The Saarland Chamber of Skilled Crafts criticizes the media fee

The Saarland Ministry of Education is planning to introduce a uniform media fee at secondary schools. The Saarland Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Trades criticizes this and hopes the ministry will reverse its decision.

The Ministry of Education in Saarland is planning to introduce a statewide, standardized media lending system (Statewide Systematic Media Lending Saar) starting in the 2026/2027 school year. This system aims to ensure the uniform and reliable provision of teaching and learning materials by the school authorities. Students will be able to obtain their learning materials through the system, eliminating the need to purchase them themselves. After the summer holidays, a flat fee of €160 will be charged for this service at secondary schools, including vocational schools.

The Saarland Chamber of Skilled Crafts (HWK) is appealing to the Ministry to reconsider the introduction of the fee. The HWK believes that the significantly rising costs at vocational schools would place an additional burden on many apprentices in the skilled trades. "The skilled trades need qualified professionals. Therefore, we shouldn't burden apprentices with additional costs. It would make sense to cap media fees at vocational schools or at least keep them at a very low level. That would send an important signal for strengthening dual vocational training," says HWK Managing Director Hans-Ulrich Thalhofer.

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Hans-Ulrich Thalhofer Photo: © Jennifer Weyland

The planned flat fee per school year would represent a significant additional burden for many students at vocational schools. This contradicts the political goal of strengthening vocational education and sustainably supporting the securing of skilled workers. "Anyone who wants to attract more young people to vocational training should improve the framework conditions and not create additional financial barriers," emphasizes Thalhofer. At the same time, the Chamber of Skilled Crafts points to existing deficiencies in the digital infrastructure at some vocational schools.

In some trades, students are already using their own tablets to access learning materials and digital media. However, the local Wi-Fi infrastructure is sometimes insufficiently powerful. Thalhofer: "If digital learning tools are to be mandatory, the technical equipment in schools must also meet the requirements. Modern digital education needs not only devices and learning materials, but also a reliable infrastructure."

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