SPD on education

The SPD wants to make the exams for Meister (master craftsman), Fachwirt (certified business specialist) and technician free of charge in Hesse. This is meant to help the skilled trades and the economy secure young skilled workers and spare journeymen from taking on large loans. In the preface, the party also promises to secure training sites and vocational schools.

The SPD wants to make the master craftsman exam free. The same goes for similar advanced job exams. Then nobody has to take out a loan for them. More people should get these qualifications. This should help with the shortage of skilled workers.

Part-time qualification toward these degrees while working would also be supported. The Aufstiegs-BAföG, a public grant for advanced vocational training, would be expanded and made easier to use in Hesse. The program calls training leaders who can continue businesses and train newcomers a central task. The preface puts the gap at 180,000 skilled workers over five years and announces more career guidance, further training for everyone and recruitment of skilled workers and other labor.

The SPD wants to secure vocational schools and training sites across Hesse, especially in rural areas. To do so, the minimum number of students per school is to be lowered, and the state government's "future-proof vocational school" concept is to be halted. The schools are to get more teachers and better digital equipment.

The SPD wants to keep vocational schools everywhere in Hesse. This includes schools in rural areas. Small classes should be allowed for this. The schools should get more teachers. They should also get better technology.

The minimum student number for vocational schools is to be lowered so that rural sites can stay open. The SPD considers the state government's traffic-light system for the "future-proof vocational school" a failure and wants a moratorium on it; a new process with schools, unions, chambers, employers, school authorities and universities is to follow. Plans include a teacher recruitment drive for vocational schools, a "virtual vocational school" pilot and a separate vocational schools department in the education ministry. Schools are to receive fiber connections, Wi-Fi and mobile devices. The program treats vocational and academic education as equal in value.

The SPD wants students in dual study programs to be treated like apprentices under the law during their in-company phases. Hesse is to push for this at the federal level. Until then, binding statewide rules are to secure training quality and a minimum pay level.

Some people study and work in a company at the same time. This is called dual study. There are few fixed rules for them so far. The SPD wants to treat them like apprentices. Until then, Hesse should make its own rules.

In the program's view, dual-study students are in a gray zone without binding rules on the quality of their training. Hesse is to work at the federal level for legal equality with apprentices during practical phases. As a transitional step, the SPD plans statewide requirements that also cover the minimum training wage. The program regards dual study as an important building block alongside apprenticeships and university study.

The SPD wants career orientation to start earlier and be offered in every type of school. Topics such as in-company training, workplace democracy and labor unions are to enter the curricula of general education schools. Career counseling is to be reviewed and, if needed, reorganized.

Students should learn about jobs earlier. This should happen at all schools. They should also talk about job training and labor unions. Career advice should fit young people better.

Vocational education and career orientation are to take place in every school type and begin earlier than today. The curriculum of general education schools is to include in-company training, democracy in the workplace, and the history and role of labor unions. Career counseling is to take young people's interests and abilities into account. The current form of counseling is to be evaluated and reorganized where necessary. The state is also to fund support for young people entering working life.

The SPD wants education to be free of charge from early childhood care through to a master craftsman certificate or a master's degree. Educational success should depend neither on parents' income nor on where a child lives. The teacher shortage in Hesse is to be ended.

Education should be free for everyone. This goes from toddler groups to a master's degree. All children should have the same chances. Where they live should not matter. There should be enough teachers.

The program promises that social advancement through qualification should be possible. Children are to have equal educational opportunities regardless of origin, gender, social background or disability. To avoid long trips to school, the SPD mentions mixed-age elementary classes and joint secondary schools. School authorities are to get targeted support for modernizing their schools in order to reduce regional differences. The party rejects, as a matter of principle, sorting children into groups that are as uniform as possible.

The SPD wants to present a concrete plan for turning schools into all-day schools, preferably with mandatory or partly mandatory afternoon programs. The legal entitlement to all-day care for elementary-age children is to be met everywhere and secured in the school law. The party sees this as a contribution to equal opportunity.

The SPD wants more all-day schools. Children also learn there in the afternoon. Every elementary school child should get a place. This should be true in every village and neighborhood. The school law should set firm rules for this.

