According to a survey conducted by the Society for Media Pedagogy and Communication Culture, in cooperation with the German Children’s Fund, roughly 90 percent of media educators rated the provision of media education in German schools as “very poor.”
The experts surveyed stated that the core problem does not lie in a lack of sufficient technology within schools, but rather in the absence of mandatory, binding structures. Specific deficiencies cited include insufficient qualifications and further training in media pedagogy, the failure to integrate media education into the official curriculum, and a general shortage of qualified staff. Currently, the success or even the existence of media education at a school largely depends on the dedication of individual teachers and the school administration, the survey results revealed.
The Children’s Fund is building on the demands made by an expert commission working for the Federal Government to improve youth protection. Kai Hanke, the Managing Director of the German Children’s Fund, emphasized that federal and state governments cannot simply rely on political declarations. Instead, they must concretely create the necessary conditions for high-quality media education to succeed in the classroom. He further demanded that every school must have at least one media-pedagogically qualified contact person whom students can approach with serious media-related concerns.
