Education start-ups call for round table with politicians

In an open letter, digital education providers address the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs and Education Minister Anja Karliczek (CDU). They offer their help for those lagging behind in learning.

Leading start-ups from the tutoring and education sector are calling on the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs and the Federal Minister for Research and Education, Anja Karliczek (CDU), to hold a round table. This should take place as soon as possible, preferably in May, according to the statement. The companies want to create offers for pupils who have to catch up on their studies due to the coronavirus crisis.

The federal government and the ministers of education and cultural affairs should explain their ideas on how to catch up on pupils' learning deficits. "We explain how we could provide support in the short term," write the start-ups.

The letter is signed by 15 organizations, including the Federal Association of Digital Education and various learning and tutoring start-ups, including Lingoda, Sofatutor and Cleverly. They describe themselves as an initiative of German digital education companies. The open letter is addressed to Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek (CDU) and the Secretary General of the Conference of Education Ministers Udo Michallik (CDU).

"The learning backlogs among pupils caused by the pandemic are enormous and we very much welcome your efforts to counteract this with the support program," the initiators write in the letter. The digital education companies are ready to make their contribution. "We think that a support program for learning assistance should be structured in such a way that all important areas are covered, synchronous, such as traditional tutoring as well as personal support/social pedagogical help, as well as asynchronous help, such as online learning aids for closing knowledge gaps in all subjects."