and continue for years to come if it is to be really effective.
The federal government had launched the 2021 catch-up program. Around one billion euros is available for learning support programs, and another billion is available for increasing social projects for children, young people and families. The program is intended to help cushion the consequences of school closures during the corona pandemic, such as educational deficits and mental health problems. The culture ministers of the federal states recently called for this program to be extended and increased by a further 500 million euros.
