AI-generated summary
Das Bundeskabinett beschloss im August eine künftige Erhöhung der Wohnkostenpauschale und des Grundbedarfs im Bafög.
Die Zahl der Bafög-Empfänger ist gesunken: Im vergangenen Jahr erhielten gut 60.100 Personen entsprechende Leistungen, wie das Statistische Landesamt in Fellbach mitteilte. Darunter seien 52.400 Studierende und knapp 7.700 Schülerinnen und Schüler gewesen. Im Vergleich zum Vorjahr ging die Zahl der geförderten Personen um drei Prozent zurück und sank damit auf den niedrigsten Stand seit dem Jahr 2000. Nur in den Jahren von 1997 bis 2000 wurden nach Angaben der Statistiker noch weniger Personen vom Staat unterstützt.
Der durchschnittliche Förderbetrag lag im Jahr 2025 bei 691 Euro pro Person und Monat. Das waren 28 Euro oder vier Prozent mehr als im Jahr 2024. Studierende erhielten durchschnittlich 667 Euro, Schülerinnen und Schüler 865 Euro, wie das Statistische Landesamt mitteilte.
Das Bundeskabinett hatte im August eine Erhöhung der Unterstützung auf den Weg gebracht. Die im Bafög enthaltene Wohnkostenpauschale für diejenigen, die nicht mehr bei den Eltern wohnen, soll demnach zum Sommersemester 2027 von jetzt 380 auf 440 Euro im Monat steigen. Der sogenannte Bafög-Grundbedarf für Studierende, der aktuell bei 475 Euro liegt, wird danach in zwei Schritten auf das aktuelle Niveau der Grundsicherung angehoben: zum Wintersemester 2027/28 auf 503 und zum Sommersemester 2029 auf 563 Euro. Auch das Schüler-Bafög steigt.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Wohnkostenpauschale im Bafög steigt zum Sommersemester 2027 auf 440 Euro
Very likely · Within months
On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of people took part in nationwide student protests in France, sparked by demands for smaller classes and more teachers. Unions said there were 450,000 protesters, including 100,000 in Paris, while the Interior Ministry gave significantly lower figures of 256,000 nationwide and 56,000 in the capital. There were blockades and lesson cancellations at numerous schools. Violent clashes broke out between demonstrators and security forces in several cities, with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets being used. Police supervision is investigating ten incidents involving young people, some seriously injured, including a 15-year-old whose hand was torn off in a police grenade explosion. A police officer in Metz was also arrested for allegedly sexually harassing a 14-year-old. In some places, parents supported the protests with human chains. Since the protests began in September, over a thousand people have been injured, including 215 students and 700 security guards, and around 6,000 arrests have been made, mostly minors. Students are demanding better learning conditions, more teachers, smaller classes and shorter school days. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced discussion groups at high schools. A survey shows that 78 percent of 18 to 28 year olds believe the government is poorly preparing their future.

Across France, students are demonstrating against overcrowded classes, dilapidated school buildings and a lack of transparency in the allocation of university places. The protests, which have been accompanied by violent clashes with police, are demanding better learning conditions.

Nationwide protests by schoolchildren and students in France against poor learning conditions lead to massive blockades. While the government offers dialogue, violence between demonstrators and police escalates. There were also riots in Belgium.
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation reports that 85 percent of Jewish students in Germany hide their identity out of fear. Despite the decline in protest camps, everyday life remains characterized by anti-Semitism, although according to those affected, the number of unreported cases is high.
The Ifo Education Barometer 2026 shows broad support for compulsory preschool years and language tests. While 72 percent of those surveyed demand a preschool year, parents rate their own daycare centers significantly better than the national average.
Sebastian Guggolz from the German Book Trade Association has warned of the consequences of increasing reading difficulties among young people. At the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair, he called for reading to be promoted as an educational priority and a compulsory subject for media literacy.