The expansion is meant not only to add places but also to restructure the school day, alternating lessons, independent work and free time. Clubs and other outside partners are to be involved. According to the program, this requires more and well-qualified staff. The school law is to set standards for qualifications, staffing ratios, buildings and equipment. In building and renovating schools, the SPD favors flexible rooms as well as spaces for learning and movement.

The SPD wants to make digitally supported teaching possible in every classroom. The rule that learning materials are free is to cover digital devices and platforms as well. A digitalization master plan and a new "Center for Education in the Digital World" are to guide the change.

Schools should work more with digital media. Students and teachers get the needed devices for free. Teachers get training for this. A new center should help the schools. Children should also learn to use media safely.

Together with school authorities, schools are to be equipped so that learners can switch between books and online offerings. This includes IT support and a training drive for all teachers; statewide subject groups are to support them on content. A digitalization master plan is also to adapt curricula and teaching methods. The planned center (ZBDW) is to analyze digital change and pass on subject, technical and teaching skills. Modules on youth media protection and on preventing media addiction are to be mandatory.

The SPD wants to give schools more independence in teaching and organization. Written descriptions of learning achievement are to become an equal alternative to grades, since the party considers grades to be of limited informative value. Quality is to be secured through a Hesse education report.

Schools should be able to decide more on their own. They should also be able to try new ways of teaching. Instead of grades, schools may write reports on progress. The reports say what a child can already do. They also show the next learning steps.

Schools are to receive time and money budgets for their development; school trials and pilot projects are seen as important. Skills-based feedback is to become the norm and name the next learning steps, in a way that is transparent for learners and parents. A separate Hesse education report and a regular, binding update of the state's school quality framework are planned. The education administration is to focus on supporting schools and teachers in teaching quality. Curricula are to be checked for coherence and overlaps.

The SPD commits to religious education that the state runs jointly with churches and religious communities, and wants to offer it for as many denominations as possible. Schools run by independent providers are to remain secured. At the same time, regular checks are to ensure private schools comply with the ban on selecting students by family wealth.

The SPD wants to keep religion classes. They should exist for many faiths. Private schools should also stay. But they may not pick children by their parents' money. The SPD wants to check this regularly.

Religious education is to be marked by mutual knowledge and understanding. According to the program, independent school providers secure the religious and philosophical diversity of schooling. The Sonderungsverbot bars private schools from selecting children by their parents' financial means. The SPD wants to check compliance with it regularly and consistently.

The SPD wants to expand inclusive teaching in all school types and equip every school for it in terms of buildings, materials and staff. Children are to learn together for longer, above all in integrated comprehensive schools. Schools in difficult settings are to get smaller classes and more support based on a social index.

Children with and without disabilities should learn together. All schools should be able to do this. There will be more staff and smaller classes for it. Children should learn together in one school for longer. Schools with many problems get more help.

Multi-professional teams and smaller classes are meant to help teachers deal with differing ability levels. More positions for inclusion are to be created and every school is to get basic resources for special support; counseling and support centers are to merge with school psychology services into support agencies. For longer joint learning, the SPD relies on differentiated teaching within integrated comprehensive schools, ideally without moving students down to another school track, plus flexible entry phases and mixed-age classes. A pilot for a flexible, modular upper secondary level is planned. A school-specific social index is to steer extra resources, and the pool of substitute teachers is to be enlarged.

The SPD wants to strengthen career and life-skills orientation in all school types and, to that end, introduce the subject Arbeitslehre (work studies) at Gymnasium schools. According to the program, this is meant to give students more freedom of choice for their future path.

The SPD wants a new subject at Gymnasium schools. It is called Arbeitslehre, which means work studies. Students learn about jobs there. All schools should also teach everyday topics. Examples are rental contracts and tax returns.

All school types are to cover topics of independent living, including rental contracts, tax returns, economic transformation, and living and working in the digital world. The program also sets priorities in civic education and sustainability. The SPD treats vocational training and university study as equally valuable.

The SPD wants to support municipalities and nonprofit providers so that adult education centers (Volkshochschulen) and other adult learning programs are kept and expanded. Language support, basic education and civic education are to grow. The party opposes precarious employment in continuing education.

The SPD wants more education for adults. Adult education centers should get help from the state. There should be more language classes. Digital classes should be added too. People who work in adult education should have better conditions.

