Bavaria's New Tablet Strategy: Grade 8 and Beyond: Support, Criticism, and the Debate
Strict Tablet Permission from 8th Grade: Debate and Opposition Emerges - Limited tablets available exclusively for Class 8 students receive mixed reviews and discussion.
Step into the digital future, one step at a time
Bavaria's government made a surprising announcement, introducing tablets for students solely from grade 8 and not grade 5, a surprising U-turn that has sparked various reactions among associations and experts.
The Bavarian Teachers' Association (bpv) applauded the change of direction disclosed by Minister-President Markus Söder (CSU), while Augsburg education researcher Klaus Zierer echoed the sentiment. However, other associations warned of chaos in schools. Minister of Culture Anna Stolz (Free Voters) maintained, "There will be even more restraint in digital education in Bavarian schools in the future than before."
Previously, the CSU and Free Voters had agreed to ensure all secondary school students would eventually acquire a tablet. "By 2028 at the latest, all students from grade 5 onwards will be gradually equipped with digital devices," as stated in the coalition agreement. Following the cabinet decision in February 2024, "Bavaria is setting standards and taking the next and decisive step towards the 'Digital School of the Future' with digital classrooms, loan devices, and training." The gradual implementation had been underway, with a subsidy of 350 euros each for personal tablets in certain classes, depending on the school.
Söder now advocates "classical educational ideals"
After the cabinet retreat at Tegernsee, Söder propounded that mobile devices should only be introduced from grade 8 onwards, drawing emphasis to reading, arithmetic, and handwriting as the focus: "That means classical educational ideals remain in Bayern," argued Söder. Stolz clarified, "Digital education always needs a pedagogical added value and a targeted and responsible use. And that means for me very clearly: the younger, the less."
Education expert calls for a moratorium
Zierer deemed the decision overdue but merely a first step in the right direction. Zierer had been vocalizing his concerns about the "digitalization craze" for quite some time. Research findings have warned that digital media are used excessively and prematurely in schools.
But Zierer wants more: The equipping of all students with digital devices should be suspended, accelerating a discussion about the purpose of this measure. Many schools' feedback is not positive: "Many students report situations in classrooms where students play games during lessons, wander aimlessly, and no longer have control over learning."
The Teachers' Association would have wished for an earlier decision
BPV Chairman Michael Schwägerl expressed, regarding Söder's announcement, "Looking at the schools and their plans for the upcoming school year, we would have wished for this decision to be made earlier." He emphasized, "Children and young people in their developmental process must be at the center. And the sensible, critical use of digital devices presupposes that analog basic skills are acquired and practiced beforehand." The BPV further alleges that the state government should still allocate the money that they have now saved towards schools, for instance, in increased support staff.
BLLV criticizes "U-turn into chaos"
The Bavarian Teachers' Association (BLLV) accused Söder of a "U-turn into chaos". "First in, now out again, that's not possible," contended BLLV President Simone Fleischmann. Schools had trusted the announcements of the state government - many schools had constructed digital infrastructure, developed, and implemented pedagogical concepts congruent with their future planning.
The Bavarian Association of Realschool Teachers chastised the state government for causing planning chaos and uncertainty at schools. Although it is sensible to put the brakes on the use of digital devices, trying to do so with a sledgehammer is completely unrealistic.
However, after the drastic digital rollback, there's a lot of frustration at many schools. "The plans for the next school year are running at full speed, media competence teams have been working on coherent concepts for months, and numerous colleagues have already set everything in motion. It must not be that they are now pulled out of the game." It seems to be a welcome opportunity to save money.
This decision reflects the ongoing debate about the impact of technology on education and the optimal age for introducing digital devices in the classroom. While some argue that delaying the introduction might slow the development of digital literacy skills, others emphasize the importance of mastering foundational skills before comprehensively engaging with digital tools. It remains to be seen how Bavarians schools will navigate this transition, striking a balance between embracing the digital future and preserving traditional educational values.
- The Bavarian Teachers' Association (BLLV) criticized the change in the employment policy regarding the provision of tablets, stating that the sudden "U-turn into chaos" would cause planning chaos and uncertainty in schools.
- Education expert Klaus Zierer advocated for a moratorium on the implementation of digital devices in schools, questioning the purpose of this measure and expressing concerns about the potential negative effects on students' learning.
