Grüne on education

The Greens want to invest heavily in daycare, schools, vocational training and universities. The legal entitlement to education and care for elementary school children is to be put into practice as fast as possible. Every student is to get a tablet with learning software.

The Greens want to spend a lot of money on education. The money is for daycare, schools, job training and universities. Elementary school children should get a right to care. Every student should get a tablet with learning programs.

The platform calls good education the most effective way to achieve equal opportunity and fairness. Investment is to cover everything from daycare to universities. The tablet with learning software is meant as basic digital equipment for all students.

The Greens want to make dual vocational training more attractive because the number of trainees is falling. New trainee service organizations, modeled on student services, are to support trainees, for example with housing.

Fewer young people start job training. The Greens want to make this training more attractive. New trainee services should help, for example with housing. Students should learn more about jobs at school.

The platform counts fair pay and better infrastructure as part of the upgrade. Trainee service organizations are to offer housing and other services through local networks in cities and rural areas. Young people with learning difficulties should also be able to complete training. Internships and career guidance are to be strengthened at all types of schools. The Greens promote treating vocational and academic education as equal in value.

The Greens want to strengthen vocational training and scrap remaining tuition fees, especially for social professions. Extra incentives for shortage occupations, more training places, and a state program for career changers are meant to address the skills shortage.

Hesse lacks skilled workers. So the Greens want to strengthen job training. Some training courses still cost school fees. These fees should go. People without work should also find jobs again.

All types of schools are to raise more awareness of vocational training options. The Greens stand for fair pay for trainees and welcome the federal training guarantee. No young person should get lost between school and work, and Werkschulen (work-based schools) are named as one bridge. Programs for qualification and labor market integration are to be expanded. The long-term unemployed would be placed in jobs in a targeted way, including through the subsidized social labor market.

The Greens want every child to be able to attend an inclusive school while keeping the choice between inclusive schooling and a special-needs school. Inclusion is to apply from nursery through university and in leisure activities.

Children with and without disabilities should be able to learn together. The Greens want this for every child. Parents should still be able to choose a special school. Helpers at school should support the children.

Participation assistants are to be well qualified and work closely with teaching staff; the party seeks framework agreements with municipalities for this. Schools are to find it easier to pool assistants. Schools run by the Landeswohlfahrtsverband (state welfare association) get help with all-day programs and school social work, and its early-intervention centers for children with sensory impairments and autism are supported. All students should obtain a school-leaving qualification.

The Greens want to give extra resources to schools facing particular challenges. Teacher allocation based on a social index and state-funded school social work are to be expanded, as are school psychology and school health care.

Some schools have a harder job than others. These schools should get more teachers and more help. The Greens also want more school psychologists. Every school should have a fixed service for this.

The funding program for autonomous and pedagogically autonomous schools is to be reshaped so that it strengthens inclusion, integration and equal opportunity. One focus is on final-year classes in the lower and intermediate secondary tracks to ease the move into work. Every school is to get a fixed school psychology service. The post-COVID catch-up programs are to continue and focus more on the greatest needs. Integrated comprehensive schools are to be supported so that they are an option everywhere in Hesse.

The Greens want to reorganize school transport for all grades in a way they consider fairer. Whether the cost of the Schülerticket Hessen (statewide student transit pass) is covered should no longer depend on where a student lives.

Many children take the bus or train to school. Today, where you live decides who gets the ticket paid. The Greens want to change that. Travel costs should not affect which school you choose.

The program describes the criteria under which the bodies responsible for school travel costs currently pay for transport as outdated. The rules are to apply to all grades. The party's reasoning is that mobility costs should not influence young people's choice of educational path.

The Greens want to implement the legal right to all-day care for elementary school children as quickly as possible and expand all-day schooling at secondary schools too. Each year 50 more schools should be able to become fully all-day schools; a permanent "Chancenbudget" (opportunity budget) is to pay for extra activities.

The Greens want more all-day schools. Children learn and play there in the afternoon too. Each year 50 more schools should join. Schools should also get their own money for extras, such as sports and culture.

