CDU on education

The CDU wants to make the last year of daycare (Kita) compulsory for all children and run it as a preschool year. A mandatory language assessment at age four and a half is meant to identify children who need support early. The goal is that no child starts school without the language and social skills needed.

The CDU wants all children to attend the last year of daycare. There they get ready for school. At age four and a half, every child takes a language test. Children who struggle with language then get help.

The preschool year is meant to prepare children for elementary school in an age-appropriate way and make the transition reliable. Language support is to be expanded significantly starting with the coming school year. Children with language deficits are to receive binding, individual support from qualified staff through programs built into everyday daycare life. Parents are to be firmly involved. The platform sees language as the basis for education, integration and participation.

The CDU promises a statewide guarantee for elementary schools: classes every weekday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with no cancellations. The focus is to be on reading, writing and arithmetic. This comes with a free lunch and homework done at school.

The CDU wants a guarantee for elementary schools. Classes run every day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. They should not be canceled. Every child gets a free lunch. Children do their homework at school.

The guaranteed hours are to be used for practicing and deepening basic skills. Afternoons stay free; extra care is to be offered where it is used, and existing all-day programs and after-school centers are to continue. Teachers, social workers, school psychologists and assistants are to work in mixed teams at all school types. With a swimming initiative, the CDU wants every child to be able to swim by the end of elementary school, including through renovated pools and mobile swimming containers.

The CDU wants to pay elementary school teachers at the A 13 civil-service grade and bring back regular promotions at secondary and vocational schools. Staffing of at least 105 percent of teaching needs is meant to prevent canceled classes. This is intended to make the profession more attractive and stop teachers from leaving for other states.

The CDU wants to pay elementary school teachers more. Other teachers should get regular promotions again. There should be more teaching positions so classes are not canceled. The job should become more attractive for young people.

More permanent positions and substitute pools are meant to allow smaller classes and staffing of at least 105 percent. Teacher training is to become more practical, for example through dual teaching degrees and more internships. Career changers from other professions are to have an easier path in. Regular continuing education is to become standard and be supported with reduced teaching loads or money. Teachers are also to get more freedom and fewer detailed instructions from ministries.

The CDU wants no tolerance for violence, threats or disrespect in schools and relies on disciplinary measures and emergency plans. A state task force is to come to schools quickly when acute problems arise. Teachers are to get backing from their employer in crisis situations.

The CDU does not want to accept violence in schools. There should be clear rules and emergency plans. A state team should help quickly when there are problems. The state should stand behind teachers.

The task force is to consist of psychologists, security personnel and specially trained teachers. School supervisors and the ministry are to back teachers quickly and reliably in difficult cases. The platform contrasts this with what it calls putting a "muzzle" on teachers. The stated reason is that school must be a safe place.

The CDU announces an investment drive for school buildings and wants fiber-optic connections and stable Wi-Fi in all educational institutions. All teachers and all students from grade 8 on are to have a digital device. In the party's view, schools should become inviting, safe and digital places to learn.

The CDU wants to repair and modernize schools. All schools should get fast internet and Wi-Fi. Teachers get a digital device. Students get one from grade 8 on.

Classrooms, gyms, sports facilities and cafeterias are to be renovated. Every homeroom teacher is to get a budget of their own for designing the classroom. Leaking roofs and permanent teaching in containers are to end. IT specialists are to look after the technology so teachers have more time for teaching. A statewide program is to support practical training in digital teaching methods, also in cooperation with businesses and universities.

The CDU rejects a single comprehensive school and wants to preserve and strengthen the multi-track school system. The Realschule plus (a middle-track secondary school) is to be upgraded with its own support program. At Gymnasien and integrated comprehensive schools, the "winter Abitur" is to end and the full nine-year track (G9) is to apply everywhere.

The CDU wants to keep different types of schools. It is against one school for everyone. The Realschule plus should get more support. The final school exam should again come after nine full years of Gymnasium.

The party justifies rejecting a single school type by saying children differ; it also wants to work with independent and church-run school providers. For the Realschule plus, it plans support programs in reading, writing and arithmetic in grades 5 to 7, leaner curricula and mandatory intensive language classes. The "Starke Realschule plus" program is meant to improve equipment, practical projects, digital teaching and teacher health. Existing eight-year Gymnasien (G8) are to remain as a faster track.

The CDU wants binding performance standards, transparent exams and clear grades. Repeating a grade is to remain possible, and the party aims for centralized final exams. It justifies this with the values of achievement, responsibility and cohesion.

