FDP on education

The FDP wants enough teachers at every school to cover substitute lessons as well. The platform says this requires teacher staffing above 100 percent of regular need. The aim is reliable teaching without teachers having to work extra hours over the long term.

The FDP wants more teachers in schools. Fewer lessons should be canceled. When a teacher is absent, another one should step in. The party wants extra teaching jobs for this.

The platform calls for additional positions that can also serve as a shared pool for several schools in a region. The staffing goal applies to both general and vocational schools. Teachers should not have to work extra hours long-term to cover absences. The FDP also wants to attract more young people to teaching and to strengthen the state institutes IQSH and SHIBB and the ministries so they can better support schools.

The FDP wants to expand school social work at all types of schools. It also wants to reorganize and combine school aides, school assistants and school social work. The platform cites a growing need for support and more efficient use of resources.

The FDP wants more social workers in schools. These are trained people who help children with problems. Different kinds of help at school should work together better. Teams with several professions should form.

According to the platform, the need for social and educational support has grown, for example because of inclusion, migration and school absenteeism, while the number of specialists has not increased. The three support systems are to be combined so that multi-professional teams can work together. The platform also mentions regional pools of staff as an option.

The FDP wants to support inclusive teaching where the right conditions are in place. It rejects raising the inclusion rate at the expense of teachers. The party says it will provide the resources needed.

Inclusion means children with and without disabilities learn together. The FDP wants to support this where conditions are right. Teachers should not be overloaded by it. The party wants to provide the needed resources.

The platform ties joint teaching to suitable conditions at each school. In the FDP's view, inclusion only works if enough resources are available. A rising inclusion rate should not leave teachers carrying the burden alone. The party pledges to guarantee the necessary resources.

The FDP wants to give all teachers a right to free continuing education that fits their needs and their type of school. Current formats, which are mostly driven by what is on offer, are to be reviewed. Each school is also to get its own budget for training.

Teachers should get a right to further training. The training should be free. It should fit what the school needs. Every school should get its own money for it.

The platform calls for continuing education to follow the needs of schools and teachers rather than the existing offerings. All schools are to receive their own adequate budget to pay for training suited to their situation. Digital learning is to be a fixed part of teacher training and continuing education.

The FDP wants to lower the rules on class sizes so that students get more individual attention. Teachers are to be relieved of administrative tasks so they can concentrate on teaching.

The FDP wants smaller classes. Then teachers have more time for each child. Teachers should have less office work. They should be able to focus on teaching.

According to the platform, good teaching, including preparation, follow-up and advising, should be the core task of the profession. Conditions are to be set so that teachers can carry out these tasks smoothly. Children's individual learning needs are to receive more weight. The FDP also wants to promote formats such as project work and cooperation with companies to foster a spirit of research and entrepreneurship, as well as bilingual teaching at more schools.

The FDP wants to push ahead with digitalization in schools: every child should have a digital device, every classroom gigabit internet and Wi-Fi, and every school IT support. Digital learning is to be anchored in law as a form of teaching beyond the pandemic. The party calls on the federal government for permanent funding and simpler applications.

The FDP wants modern technology in schools. Every child should get a device for learning, such as a tablet. Every classroom should have fast internet. Teachers should get devices too. The federal government should pay for this permanently.

Software and hardware are to be provided together with the bodies that run the schools. The FDP counts student devices as part of free learning materials; textbooks are to be gradually replaced by digital media where that makes sense. All teachers are to get devices, a work email address, learning platforms and video conferencing tools from the state, with the ministry ensuring uniform statewide solutions. Data protection rules are to be reviewed and changed if needed so that they enable digital learning. According to the platform, in-person teaching remains the top priority.

The FDP wants to gradually increase the number of hours for computer science. It sees the subject becoming compulsory in grades 7 and 8 from the 2022/23 school year as a first step. The party considers four weekly hours across all of lower secondary school too little.

The FDP wants more computer science lessons. In this subject, students learn how computers work. From grade 7, the subject becomes required. The FDP says the planned hours are not enough. It wants to add more hours step by step.

Computer science becomes a compulsory subject in grades 7 and 8 of lower secondary school from the 2022/23 school year. The platform regards the four weekly hours allotted across the middle grades as insufficient. The subject is to remain on offer in upper secondary school. The FDP argues that digital technology shapes all areas of life.