All-day schooling is to combine care, education and social learning and follow transparent quality criteria. All parents and children who want it should be offered a place at a fully or partly compulsory all-day school. The opportunity budget builds on the increased school budgets from the COVID program "Löwenstark." Schools are to use it on their own responsibility, with outside partners, for support classes and for activities in culture, sports, nature, sustainability and career orientation. The party argues that this makes educational success less dependent on family background.

The Greens want to provide every lower secondary student with a tablet or similar device that becomes the student's property through a rent-to-own model. At the same time, media protection, prevention work and computer science skills in schools are to be strengthened.

All students from grade 5 on should get a tablet. Those with little money can borrow one for free. Students should also learn to use the internet safely. In elementary school, reading and writing on paper stay most important.

A program of free loan devices is planned for students in need. The Schulportal Hessen (state school portal) is to get new digital functions, and standards for equipment and a model for IT support are to be developed with the school authorities. A catalog of vetted digital learning materials is to be built from grade 5 on; teachers are to create and share lesson units together. Basic computer science skills are to be anchored in the curricula. Training on youth media protection, civic education in lower secondary school and work with outside prevention providers are to be expanded.

The Greens want to develop a program for up-to-date school buildings together with the school authorities. In the party's view, schools should be designed as living spaces because children in all-day schooling spend many hours there.

Children spend a lot of time at school. So school buildings should become more modern. The Greens want to develop a program for this with the school authorities. There should be bigger classrooms and more room to move.

The program is to take all-day schooling, school social work, digitalization and inclusion into account in buildings and schoolyards. It is to promote sustainable construction, create larger classrooms, ventilation concepts and space for exercise, and replace the traditional corridor-and-classroom layout. Student labs and makerspaces are to encourage interest in STEM subjects. Schools are to link up with learning sites such as natural areas, school farms and adventure playgrounds.

The Greens want a learning and exam culture with less test pressure and more individual support. Numerical grades are to be dropped before third grade, written class tests are to become less frequent, and students are to get more choice in the Abitur (university entrance exam).

The Greens want less pressure from tests. In grades 1 and 2 there should be no more grades. Instead, there are reports on how the child is developing. There should be fewer class tests. Students should have more choice in their final exams.

Traditional assessments are to be reduced and supplemented by other formats; teaching is also to include phases without grading. School concepts that add written feedback to grades or replace them with it are to get more support. The choice of Abitur exam subjects is to widen, German is to be possible as a first advanced course, and the order of foreign languages may be changed. Out-of-school learning sites, democracy education and education for sustainable development are to be strengthened, the latter partly through more geography teaching.

The Greens see multilingualism as an asset and want to promote it more deliberately. Turkish is to become a regular foreign language option, teaching content is to reflect different perspectives, and trans, intersex and non-binary students are to be able to use a self-chosen first name.

Many children speak more than one language. The Greens want to support this more. Turkish should become a normal subject that all schools can offer. Trans students should be able to use the name they choose at school.

The program plans projects for multilingual reading support in elementary schools and stronger heritage language skills. Further languages such as Greek are to be added, and heritage language classes are to be open to everyone who speaks the language at home. Teaching content is to show different viewpoints, for example through international literature and historical-political education. The party regards anti-discrimination strategies and prevention programs as a fixed part of the education system, along with the modernized sex education curriculum.

The Greens want to develop ethics into a compulsory joint class for all students that covers different worldviews. They cite growing secularization and religious diversity; faith-based religious education is to remain alongside it.

All students should have ethics class together. There they learn about different religions and worldviews. Religion class will still exist. Islamic religion class should grow too.

According to the program, the aim is to strengthen respect and understanding for different worldviews. The religious education provided by religious communities, which is protected by the Basic Law (Germany's constitution), is not affected and can continue to be offered. Faith-based Islamic religious education is to be expanded.

The Greens want vocational and academic paths to be recognized as equal and movement between them made easier. They justify this with respect for individual strengths and the high demand for skilled workers in trained occupations.

Job training should count as much as a university degree. Students at academic high schools should also learn more about jobs. There should be more internships. The Greens want a big meeting on education, an education summit.

At Gymnasium schools, elective courses in trades, health and other job-related fields are to be strengthened, as are internships and orientation weeks. The tracks at vocational schools that qualify students for university are to be expanded as needed. An education summit is to deal with the equal standing of the two systems and movement between them. It is also to look at young people who leave school without a diploma on their way into work.

