“Hands off school support”: Protests in Hamburg
Hamburg, July 1 – On Wednesday afternoon, around 900 people gathered at Jungfernstieg in Hamburg to protest against proposed cuts to school support for children with disabilities. The demonstration, organized under the motto “Hands off school support,” coincided with a debate on the issue in the Hamburg Parliament.
Concerns over reduced support hours
Many demonstrators, including families and children with disabilities, expressed their anger and concern. Some reported already receiving notifications about reduced school support hours, while others highlighted the struggle to secure support despite clear needs. Slogans on placards included “Whoever saves on children pays double tomorrow” and “Save on your diets, not on our children.”
The protesters, supported by the Social Association Hamburg, the teachers’ union GEW, the Hamburg Students’ Chamber, and associations for people with disabilities, demanded that the Senate withdraw the proposed changes.
What does school support entail?
According to the school authorities, school support assists students with existing or impending disabilities, enabling them to participate in the educational work of school staff tailored to their needs. This can include help with orientation in daily school life, social interactions, or everyday tasks. The demand for school support has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Bekeris refutes claims of cuts
School Senator Ksenija Bekeris (SPD) strongly rejected criticism of her plans on Tuesday, stating, “There are no cuts whatsoever. We will make even more money available for school support in the next budget.” She acknowledged that costs have risen recently due to a significant increase in the number of children receiving support. Over the past 12 years, the cost of school support has increased from under seven million to over 42 million euros.
Therefore, school support is to be reorganized. For example, several children may share a support person, and specialists will only be approved in exceptional cases. Bekeris noted that the discretion in approving support has sometimes been very broad.
Individual cases to be reviewed separately
Bekeris clarified, “There will be no savings, and above all, not at the point where the needs reported by the school correspond to what the students actually need.” She also announced that individual cases would be reviewed separately to ensure that eligible students continue to have access to appropriate support services, meaning individual student needs will be assessed.
Debate in the Hamburg Parliament
While the protest was taking place outside, the issue also sparked intense discussions in the Hamburg Parliament. Senator Bekeris emphasized that the announced changes were solely about refining approval procedures. However, the Left Party countered, with Sabine Ritter (Left) stating that many parents had recently received notices that school support for their children would not continue. “The children, for whom we are supposed to be thinking, have had their school support taken away,” Ritter said, calling it a frontal attack on inclusion.
The AfD accused the Senate of wanting to continue saving in the education sector. Birgit Stöver of the CDU asked, “How much more uncertainty do you want to create for parents, students, teachers, and schools?”
Parica Partoshoar (Greens) admitted that communication had been poor, but stated, “Poor communication does not automatically lead to widespread cuts.” However, the coalition partner indicated they would closely monitor the practical implications of the changes for the SPD.
School authorities’ plans
According to the school authorities, the number of school support cases has more than doubled since 2014, from around 1,600 to over 4,000, with costs rising from 6.75 to 42.15 million euros during the same period. The school authorities therefore plan to adjust the approval process for the new school year. Future volunteer year (FSJ) staff will be centrally organized in so-called combination measures, where one support person assists several children. For children with specific support needs – for example, in learning, language, or emotional development – a school year will initially be used to assess what support the school itself can provide before school support is approved. There will be no upper limit on approvals.
Criticism from unions and associations
The Education and Science Workers’ Union (GEW) criticized the plans as “savings measures at the expense of children,” stating that inclusion is a human right and not a voluntary service that can be cut depending on the budget situation. The Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, representing organizations that provide school support, warned that after receiving support in kindergartens, children would suddenly be left alone in school. The association called on the school authorities to suspend these changes.
The Paritätischer in Hamburg warns against cuts to school support. School support assists children who have difficulty learning. The education authority apparently plans to approve fewer school support staff.
School meals will become more expensive for Hamburg parents. Parents will have to pay more for their children’s school meals starting in August. The authority is contributing less.
Source: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/kuerzung-oder-weiterentwicklung-streit-um-hamburgs-schulbegleitung,schulbegleitung-116.html