The FDP wants to gradually raise the number of weekly lessons in elementary schools and bring them in line with the higher level in other German states. The platform points to performance studies in which Schleswig-Holstein does worse than other states.

Children in elementary school should get more lessons. The FDP wants to raise the weekly hours step by step. Other German states have more hours. Schleswig-Holstein should have just as many.

According to the platform, hours in the first two school years have already been raised by one each, to a total of 94 weekly hours across the four elementary years. The FDP considers this insufficient compared with other states. Elementary school is meant to teach reading, writing, arithmetic and social skills as the basis for further education.

The FDP wants to introduce a binding core vocabulary as a minimum requirement in elementary schools. Spelling is to be learned according to the nationally uniform rules, and all types of schools are to improve results in spelling and grammar. The recommendation on which secondary school type a child should attend is also to be strengthened.

The FDP wants children to learn reading, writing and math better. There should be a fixed list of words. All elementary school children must be able to spell these words. The recommendation for the next school should carry more weight.

The core vocabulary is to be at least at the level of other German states. The platform justifies the duty to improve spelling and grammar with students' readiness for college and vocational training. Parents are to be reliably informed about the offerings and educational mission of general and vocational schools by the end of third grade.

The FDP wants to avoid elementary school classes being taught by teachers not trained in the subject, which the platform says is especially harmful in German and math. It calls for a binding course of study for elementary teachers in which both subjects are required.

The FDP wants well-trained teachers in elementary schools. Teachers should only teach subjects they studied. Future elementary teachers should always study German and math. They can pick a third subject freely.

The binding curriculum would cover both the bachelor's and master's degrees and require German, math, and a third subject chosen by the student. The platform justifies this with the negative effects of out-of-field teaching in the core subjects. The FDP also wants to ensure that the public health medical exam at school entry takes place at all schools. This would also apply to children from other countries who enroll during the school year.

The FDP wants Gemeinschaftsschulen (comprehensive secondary schools) to decide for themselves whether to set up classes organized by the diploma students are aiming for. The platform considers stronger grouping by aptitude and ability necessary to reduce the number of students leaving without a diploma. New upper-level programs at these schools would be reviewed critically.

Comprehensive schools should decide for themselves. They should be able to form classes for specific diplomas. The FDP says this helps more students finish school. The FDP wants to check new upper-level programs at these schools carefully.

In the FDP's view, teaching that differentiates only within a single class cannot serve all ability levels, and late measures such as flex classes have little success. School bodies would be able to decide early on diploma-track classes. Applications for additional upper-level programs would be reviewed critically so that enough course profiles are available and nearby academic and vocational Gymnasien are not put at risk. The FDP also wants to evaluate whether the current minimum size of these upper levels ensures sufficient teaching quality. Comprehensive schools without an upper level would cooperate more closely with Gymnasien.

At comprehensive schools, the FDP wants to replace the combined science subject NaWi with separate classes in physics, chemistry, and biology, and split Weltkunde (social studies) into history and geography. This is meant to raise quality and interest in STEM subjects. A dedicated program would get more girls interested in these subjects.

The FDP wants separate subjects instead of combined ones. Physics, chemistry, and biology should replace general science. History and geography should replace social studies. Girls should get more excited about math, science, and technology.

Separate subject teaching is meant to secure the transition to the upper level of Gymnasium, to vocational training, or later to a degree in science or engineering. Links between history and geography would be handled through redesigned curricula. The program for girls would start in elementary school and continue in secondary school. At Gymnasien, the FDP wants to strengthen math and science subjects already in the middle grades so that more students again choose the science track.

The FDP wants to strengthen career and college guidance classes as a mandatory part of the school timetable. Following the motto "no diploma without a next step," every student should have a secured path after finishing school.

Students should learn more about jobs and college at school. This should be a fixed part of the timetable. Everyone should know what comes next after school. The FDP also wants more internships and contact with companies.

Youth employment agencies (Jugendberufsagenturen) are to play a central role and receive support. Counseling would be expanded at every transition to another type of school and show paths into training or college early on. Career orientation initiatives would be stepped up through more internships, partnerships with local businesses, and more opportunities for companies to present themselves in schools. Business simulations and project-based classes are meant to encourage young people to develop their own business ideas.

The FDP wants to push for comparable conditions for final exams across Germany, because Abitur grades determine access to university places and training contracts. At the Gymnasium (academic high school), subject-based teaching is to remain the core and be expanded.

