Comment on digital Pact: The trust is gone

The Federal government wants to help the schools in the digitization. A considerable sum is available for this purpose, a “envy post”, as some say: five billion euros. It was supposed to start in January. Nothing will come of it but, for the moment at least. All of a sudden, the so-called digital Pact is caught in a fundamental conflict between the Federation and the länder, so to speak, as the collateral damage of a crisis of federalism.

all the digital Pact, and all recognize how urgent the matter is. The Problem behind it: The digital Pact can only start, if there has been a Change in the basic law. And the basic law should be amended so that the Federal government can directly access to the schools. Education policy is the responsibility of the States, the Federal government has to keep out of it. Actually. But to lead all schools to the digital age, as far as possible to approximately the same level, this is a national task.

The digital Pact was invented two years ago. At the time, but it wasn’t called, a fundamental change in the law was necessary. It is a Constitution would be a legal bridge, a bit wobbly, but workable. Was meant to be an article in the basic law, which allows for a cooperation between the Federal government and the States already, when it comes to Standards in the information technology. Skeptics there were, the Chancellor was one of them.