One month before the election for the 20th legislative period, the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) has documented the higher education policy positions of the parties for the Bundestag election on its website. The answers to eight election touchstone questions have been placed side by side to enable direction comparison between them. The HRK surveyed all parties that are currently represented in the Bundestag and, according to election forecasts, have a realistic chance of entering the next Bundestag.
In recent months, the HRK had formulated its expectations for the future role of the federal government in higher education policy, based on various resolutions or working papers, on the topics of "Effective framework conditions for teaching and learning", "Appeal to the federal government and states to further develop digital teaching infrastructures", "Academisation of the health professions" and "Requirements for further development of the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG)".
HRK President Prof Dr Peter-André Alt commented on the parties' responses:
"The answers to the election touchstones of the German Rectors' Conference show that there is a real choice in the upcoming Bundestag elections. The votes of the electorate determine the extent to which the central needs of universities in society as a whole are fully taken into account – for example in the areas of digitalisation, building maintenance and development, sustainable campus design and teaching. There are also clear differences in how the parties assess the situation at universities and in research in general with regard to the further development of academic career paths. For students, the answers to the election touchstones make it easy to see which BAföG gradations will be shown to need reform in the next legislative period. I am pleased that the parties have answered us so clearly and directly, and I see important issues on the agenda for the next federal government."
To the election touchstones (in German)
