Students call for minister to resign over lack of support

At demonstrations in several German cities, students have voiced their anger over what they see as the government’s failure to respond to their financial plight in the coronavirus crisis, brandishing posters calling for the Christian Democrat Education Minister Anja Karliczek to step down.

Student union representatives sent an open letter to the government in May, pointing out that around two-thirds of all students have to rely on part-time jobs for sufficient income. The coronavirus crisis has above all affected student jobs in the catering, trade fair and major event sectors.

Recent surveys suggest that around 40% of Germany’s nearly three million students are now without part-time employment. And labour market experts are reckoning that temporary jobs normally available during the summer break are largely not being offered this year.

“Without a part-time job, you are short of money to pay the rent and for learning material and to meet the cost of living in general,” says Michael Maurer of the University of Mainz student union.

Maurer claims that what the government has so far offered to cope with the crisis is insufficient. Student anger is above all focused on Education Minister Karliczek, with posters at the demos demanding a “Karlicz-Exit”.

So far, the federal government has offered to provide students facing financial hardship with loans of up to €650 (US$740) via the state-run KfW bank. These loans have to be repaid entirely and are only interest-free if students repay them within a year.

“The education minister is offering emergency support in the form of a loan. This means that she is asking students to either give up studying or become over-indebted,” says Amanda Steinmaus of the freier zusammenschluss von student*innenschaften (FZS), an association of German student unions.

The government announced in April that it would be providing around €100 million for students facing extreme hardship. This scheme would allocate up to €500 a month to students in this group for a maximum of three months.

Michael Meister, who is parliamentary state secretary at the federal education ministry, says that payments will be started this month.

“Students who are eligible will be able to apply for this bridging allowance in the form of a non-repayable grant at their local branch of the Deutsches Studentenwerk [German National Association for Student Affairs] this June,” Meister explained.

“Too little, too late,” comments Johannes Maurer. “In many university cities, this is hardly enough to pay the rent.” Student unions have announced that they will be holding a nationwide demonstration in Berlin on 20 June.

Meanwhile, universities, lecturers, student unions, student church communities and student aid organisations have launched various initiatives to support students facing hardship.

For example, Stuttgart Media University has started an aid fund, Butter und Brot – für Studis in Not, while the Technical University of Darmstadt and Freiberg University of Mining and Technology have each set up coronavirus special funds.

Michael Gardner, E-mail: michael.gardner@uw-news.com