New digital formats are to be added to existing offerings. Schools for adults are to be strengthened, among other things through better working conditions. For people with a refugee background, the SPD wants a curriculum-based program in academic German so they can earn qualifications and take part in working life. It plans to invite all providers to a dialogue on working conditions in continuing education.

The SPD wants to end the teacher shortage and canceled classes. To do so, it plans a major expansion of lateral entry into teaching, more university places, and starting pay at grade A13 for all teachers. The party argues that the work of all teachers is of equal value.

The SPD wants more teachers in Hesse. Classes should no longer be canceled. All new teachers should get the same starting pay. This pay grade is called A13. People from other jobs should find it easier to become teachers.

On-the-job lateral entry with training is also meant to give substitute teachers a long-term prospect. Teacher training degrees are to last ten semesters for all school types, and the practical semester is to be paid. Every school should be able to take on at least two trainee teachers without this counting against its weekly teaching hours. A scholarship program is to create incentives for shortage subjects. The SPD also plans a dedicated degree in school social pedagogy and promotion prospects for teachers of practical-technical subjects.

The SPD wants to relieve teachers and principals of administrative tasks and take better account of the hours they actually work. It plans additional administrative posts, an institute for teacher health and an independent ombuds office. The program points to the state's duty of care as an employer.

The SPD wants to take work off teachers. Schools should get more office staff. There should be an institute for teachers' health. Overworked teachers should be able to turn to an independent office. Contracts without pay over the summer break should end.

Teachers who take on special tasks are to teach fewer hours. Fixed-term contracts that leave teachers unpaid over the summer break are to end, and vacant posts are to be filled quickly. The ombuds office is meant for teachers who report overload or experience violence; in special cases, a temporary reduction in hours without loss of pay is to be possible. Together with teachers' representative bodies, the SPD wants to launch a working-time study. Staff councils are to receive credited hours for their work, and part-time teachers incentives to increase their hours.

The SPD wants to expand participation in schools. In the school conference (Schulkonferenz), teachers, parents and students are each to hold the same number of seats. Democracy education is to be anchored in the curricula of all school types.

The SPD wants more say for people at schools. In the school conference, three groups should have the same number of seats. The groups are teachers, parents and students. Students should learn about democracy at school.

Class councils and student representation are to carry more weight at all levels. The program describes school as a place free of fear where tolerance, solidarity and respect are taught beyond the classroom as well. Democracy education is to be treated as a cross-subject task.

The SPD wants to fund school social work at every school and support teams made up of different professions. Schools are to work more closely with clubs, music schools and other partners. Youth work outside of school is to remain independent.

The SPD wants social workers at every school. Schools should work more with local clubs. Music schools should be part of this too. Volunteer work by students should appear on report cards. The SPD also wants more student exchanges.

In all-day schooling, programs offered by music schools, clubs and charitable organizations are to be coordinated. Students' volunteer work is to be noted on report cards. The SPD wants to promote school partnerships and exchanges, with an emphasis on the European idea. For education for sustainable development, schools are to cooperate with local partners such as senior homes or family centers.

The SPD wants learning materials to be entirely free of charge and free of advertising, and aims for free lunches at schools. This is meant to counter child poverty. School psychology, school health professionals and protection against sexual abuse are also to be expanded.

The SPD wants learning materials to cost nothing. School lunch should become free too. This should help poor children. Schools should get more health professionals. Schools should protect children better from abuse.

Hesse is to join the EU school fruit program, and projects against food waste are to be funded. School health professionals are to be deployed statewide, and health education is to be firmly established at all schools. Schools are to have protection plans against sexual abuse, and emergency aid for victims is to be expanded. The SPD also wants to strengthen suicide prevention and have students learn how to deal with emotions and conflicts.

The SPD wants to keep university study free of fees and abolish Hesse's administrative fee. Access to higher education should depend less on family background, so a state program for children of non-academics is planned. Vocational training and university study are to become more permeable.

The SPD wants university to cost nothing. An administrative fee should be dropped. Children of parents without a degree should get help. More people should be able to study without the Abitur school diploma. Part-time study should become easier too.