The CDU wants clear grades in school. Students can still be held back a year. The party would like the same final exams for everyone. At the national school sports games, there should be certificates everywhere again.

Support and high expectations are to apply to everyone: help for children who have fallen behind, programs for the gifted and reliable offerings for the broad middle. At the Bundesjugendspiele (national school sports games), participation, winner and honor certificates are to return everywhere because, in the party's view, children want to compete. Curricula are to be modernized and given clear standards. STEM subjects are also to be promoted, and economics and finance expanded in social studies.

The CDU wants every student to visit a former concentration camp or a memorial site at least once during their school years. Civic education, a culture of remembrance and action against antisemitism are to be a firm part of everyday school life.

The CDU wants a required visit for all students. They should see a concentration camp memorial once. This is a place that remembers the crimes of the Nazis. Schools should also teach about democracy and against hatred of Jews.

Political education and a clear stance against antisemitism are to be compulsory parts of schooling. The memorial visit is to take place at least once for every student. The party wants schools that take a stand against extremism and hate and for democracy.

The CDU wants to keep and strengthen special-needs schools and special-needs daycare centers. In its view, inclusion should be guided by the child's well-being so that each child attends the school that suits them. Children suspected of needing special support are to be tested again before starting school.

The CDU wants to keep special-needs schools and daycare centers. These are places for children who need extra help. These children should be tested before they start school. Then parents can choose the right school.

Early testing is meant to let parents choose the suitable school. This would allow children to attend a special-needs school from the very start. The school system is to remain flexible and support children so they can earn a diploma and begin vocational training.

The CDU wants vocational training to carry the same standing as a university degree. To that end, master craftsman (Meister) training is to become free, and career orientation in schools is to grow from grade 7 with two more mandatory internships. Vocational schools are to be modernized.

The CDU wants to make master craftsman training free. From grade 7 on, there should be two more required internships. On a "Day of the Skilled Trades," businesses present themselves in schools. Vocational schools should get more modern equipment.

The additional internships are to apply at all secondary schools and show vocational paths early. A statewide "Day of the Skilled Trades" is to let regional businesses present themselves at schools; regional trades initiatives get additional support. Workshops, learning labs and digital equipment at vocational schools are to be brought up to date. More practical-skills teachers and closer cooperation with companies and chambers are meant to make training more hands-on. People who start a business of their own are to receive support.

The CDU wants to fund research and teaching better, cut red tape at universities and give them more independence. A long-term construction and renovation program is meant to clear the repair backlog. The aim is for Rhineland-Palatinate to again rank among Germany's leading science locations.

The CDU wants to give universities more money and more freedom. Buildings and labs should be repaired. There should be more places to study medicine. Students and trainees should no longer pay the second-home tax.

Multi-year target agreements and more control over construction are meant to give universities planning certainty and faster decisions. The Mainz University Medical Center is to be expanded, and more places to study medicine are to be created. AI research is to grow, including through a new professorship in Speyer. Dual study programs are to be expanded, and one university of applied sciences is to become fully dual step by step. Start-up centers, founder scholarships and a start-up semester for professors are meant to encourage spin-offs. For students, affordable dorm places and an end to the second-home tax are planned.

The CDU wants to ban private cell phone use in schools to improve concentration, social interaction and a calm learning environment. At the same time, media literacy is to be taught at all ages. Schools decide for themselves on the educational use of devices in class.

The CDU wants to ban private cell phones in schools. Children should be able to concentrate better. Schools may still use phones for learning in class. Children should also learn to spot fake news online.

The ban covers private use during the school day. Where phones and other digital devices serve a sound teaching purpose, the decision stays with the school. Lessons are to teach how to evaluate information, protect privacy and recognize fake news. According to the platform, data protection and media ethics are also among the digital skills to be fostered from the start.

The CDU wants to keep special-needs schools while expanding inclusion in mainstream schools. People with disabilities are to experience participation in school, work, culture, sports and politics as a matter of course.

Special-needs schools are schools for children who need extra support. The CDU wants to keep these schools. At the same time, more children with disabilities should be able to learn at regular schools. People with disabilities should be able to take part everywhere.

According to the platform, inclusion means more than accessibility, namely participation in all areas of life. Support is to reach affected children in everyday school life in a child-appropriate way. For people with complex disabilities and high support needs, the CDU wants to survey statewide how available special forms of housing are and remove shortages step by step.