Education Minister Prien warns against legal action against the AfD government in Saxony-Anhalt

Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) is threatening a possible AfD government in Saxony-Anhalt with legal action and the reclaim of federal funds in the event of drastic changes to education policy. “If the Basic Law is violated, such as the requirement of equal treatment, the federal government could intervene through constitutional lawsuits,” Prien told the Germany editorial network.

The federal government also has financial leverage: "There are a number of federal programs to support the states in education. If a state does not adhere to the agreed purposes, the federal government can demand the funds back and, if in doubt, enforce this with lawsuits," emphasized the minister.

“If an AfD government in Saxony-Anhalt were to stray too far from a basic consensus in education policy, it would risk that school qualifications would no longer be recognized in the rest of Germany,” said the minister. “The Conference of Education Ministers will be monitoring this very closely.”

AfD announced that it would abolish compulsory schooling

In its election program, the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt announced, among other things, that it would abolish compulsory schooling, set up separate classes for refugee children and end inclusion in schools. Prien emphasized that she was very concerned about a possible takeover of government by the AfD, which is classified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Saxony-Anhalt as definitely right-wing extremist. “We know from history that culture and education are the main points of attack by right-wing extremist parties in order to get their ideology into people’s heads,” warned Prien, who comes from a Jewish family.