Options for studying without the Abitur are to be widened and switching between vocational training and university in both directions made easier. Part-time study is to be expanded considerably, for example for working people and single parents, and financial hurdles in dual study programs will be reviewed. The SPD wants to add study places and create a legal right to a master's place after the bachelor's degree. More international students and doctoral candidates are to complete their degrees. Universities are to be more present across the state, including a new site in Limburg.

The SPD wants to give the Studierendenwerke (student services organizations) more money and make the semester transit pass cheaper through state subsidies. A Hesse scholarship is to support students entering professions with lasting skills shortages. At the federal level, the party wants to press for a reform of BAföG (student financial aid).

The SPD wants to help students more. The student services organizations should get more money. They run dorms and cafeterias. The semester transit pass should get cheaper. There should be a Hesse scholarship for jobs that lack workers.

In the SPD's view, students need affordable housing, low-cost cafeterias, mobility and good counseling so that study is open to everyone. The semester pass is to be compatible with the 49-euro ticket. As examples for the Hesse scholarship, the platform names rural doctors and teachers. BAföG is to be adjusted to real living costs.

The SPD wants to turn the currently voluntary "Kodex für gute Arbeit" (code for good work) at universities into a binding rule covering all staff groups. Fixed-term contracts are to be cut back sharply. Student assistants are to get a collective agreement and, in the short term, 15 percent higher pay.

Many university staff only have temporary contracts. The SPD wants more permanent jobs. Rules for good work should become mandatory. Student assistants should get a collective pay agreement. Their pay should quickly rise by 15 percent.

To reduce fixed-term contracts, the SPD plans a minimum quota of tenure-track commitments for postdocs, more permanent positions at department level, and tying state-funded research grants more closely to permanent jobs. The state collective agreement (TV-H) is to be extended to student assistants, who would also get representation on staff councils. An immediate program after a change of government is to raise their pay by 15 percent. Doctoral candidates are to be legally guaranteed at least half their working time for their own dissertation. The right to award doctorates at universities of applied sciences is to be expanded step by step.

The SPD wants to reduce teaching loads and improve the student-to-teacher ratio at universities. Digital teaching is to get binding standards, and universities are to teach digital skills. According to the platform, good teaching shortens study times and lowers dropout rates.

University teachers in Hesse have to teach a lot. The SPD wants to lower this load. There should be fewer students per teacher. Digital teaching should follow fixed rules. Students should learn how things like artificial intelligence work.

The plan includes better conditions for teacher training in didactics. Extra preparation for new teaching content and methods is to be better rewarded. E-learning and blended learning are to be developed through binding standards. Universities are to teach how AI, algorithms and the data economy work; the SPD wants to develop cross-disciplinary courses and exchange with professional practice together with them, accompanied by the new Zentrum für Bildung in der Digitalen Welt (center for education in the digital world). Funding under the Digitalpakt for universities is to be increased.

The SPD wants to give students, mid-level academic staff and non-academic staff more say in universities. As a reference, the platform points to states with "Viertelparität" (four-way parity), where all four groups are equally represented on governing bodies. Volunteer work should be easier to combine with studying.

More groups should help decide things at universities. This applies to students and staff. Students should get a body that speaks for them across Hesse. It should also be allowed to speak on general politics. Students who volunteer should get more time for their studies.

Student participation is to be firmly anchored through a general political mandate and a statewide student representation. A general political mandate allows student bodies to take positions on issues beyond the university. For engagement in university bodies and in nonprofit associations, the SPD plans leave semesters and looser standard study periods. Work in university bodies is to be compensated with an expense allowance.

The SPD wants to raise funding for Hesse's universities to the level of institutes jointly financed by the federal government and the states. An immediate program is to offset higher prices. The platform stresses predictability for research and teaching.

Universities in Hesse should get more money they can count on. Prices have gone up, so there should be a quick emergency program. The SPD does not want to wait until 2025. It also wants to pay for more permanent jobs.

Funding is once again to reflect the actual cost of a study place, which differs by subject. The immediate program is to come right after a change of government, because in the SPD's view universities cannot wait until the Hochschulpakt (university funding pact) expires in 2025. The ratio of students to teaching staff is to improve. Additional money is planned to make the code for good work binding and to create more permanent positions.