Exams should be similar all over Germany. Abitur grades decide who gets a university place. At academic high schools, subject teachers should teach their subjects. Students should have more freedom to pick subjects in the upper grades.

More uniform conditions nationwide would also apply to teaching itself. The FDP commits to subject-based teaching, backed by teacher training grounded in the academic discipline and tailored to the school type. Connected, problem-solving thinking and self-organized learning would get more room in everyday lessons. The top-level school supervisory authority for Gymnasien would be strengthened so it can initiate and support school development. Upper-level students would get more freedom in choosing subjects.

The FDP wants parents of children with special educational needs to choose between a Förderzentrum (special-needs center) and inclusive schooling. The current model of inclusive schooling would be evaluated for effectiveness. At the same time, the profession of special education teacher is to become more attractive.

Some children need extra help with learning. Their parents should choose the school themselves. The FDP wants to keep special-needs centers. It wants to check how well joint classes work so far. There should be more special education teachers.

The FDP does not want special-needs centers without students of their own, but the right school for each child. Diagnosis and prevention in daycare centers would be strengthened as a task of special education teachers, with time set aside for it. Teaching teams at schools are meant to improve inclusive pathways and raise the chances of earning a diploma. At Europa-Universität Flensburg, training capacity, staff, and funding would be expanded and the degree program improved. The platform points to a serious shortage of special education teachers.

The FDP wants to improve the quality of all-day schools and implement the legal entitlement to all-day care at elementary schools as quickly as possible. The federal government is to contribute more, including to running costs. In the medium term, all-day programs would be extended to other school types.

The FDP wants more and better all-day schools. Elementary school children should soon have a right to afternoon care. The federal government should pay more for this. Later, grades 5 to 10 should also get all-day programs.

More funding is meant to enable partnerships with music schools, artists, sports clubs, companies, and other organizations. Schools would get more leeway in shaping reliable care. The split of the school day into morning and afternoon would be phased out, and all-day programs would tie in with regular lessons. The extension to other school types would start with grades 5 to 10. Youth and school social work at all-day schools would be expanded further according to need.

The FDP wants to give schools more freedom in using their funds and steer them through target agreements. Principals and teachers would be supported with training and more compensatory hours. The platform argues that taking responsibility requires corresponding freedom.

Schools should decide themselves how to spend their money. Schools and supervisors should set goals together. Principals should get more training. Teachers should get more time for organizing and teamwork.

Funds are to be transferable between budget items and carried over into the following budget year. Target agreements would be concluded between the supervisory authority, the school's funding body, and the school, and evaluated against defined quality criteria. Principals would be prepared for and supported in their leadership role, and teachers would be specifically encouraged to take on leadership tasks. Compensatory hours for organization, administration, and school development would rise, and team meetings and counseling sessions would count more toward working time. Schools' training budgets would be increased.

The FDP wants uniform quality standards for building and equipping schools and calls for a special school construction program funded by the federal and state governments. It cites equal opportunity, since schools' equipment and internet connections currently vary widely.

Schools are equipped very differently. The FDP wants the same rules for all school buildings. The federal and state governments should pay for repairs. Schools should have good technology, ventilation, and modern restrooms. All schools should be accessible for people with disabilities.

Together with the associations of local governments, the school construction guideline would be rewritten to plan for digital media, the necessary technology, and group rooms. A "classroom of the future" would serve as the benchmark for new buildings and renovations. The guidelines would include ventilation systems in teaching rooms and modern restrooms. In addition, there would be a general guideline for ergonomic equipment and accessibility at all schools. Time and suitable rooms would be provided for teachers' teamwork.

The FDP wants the subject WiPo (economics and politics) taught as a mandatory, continuous subject through to the intermediate diploma or Abitur. The state commissioner for civic education would become an independent state agency for civic and economic education. The stated reason is concern about rising extremism, racism, antisemitism, and conspiracy narratives.

Students should learn more about politics and the economy. The subject should be required until graduation. A new state agency should teach people about politics and the economy. The FDP is worried because extremism is growing.

The new state agency would answer only to the state parliament, get more staff, and cover economic as well as political topics. It would be linked more closely to teacher training and serve as a platform for continuing education in economics and politics. Its offerings would also be aimed more specifically at adults. Economic education is meant to prepare people for their roles as consumers, employees, employers, and participants in the financial system. The FDP also wants to foster entrepreneurial spirit among young people.

