Digital education from an early age

‘People's trust in the state, in this political system and in our democracy is crucially linked to successful digitalisation,’ said Karin Prien, Federal Minister for Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, at the beginning of her keynote speech ‘Smart country = smart society? Digitalisation as an opportunity for all generations’.

Public administration is the link between the people and the political system. ‘When it comes to government services, people notice whether they work or not. Much of the frustration we are currently experiencing stems from the fact that many people feel that they do not work, or at least not as well as they would like,’ said the CDU politician.

Prien sees her role as minister, who by virtue of her office represents all generations from babies to the elderly, as a triad. Functioning digital processes also demonstrate the state's appreciation of its citizens. That is why she wants to start where, until now, huge amounts of application pages, different authorities and various income terms have complicated everything, such as in the case of parental allowance. Prien wants to simplify and standardise a wide variety of applications and make them accessible to all, for example in a family portal.

Continuous training for teachers

In addition, citizens must be trained to use digital services. Prien therefore advocated digital education from an early age right through to older people. Five million people in Germany over the age of 60 do not yet use the internet, and only one in three people over the age of 70 have basic digital skills.

The central place of education for younger people is and will remain the school. The Digital Pact 2 includes the training and further education of teachers as a core element, so that they can deal with and implement new developments, for example in the field of AI, in such a way that it adds value for everyone. The right attitude is crucial here. ‘Forty per cent of headteachers believe that digitalisation brings added value – but that also means that 60 per cent do not. That will be difficult,’ said Prien.

Protection for children and young people

However, schools are not solely responsible for digital education; first and foremost, it is the responsibility of families, but also of society. ‘Democracy education also means media literacy and news literacy,’ said the CDU politician. Everyone is also responsible for protecting children and young people in the digital world. ‘There is a lot of evidence to suggest that the poor mental health of many of our children and young people is linked to excessive screen time and intensive use of social media at an early age,’ said Prien.

A commission of experts on digital child and youth protection is now examining the necessary steps. ‘I hope that the results will enable us to release children and young people into the digital world as responsible users,’ said Prien. She is aiming for a mix of measures combining skills and regulations: ‘It is a broad responsibility, and I am trying to do justice to it.’