GERMANY: Minister vows to defend "education republic"

Annette Schavan is to remain Germany's Federal Minister of Education and Research. Schavan said she would do all she could to maintain the country's role as an "education republic", and that this must not be jeopardised by tax reliefs.

Germany's new Christian Democrat - Free Democrat Coalition announced it will spend an additional EUR12 billion (US$17.8 billion) on education and research, although its distribution has yet to be specified. On the other hand, the Coalition has confronted the state governments with EUR800 million in tax cuts - although the latter are immediately responsible for higher education funding, the federal government also provides money.

Under Chancellor Angela Merkel's previous administration, Schavan herself sealed a package of EUR1.13 billion, half state- and half federal-funded, to finance the increase in student numbers from 2006 to 2010.

The Excellence Initiative to boost improvements in higher education and research also began during her first period in office. Now the minister has declared that "The Education Republic of Germany must not falter because of a race to attain the biggest tax reliefs."

Fifty-four-year-old Schavan studied education science, philosophy and Catholic theology in Bonn and Münster and became an honorary professor of Catholic theology at the Free University of Berlin this year.

Schavan, a Christian Democrat, was Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports for the State of Baden-Württemberg from 1995-2005, and Vice-president of the Central Committee of German Catholics from 1994-2005.

Whereas Schavan's reappointment as education and research minister had generally been expected, the new Development Minister came as a complete surprise. Even during the election campaign itself, Dirk Niebel, General Secretary of the Free Democratic Party, had declared that the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) ought to be abolished and its activities integrated in the Foreign Office. He is now head of the BMZ and says he expects it to assume a more important role in the future.

michael.gardner@uw-news.com