Weiden/Munich (dpa/lby) – According to the Greens in the state parliament, all class trips and school trips for the first seven classes should be financed 100 percent by the Free State this school year. “These activities cost money and not every family can afford it in these tense times,” said parliamentary group leader Katharina Schulze on Wednesday at the start of the autumn meeting of the Greens in Weiden in the Upper Palatinate. Unfortunately, children and young people do not have the status they should have in the state policy of the government. Children still tend to forget far too often.
“All children should be able to take part in experiences such as excursions and school trips, regardless of their parents’ wallets. We are therefore calling for 100 percent state financing of one-day or multi-day trips and school trips in the current 2022/2023 school year – no more co-payments for sports camps, hiking days or ski week,” says a position paper that the parliamentary group wants to adopt. According to Schulze, around 80 million euros would be calculated for this.
“Because on excursions and school trips, children have educational experiences outside of everyday school life that are otherwise inaccessible to them. New learning locations offer new learning opportunities and should be open to every child, especially this school year,” it continues.
The parliamentary group justifies the demand in the paper with a reaction to the experiences and deprivations that the children have had to make in recent years because of the Corona crisis and currently because of the war in Ukraine: “All children should develop into happy and balanced people be able.” The pandemic and the Russian war of aggression have left deep cracks. “We want to close these cracks and ensure more light-heartedness again.”
In addition, the Greens are demanding a 200 million euro hardship fund from the Free State to relieve low-income families of energy and heating costs, cheaper tickets for local public transport and an additional U-examination for children.
Furthermore, according to the Greens, the voting age for state elections must be lowered to 16, children’s rights must be included in the constitution and the number of daycare places increased. In order to improve children’s rights and child protection, a Bavarian child rights officer should also be appointed. Schulze warned that the quality standards at daycare centers should not be lowered to compensate for the lack of places.