The FDP wants to modernize vocational education and establish it in the minds of parents and young people as equal to a university degree. This is also meant to counter the looming shortage of skilled workers in Schleswig-Holstein. It calls on the federal government to quickly implement the "Excellence Initiative for Vocational Education" and a "Digital Pact 2" for vocational schools.

Job training should count as much as a college degree. The FDP wants to modernize vocational schools. There should be more continuing education. This way the FDP wants to make sure there are enough skilled workers. The federal government should pay for digital technology.

Continuing education and support for gifted students in vocational education would be expanded. The FDP backs models in which training and an advanced qualification are completed together in three years, or a vocational qualification is combined with an academic degree at a vocational university. Further areas such as continuing education would be moved into the Schleswig-Holstein Institute for Vocational Education (SHIBB). According to the platform, vocational schools need highly qualified teachers and modern equipment to reflect digitalized business and production processes.

The FDP wants to draw up a plan so that as many occupations as possible can be trained for throughout the state. It gives high priority to the supply of skilled workers in rural areas.

The FDP wants job training to work in rural areas too. People should be able to learn many jobs everywhere in the state. Trainees with a long trip to school should get more money. Some classes could also take place online.

The plan is also meant to reflect technological change and changing work processes. To that end, the FDP will consider amending the school law to promote mobile teaching. Apprentices who must attend a statewide vocational school or a district specialist class, and therefore face higher travel or boarding costs, are to get more financial support. The party also wants to examine whether certain specialist classes can be held fully or partly online.

The FDP wants to expand full-time vocational schools and technical colleges and equip them with modern resources. Students there, for example those training as childcare workers or nurses, are to get better financial support, because unlike dual apprentices they often receive no training pay.

Some jobs are learned only at a school. Students there often get no pay. The FDP wants to change that and give them more support. It also wants to promote childcare jobs and nursing jobs.

The platform justifies the expansion by noting that school-based programs have grown in importance and produce skilled workers in technology, business, social work, design and health. The schools are to receive modern teaching and learning materials. The FDP wants to promote training for childcare workers and nursing staff in particular, because of the shortage in those fields. The practice-integrated training model (PIA) for childcare workers is to be supported further and opened to other suitable occupations.

The FDP wants to strengthen vocational schools and regional vocational training centers across all their school types. General schools would be required to tell students that school diplomas can also be earned through vocational education.

The FDP wants to strengthen vocational schools. Students can also earn school diplomas there, even the Abitur. All schools should tell their students about this. That should become mandatory.

The platform notes that too many young people leave school without a diploma and sees career-related programs as a way out of school fatigue. Vocational and general schools are to cooperate more closely at the transition from school to work. Credit for learning content is to be recognized more readily between vocational and school-based or academic education. The FDP also wants to make teaching at vocational schools more attractive and actively recruit for it.

The FDP wants to put continuing vocational education on the same financial footing as university study and make it free of charge in the medium term. Learning at any age is to be supported through tax incentives, education vouchers and broader funding.

People learn all their lives. The FDP wants to fund further job training. Later it should cost nothing, just like university. People who cannot read should also get help.

The platform calls continuing education a prerequisite for securing skilled workers and for career advancement after an apprenticeship. It wants to review whether the current maximum leave under the state's continuing education law is sufficient. The range of providers is to be reviewed and made more transparent, and advisory services expanded, including technical colleges and adult education centers. Graduates of continuing education programs should find it easier to move on to university. The FDP also wants low-barrier ways to earn school diplomas later in life and literacy courses for adults who cannot read or write.

The FDP wants to address the teacher shortage with better working conditions. This includes a 13th monthly salary, more support staff in schools and a review of whether required teaching hours can be reduced.

Schleswig-Holstein lacks many teachers. The FDP wants to make the job more attractive. Teachers should get a 13th month of pay again. Other staff should take work off their hands. Teachers might then have to teach fewer hours.

External IT support, more school social workers and school psychologists are meant to give teachers more time for teaching; schools should also be able to take on federal volunteers and gap-year volunteers. The FDP wants additional workrooms and wants the employer to pay for lesson-preparation materials. Pay, and promotions in particular, should depend more on performance. Required teaching hours are to be recalculated because the state ranks near the top among German states. Further plans include health protection, protection from violence and cyberbullying, incentives for posts in rural areas and scholarships for student teachers in shortage subjects.