The Greens want to add one weekly lesson to the subject Politics and Economics in every type of school. Student councils and parents are also to get a stronger say at school, municipal and state level.

The Greens want one more lesson of politics and economics each week. This applies to all types of schools. Students should have more say in school decisions. Parents should have more say too.

The extra lesson is meant to give time for students beyond the student council to take part in school decisions. It is also meant to make room for topics that link media literacy and civic education. The platform argues that school is often the first place where young people experience democratic decision-making. How the middle grades are organized at Gymnasien, comprehensive schools and combined Haupt- and Realschulen is to be decided locally.

The Greens want to tackle the teacher shortage with better working conditions, more training and new routes for career changers. Schools are to be allowed to add an administrative head who relieves the pedagogical head of paperwork.

The Greens want to recruit more teachers. Working conditions should get better. People from other jobs should be able to study while working. Schools should be able to have a second head for office work.

Tasks such as teamwork, school development, all-day schooling and work in mixed professional teams are to count when teachers' working hours are calculated. The number of permanent posts is to be adjusted as needed. Training on individual support, inclusion, digitalization and lesson development is to increase markedly. Career changers are to qualify through part-time master's programs and follow-up training, with no loss in teaching quality.

The Greens want to keep every vocational school site in Hesse and develop them into competence centers. Digital and hybrid teaching is to cut long commutes, and the state is to cover tuition at private schools for additional shortage occupations.

The Greens want to keep all vocational schools in Hesse. The schools should become specialist centers. More lessons should take place online. That means fewer long trips. For some jobs, the state should pay the school fees.

The profiles of vocational schools are to follow the needs of each region, and the supply of schools for social professions is to be secured. Distance and hybrid teaching is to be used more, especially in regional and statewide specialist classes. Digital tools are also meant to improve cooperation with training companies. Vocational and general schools are to be treated equally in staffing and pay for school leadership.

The Greens want to keep and expand easily accessible education for adults. Volkshochschulen (adult education centers) and other recognized providers are to get more money, and second-chance education is to be strengthened.

The Greens want more education for adults. Adult education centers should get more money. Adults should find it easier to earn school diplomas later. A first job training should also be possible later in life.

The platform names lifelong learning and social participation as the goal. Together with providers, the state is to examine how it can support online learning platforms. Training on economic transformation and digitalization is to reach companies. Education initiatives in disadvantaged areas are to be funded. Schools for adults are to offer more support in academic German, also with refugees in mind.

The Greens regard teaching and research as equally important tasks of universities. Support programs for students are to become permanent, teaching-focused lectureships are to be expanded, and digital courses are to be shared across universities.

The Greens say teaching matters as much as research. Help programs for students should stay for good. There should be more posts for good teaching. Online courses should be open across all universities.

The Commission on Student Success is to continue and develop joint concepts on quality assurance, teaching methods and cooperative degree programs. Teaching done by academic staff is to count more in the Hochschulpakt (the state's funding agreement with universities). The HessenHub platform is to be expanded and become the standard for digital courses. Universities are to address the role of artificial intelligence, ensure equal opportunity and prevent misuse.

The Greens want to make it easier to switch between university and vocational training and to expand counseling for students who doubt their choice. According to the platform, the educational path should depend on interests and abilities, not on family background.

The Greens want no one to get stuck in their education. Students with doubts should get good advice. Switching paths should be easier. Family background should not decide a person's education.

Counseling is to be expanded and better linked together with the employment agency, the chambers and the universities. Support for young people from non-academic families is to be offered across Hesse. In the Bundesrat, the Greens want to back a student-finance reform that reaches more students. Orientation studies, studying at an adjusted pace and university access through vocational training are to continue. A flexible standard study period is planned for part-time students, and access for guest students is to be widened.

The Greens want to strengthen both the basic funding of universities and top-level research. The LOEWE funding program is to become more flexible and faster, and a new fund is to ease spin-offs and the transfer of knowledge into society.

The Greens want to strengthen research in Hesse. The LOEWE funding program should decide faster. A new fund should help start-ups at universities. Knowledge should reach business and society more easily.

