Bitkom on the digitalization of schools after Corona
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2025 9:33 am
President Berg: “Corona teaches schools digitization”
Regarding the debate about restarting schools, Bitkom President Achim Berg explains:
"The digitalization caused by Corona has ushered in a long overdue change of era in schools. We cannot simply turn back the clock. It would be wrong to hastily return to the old teaching mode.
Instead of repeatedly ordering students and teachers to go to school in small groups for short periods of time under extremely difficult conditions, there should be a more consistent focus on high-quality digital education that is accessible to everyone. When it comes to digitizing education, we have spent ages discussing what is not possible. Until a few weeks ago, German schools taught like they did 40 years ago.
Then the virus came and suddenly we had to catch up on what we had missed, as if in fast-forward. Everything went digital because there was no other option. Classrooms were moved to virtual classrooms, blackboards and chalk were replaced by learning platforms, and funds were made available for digital equipment. Schools, school administrations and teachers are currently taking a crash course in digitalization. When we have defeated the virus, we must be able to say about this time: Corona has taught German schools digitalization.
Digital technologies have kept schools running, at least to a limited extent, in pakistan gambling data recent weeks. Now it's all about making schools better, fairer and more flexible through digitalization. We must not allow the social divide to become deeper. Children from low-income families must be supported with a digital child benefit of 300 euros on a regular basis in order to purchase digital learning materials and devices for digital lessons.
Teachers must be given much better and more intensive support in using digital educational content and tools, for example on technical and legal issues. Digital learning platforms and educational content provided by the federal and state governments must become standard in all schools beyond the Corona period.
The billion-euro Digital Pact for Schools must now finally and immediately reach schools in order to equip them with digital hardware. And in all states, digital skills should be anchored in school law as a mandatory training module in order to make the digitalization of education successful in the long term."
“Digital Pact Germany”: Political proposals from Bitkom
The digital association Bitkom has presented political proposals for the way out of the Corona crisis and the period afterward with the "Digital Pact Germany: Upswing for the economy and innovation". The complete program is available online.
Regarding the debate about restarting schools, Bitkom President Achim Berg explains:
"The digitalization caused by Corona has ushered in a long overdue change of era in schools. We cannot simply turn back the clock. It would be wrong to hastily return to the old teaching mode.
Instead of repeatedly ordering students and teachers to go to school in small groups for short periods of time under extremely difficult conditions, there should be a more consistent focus on high-quality digital education that is accessible to everyone. When it comes to digitizing education, we have spent ages discussing what is not possible. Until a few weeks ago, German schools taught like they did 40 years ago.
Then the virus came and suddenly we had to catch up on what we had missed, as if in fast-forward. Everything went digital because there was no other option. Classrooms were moved to virtual classrooms, blackboards and chalk were replaced by learning platforms, and funds were made available for digital equipment. Schools, school administrations and teachers are currently taking a crash course in digitalization. When we have defeated the virus, we must be able to say about this time: Corona has taught German schools digitalization.
Digital technologies have kept schools running, at least to a limited extent, in pakistan gambling data recent weeks. Now it's all about making schools better, fairer and more flexible through digitalization. We must not allow the social divide to become deeper. Children from low-income families must be supported with a digital child benefit of 300 euros on a regular basis in order to purchase digital learning materials and devices for digital lessons.
Teachers must be given much better and more intensive support in using digital educational content and tools, for example on technical and legal issues. Digital learning platforms and educational content provided by the federal and state governments must become standard in all schools beyond the Corona period.
The billion-euro Digital Pact for Schools must now finally and immediately reach schools in order to equip them with digital hardware. And in all states, digital skills should be anchored in school law as a mandatory training module in order to make the digitalization of education successful in the long term."
“Digital Pact Germany”: Political proposals from Bitkom
The digital association Bitkom has presented political proposals for the way out of the Corona crisis and the period afterward with the "Digital Pact Germany: Upswing for the economy and innovation". The complete program is available online.