The FDP wants to improve initial and continuing teacher education. A demand forecast is to show how many study places are needed at the universities in Kiel and Flensburg, especially in subjects with teacher shortages.

The FDP wants to train more teachers. First the state should work out how many teachers it needs. Then there can be more places at universities. Fewer students should drop out.

Obstacles in moving from the bachelor's to the master's program are to be analyzed and removed. A campaign is meant to attract young people to the profession, and the already agreed alliance for teacher education is to be backed with concrete measures. A separate program targets prospective students with a migration background. For STEM subjects, bridging courses and tutorials are planned at the start of studies. Better study conditions and earlier practical training are intended to lower dropout rates.

The FDP wants a statewide higher education strategy and more money for universities. Core funding, campus construction and digitalization are to be expanded so that the universities can compete nationally and internationally.

The FDP wants to strengthen the state's universities. They should get more money. Old buildings should be modernized. Teaching and administration should become more digital. There should be one plan for the whole state.

The strategy is meant to be science-led, build on the strengths of each location and make research a priority in the state budget. Investment in university buildings is to rise, with needs recorded and worked through systematically. Digitalization covers teaching, administration and links between departments; the state is to supplement the federal 'Digitale Hochschule' program and improve cybersecurity. The FDP also wants to support distinct institutional profiles, the two arts universities in Kiel and Lübeck, internationalization and cooperation with business.

The FDP wants to amend the law to give universities more independence, for example over finances, construction and staffing. The ministry would set goals rather than manage details.

Universities should decide more for themselves. This covers money, buildings and staff. The ministry should only set goals. The FDP wants to change the university law for this.

The greater independence is also meant to cover the universities' internal structures. The platform links it to more freedom in shaping institutional profiles and to research-friendly conditions. At the same time, cooperation with small and mid-sized companies and industry is to be promoted, and spin-offs are to get more support.

The FDP wants to strengthen academic freedom and free speech at universities. It opposes extremism and what it calls cancel culture, wants gender-inclusive language to remain voluntary and would not allow civil clauses.

The FDP wants free research and free speech at universities. Gender-inclusive language should be voluntary. It must not affect grades. Universities should not be allowed to ban research for the military.

Gender-inclusive language is to be a personal choice that has no effect on grades or assessments. The FDP also wants to stop foreign regimes from exerting influence on universities. Civil clauses are self-imposed commitments by universities to conduct research only for civilian, not military, purposes; such clauses would not be permitted.

The FDP wants to promote top-level research, clusters of excellence and research on artificial intelligence in the state. Lübeck is to become a leading location for AI in medicine and medical technology, and a new institute for advanced study is to be created.

The FDP wants to support top research in the state. Artificial intelligence, or AI, matters most to it. Lübeck should become a leader in AI for medicine. A new institute for researchers should also be set up.

A renewed bid by Kiel University in the national Excellence Strategy would be backed, including in cooperation with the University of Lübeck. Institutions such as the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the marine research center GEOMAR are to receive special support, as are new and expanding non-university research institutes. The state's AI framework is to be developed further, with small and mid-sized businesses more closely involved. The science department within the state administration is to gain staff and standing. A 'Schleswig-Holstein Institute for Advanced Study' would serve as an interdisciplinary research college and think tank for the state.

The FDP wants to support the founding of a vocational university that combines dual vocational training with a bachelor's degree. The aim is to strengthen dual training and meet the demand for skilled workers.

The FDP wants to support a new kind of university. Students do job training and study at the same time. They finish with a trade qualification and a bachelor's degree. This should bring more skilled workers.

The vocational university is meant for demanding occupations. Students would earn a dual vocational qualification and, in addition, an academic bachelor's degree. The FDP justifies this with the goal of strengthening dual training and meeting the need for qualified workers.

The FDP wants to expand basic research and set up a research fund that provides money on top of existing budgets. It sees this research as the foundation for innovation and cutting-edge technology.

The FDP wants more basic research in the state. That is research without a direct product in mind. A special fund should pay for it. New ideas and technology should grow from it later.

The fund is meant to finance excellent basic research in addition to existing resources. Applications must be closely tied to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, with marine protection (Goal 14) carrying special weight because of the state's location. Experts would review applications on behalf of the state. The FDP also wants to promote research cooperation in northern Germany and the Baltic Sea region, ease access to research data, and strengthen science communication, citizen science and open access.