LOEWE is to focus less on centers and prepare universities better for federal competitions. European partnerships are to be expanded. Entrepreneurship education is to be available at as many universities as possible. Regional networks are to carry transfer to business, municipalities and social initiatives. A new LOEWE TRANSFER funding line is to support real-world and transfer labs, transfer professorships, science communication and citizen science.

The Greens want results and data from state-funded research to be freely available as a rule. Universities are to be allowed by law to adopt civil clauses, meaning commitments to civilian-only research. Research on climate, AI, and peace and conflict is to be a priority.

Research paid for by the state should be free for all to read. Universities should be allowed to adopt civil clauses. That means they do research for civilian purposes only. Research on climate, artificial intelligence and peace should grow.

University senates and assemblies are to be able to decide on civil clauses. Research on the ecological crisis and climate protection is funded, among other things, through the expansion of the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt. The hessian.AI and ZEVEDI networks are to keep growing. Social and socio-ecological questions and interdisciplinary peace and conflict research are to be strengthened as a Hessian priority. The action plan on education for sustainable development continues.

The Greens want to continue university autonomy and make internal decision-making more transparent. University councils are to have only an advisory role in future, while departments and senates are to be more involved.

Universities should keep deciding many things themselves. It should be clear how decisions are made. University councils should only give advice. Departments and senates should have more say.

University statutes are to show how decisions come about. The role of department councils in budget planning is to be regulated, and senates are to be more involved in models for allocating funds. The study commissions will be reviewed and developed further. Cooperation between universities, for example in joint degree programs, is to become easier. A statewide student representation based on delegates is to be examined.

The Greens want to fund the Studierendenwerke (student services organizations) according to their tasks through a university social pact. The state subsidy is to be in balance with students' contributions in order to curb price increases in cafeterias and dorms.

Student services run cafeterias, dorms and counseling. The Greens want to give them reliable funding. The state should pay as much as the students do. This should keep prices stable.

The platform sees the Studierendenwerke as the social infrastructure of university life, benefiting especially students without wealthy parents and international students. If a new state program on high energy prices is needed, they are to be included again so dorm rents stay stable. Target agreements are to set social, ecological and structural goals. The platform considers a nationwide renovation program for cafeterias necessary.

The Greens want to keep increasing funds under the Hochschulpakt (the state's funding agreement with universities) by four percent a year. The party rejects tuition fees, and students' administrative fees are to be phased out swiftly.

Universities should get 4 percent more money every year. There should be no tuition fees. Students now pay a fee for administration. This fee should go away soon.

Permanent tasks such as digitalization, the 300 additional professorships and mid-level academic staff at universities of applied sciences are to move into earmarked basic funding. A mechanism is to offset high collective wage settlements, and universities are to be considered in crisis instruments. Projects across several universities get a special focus. Continuous statewide university development planning with outside experts is meant to make cooperation and priorities visible.

The Greens want to bring universities' continuing-education offerings together in one joint center. The platform points to the high demand for skilled workers caused by economic transformation.

The economy needs many skilled workers. So universities should offer more further training. A joint center should collect the courses. Getting into science and technology should become easier.

State support is to be built up for fields of special importance to the knowledge society. Partnerships with companies that want to upskill their employees are also planned. In STEM subjects, interdisciplinary degree programs are to make starting a degree more attractive. Non-consecutive master's programs are to allow a later entry into these subjects.

The Greens want every child in Hesse to have access to cultural education. A pact for cultural education would anchor creative activities in schools, music schools would get more public money, and libraries would become meeting places.

Every child should be able to discover art and music. Schools should get regular activities for this. Music schools should get more public money. Their teachers should be paid better. Libraries should become places to meet and learn.

A pact for cultural education would complement the existing all-day schooling pact so that offerings from cultural institutions and freelance artists become part of school life. Together with municipalities, the party wants to implement the results of the round table on music school funding, raise public contributions significantly and pay teachers appropriately. Pilot funding for youth art schools is to be examined. A library development plan is meant to turn libraries into "living rooms of the cities." Theater education is to get more support, and an "Institute for Cultural Education" would handle networking, training and quality.