Germany: New university tuition fees threaten students with poverty

Following a federal constitutional court decision in 2005, state governments are now responsible for the implementation of the new tuition fees. The seven states with governments led by the CDU—Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg—have taken the lead in implementing the fees either in the coming summer or winter semesters.

The imposition of tuition fees is being enforced despite years of student demonstrations and thousands of student lawsuits, including a pending trial as to whether the tuition fees violate German constitutional law. The SPD and the Green Party opposition in the state of Hesse initiated the lawsuit in an effort to restore their political credentials and declining social base. Fearing an explosion of nationwide student demonstrations, which could well escalate into a broader social protest, those states governed by a SPD majority are currently delaying the imposition of fees.

Thousands of students facing increasing financial problems have requested waivers for their payments. University authorities, however, have announced that exceptions will be made only to the physically impaired, representatives of the university students council (AStA), scholarship students and those facing private insolvency—albeit after a strict bureaucratic procedure. Thus, the bulk of the applicants have little chance of obtaining a waiver.

Because students are not entitled to the minimal Hartz IV social security benefits of €342 per month, they can only apply for a student grant up to €580—hardly sufficient to cover the monthly average expenditure of an individual student. According to the Hans-Böckler Foundation, only 345,000, or 25 percent of German students, receive the student grant. All applicants are required to meet strict requirements including proof of academic advancement in a set timeframe.

More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/mar2007/tuit-m10.shtml