In the dispute over the planned savings in Hamburg's schools, the student chamber is calling for several protests in the coming weeks. The student representatives fear larger classes and courses, fewer elective and support offers, cuts to all-day activities and poorer support for children who are dependent on school companions.
On December 7th, students across the city will demonstrate against it on a “noisy day”. They should use music, whistles, posters and banners to draw attention to their demands in the schoolyards. The student council does not rule out demonstrations and strikes as the next step.
The campaign should take place in all Hamburg schools if possible, announced Mateo Hecht from the student association. The student representatives at each school should decide how and at what time they will participate. The student council is aware that the children and young people would miss lessons as a result. “However, there are moments when it is unfortunately necessary,” said Hecht. If the initially planned actions do not achieve the desired success, further forms of protest could follow.
The timing increases the political pressure: just about a week after the “loud day”, the Hamburg parliament wants to discuss and decide on the 2027/28 double budget. It also enshrines some of the savings criticized by student representatives.
First of all, the student council is relying on other forms of protest. With a “flood of postcards”, Hamburg students should record their experiences and their criticism of the planned cuts on postcards. Whether written, painted or drawn is up to them, explained student chamber board member Emma Andresen. The cards should then be sent to political decision-makers. The Student Chamber provides templates and address lists on the Internet.
At the same time, the interest group is trying to enter into discussions with the Senate and the citizens. According to the student chamber chairwoman Pia Langer, mayor Peter Tschentscher, finance senator Andreas Dressel, school senator Ksenija Bekeris (all SPD) and the education policy spokespersons of the parliamentary groups were among those asked. There was already a conversation with Bekeris on November 4th. This was constructive, but differences in the assessment of the planned cuts still exist. Tschentscher and Dressel, on the other hand, did not offer their own conversation and referred to the school authorities or the school senator.
The background to the dispute is several planned changes in the school sector. Particularly controversial is the increase in the so-called base frequencies, according to which the number of teachers in schools is calculated. In grades seven to ten of high schools, the number should increase gradually from 24 to 25 students, and in the upper grades of high schools and district schools from 22 to 24. This means that schools have fewer teaching hours available for the same number of students.
School management and student representatives therefore fear larger classes and courses, fewer options and the loss of smaller offerings, for example in foreign languages, natural sciences or support. The replacement reserve, with which schools can, among other things, cover absences due to illness, should also be reduced in order to save money in the education budget.
In addition, teaching positions will be eliminated at the 85 all-day primary schools (GTS) responsible for schooling: 122 in the 2027/28 school year, and a total of 247 after the complete changeover a year later. This affects teaching hours that were previously used in full-time extracurriculars; they should be replaced by cheaper teacher lessons.
The reorganization of school support is also causing controversy. Companions should support several children more often, and more attention should be paid to what other help is already available before providing individual support. Critics fear that children with special support needs will no longer receive adequate individual support. The first cases became known after the summer holidays. The school authorities reject the claim that the students' entitlements are being reduced across the board and point to increasing expenses for school support.
The Student Chamber is calling on the Senate and the citizens not to decide on the cuts in the planned form. The extent to which she intensifies the protest after December 7th also depends on how politicians and the public react to the actions. Non-violent protests could become necessary if the current means are not successful, said Hecht: “If the concerns of over a quarter of a million people, us students, are permanently ignored in political decisions, then the protest is rarely limited to paper.”
