German students up in arms about funding cuts
Key takeaways
- Germany's research minister Dorothee Bär says German students' situation is "very privileged" and has rejected reform of the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG), in the process turning many students against her.
- https://p.dw.com/p/5FIj CImage: Oliver Pieper/DWAdvertisement Wiebke Jaeger is 23 and works part-time for 12 hours a week, helping young refugees with job applications.
- Jaeger explained her position to DW: "I was frustrated, because once again cuts are set to be made in the social sector, and decisions are being taken over the heads of young people.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Germany's research minister Dorothee Bär says German students' situation is "very privileged" and has rejected reform of the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG), in the process turning many students against her.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FIj CImage: Oliver Pieper/DWAdvertisement Wiebke Jaeger is 23 and works part-time for 12 hours a week, helping young refugees with job applications. At the same time, she is studying Politics and Society at the University of Bonn. Jaeger is one of the reported 66% of students across the country who work to finance their studies — and at the moment many of them are not particularly pleased with the Federal Minister of Research, a member of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) party.
Jaeger explained her position to DW: "I was frustrated, because once again cuts are set to be made in the social sector, and decisions are being taken over the heads of young people. When Dorothee Bär says that students are privileged and do not really need an increase in BAföG [state assistance for studies], that is quite an audacious statement for a federal research minister."