The relative lack of attention to universities and research in the German federal election campaign has been a "deficit", with the financing concerns that are coming as a result of the pandemic, the head of the university leaders of the nation has warned.
The Social Democrats of the Center-Left, currently Junior Partners in a Government Coalition of the Conservative Christian Democratic Union, are the frontal corridors in the surveys before the September 26 vote, although they will need the support of Other parts to form other parties a government.
In an election dominated by the pandemic and the economy, universities and research have presented little in the campaign. To a certain extent, which is not likely, given the 16 states of Germany, or Länder, has the main responsibility of education, instead of the federal government.
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however, that absence of the campaign is "really a Deficit "said Peter-André Alt, president of the German Rector Conference (HRK).
"We complain a lot about the fact that science and education are not playing a key role in the debate, because they have learned in the pandemic. How important science and research is to solve problems of the future, "he told the time of higher education.
Frank Ziegele, Executive Director of the Center for Higher Education, a German thought tank, said that in the past, the federal government, which by law has a role together with the States in higher education, It was "pretty good in pushing the reforms" through the levers of additional funds, especially in the initiative of excellence aimed at promoting competition in research. But on the policy platforms of current parties at the federal level, "there is not much innovation with respect to the new programs with the Modernization Goals," he added.
HRK has requested an annual investment of 270 million euros ($ 317 million) in digitization in universities, as a result of the online shift driven by the pandemic, a policy collected by the Social Democrats and the Greens, although without compromising with that specific sum.
In addition, there are "strong consensus). Among the main parties," Ziegele said, that the Student Financing System of Germany, a federal responsibility, "should be reformed urgently", because its design Obsolete "does not take into account lifelong learning or part-time studies, so it does not do so" T a student body sufficiently suppose, which is reflected in a strong decrease in the number of grants granted. googleg.cmd.push (function () googleg.display ("dfp-ad-article_in_article"););
Social Democrats have also spoken to reduce the number of young researchers about temporary contracts. While the Social Democrats in the government at the state level have made movements here, "this requires additional money if you want to make someone permanent," said Alt.
are funding cuts at the federal or state level a concern As governments look governments. To reduce costs after spending a lot to support the economy during the pandemic.
Alt answered: "We are afraid of that ... University leaders are very skeptical in whether we will keep this high level of support that has been given. During the last decades to the system, not only to the universities, but to non-university institutions. These were good years for science in Germany. "
but, in contrast to nations like England, where there is little consensus of the cross about university funds and a lot Political instability As a result, could the lack of focus on higher education in German elections are taken as a positive sign of consensus?
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