The FDP calls for a quality drive in university teaching, with the federal government contributing substantial funds. It wants to fundamentally change the capacity rules so universities can invest more in digital teaching, student support and continuing-education modules.

The FDP wants better teaching at universities. The federal government should give a lot of money for this. Today a rule fixes how many study places there are. The FDP wants to change this rule a lot. Then universities can do more for good support.

Funding would be distributed according to quality-based criteria. Programs for teaching and research would be open to universities regardless of who runs them, including private ones. The FDP wants to adjust the regulation on teaching loads, especially for universities of applied sciences, and improve conditions for adjunct lecturers and student assistants. Advising and student support are to improve in order to reduce dropouts. It also wants more internationalization with a focus on the Baltic Sea region, support for Erasmus+, and orientation semesters eligible for BAföG student aid.

The FDP does not want to introduce tuition fees and wants to keep and further develop the semester transit pass. It also wants to support the creation of more student housing.

Studying should stay free of tuition fees. The semester ticket for buses and trains should stay. The FDP also wants more housing for students. Towns and cities should provide land for it.

In the FDP's view, more student housing matters most for first-year, international and exchange students. Municipalities are expected to provide suitable land. The semester ticket is to be continued and developed further. The program rules out tuition fees.

The FDP supports a comprehensive reform of BAföG (federal student aid) that is independent of parents' income and takes different life paths into account. In the state, it wants to raise the subsidy for the student services organization so applications are processed faster.

BAföG is state money for students. Today it depends on what parents earn. The FDP wants to change that. Applications should also be handled faster. The student services office should get more money for staff.

The higher state subsidy for the Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein is meant to pay for additional staff handling applications. In the longer run, no student should wait more than a month for a decision. Reforming BAföG itself is a federal matter; the FDP wants to back it.

The FDP wants to anchor a statewide student representation in the higher education act and abolish the Extended Senate. It also plans a nursing degree program in the north of the state and further modernization of the university hospital.

Students should get one voice for the whole state. This should be written into law. One university body, the Extended Senate, should go. People should be able to study nursing in the north. The university hospital should be modernized.

The statewide student body is meant to improve students' say in state politics. The FDP considers the Extended Senate not to have proven its worth. The new nursing program could be based in Neumünster, for example, and would add to existing offerings. At the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, buildings and equipment are to be modernized and working conditions kept good. The FDP wants fair conditions for private universities.

The FDP wants to enable universities to prevent full-face veils and other symbols it considers extremist. There should be no obligation to use gender-inclusive language in university exams.

Universities should be able to ban covering the whole face. This also applies to signs the FDP calls extremist. No one should have to use gender-inclusive language in exams. That means naming all genders when writing.

The program places full-face veils alongside extremist symbols. Preventing them is to be made possible or supported. The FDP does not want to allow a requirement to use gender-inclusive language in university exams.

The FDP wants to create additional university places in architecture and civil engineering. The aim is to gain skilled workers for housing construction and for clearing the renovation backlog of the state and municipalities.

The FDP wants more university places for architecture and construction. The state lacks experts for building homes. They should also help renovate old buildings.

The civil engineering program started in 2018 at Kiel University of Applied Sciences and the construction department in Lübeck would be expanded. According to the platform, contracts often cannot be carried out on time, and competition with Hamburg for skilled workers makes things harder. Architecture firms are also increasingly short of young professionals.

The FDP wants to expand state funding for municipal teaching pools so that every child can learn to swim. Because swimming is a compulsory part of schooling, it sees the state as responsible for countering pool closures.

Every child should be able to learn to swim. That takes swimming pools. The FDP wants the state to give more money for pools. Towns and cities should not pay the costs alone.

The platform points out that swimming lessons are a fixed part of the school curriculum. The FDP says it secured structural funding for municipal teaching pools, tied to swimming lessons actually given and meant to keep the pools running. This funding is to grow. The costs should not fall only on the municipalities that operate a pool.

The FDP wants to abolish the current religious education classes in schools and replace them with a subject on ethics and religious studies. It is to give neutral information about different religions and worldviews. The party bases this on the separation of state and religion.

Today schools teach religious education. The FDP wants to replace it. Instead there should be ethics and religious studies. There, children learn about many religions in a neutral way. The FDP says state and religion should be separate.

The new subject is to offer an open and neutral look at different religious and philosophical models. For the FDP, the basis is freedom of religion, which it links to a fundamental separation of state and religion. It regards religion as a private matter whose practice must be respected within the law.