School fees

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School fee receipt from 1915

Tuition fee is a fee that must be paid to attend a school .

History and perspective

Historically, the development of the school system was only possible through the financing of schools and teachers through school fees. In the 19th century, for example, there were payments in kind for teachers (in addition to endowments ), especially in rural areas, by the residents , see the history of the Gömnigk village school .

School fees for elementary schools were abolished in Germany in 1919 by the Weimar Constitution under Article 145. For middle schools the tuition fee between 1924 and 1930 was 3 to 10 RM per month, depending on the school , for grammar schools it was about double. For high schools it was abolished in most federal states in the school year 1958/59; at this point in time it was 15 to 20 DM per month. In 1957, school fees at secondary schools were abolished in the GDR.

Exemption from school fees

The discussion about the abolition of school fees and the financing of the school system by local authorities or the state arose as early as the 19th century. In 1871, exemption from school fees was introduced in Würzburg . As part of the introduction of compulsory schooling , the first question arose about the school fees for those who could not afford it. This has often been taken into account by introducing school fee exemption regulations for low earners (see also school fee reimbursement ). In addition, the demand for a general exemption from school fees was raised. This was justified primarily with the concern that parents would forego schooling for their children because of the school fees.

Economists say that education is a merit asset : even if the investment in education is economically worthwhile in the long term, the value of education in practice is underestimated. Therefore, from the parents' point of view, investing in school fees is not worthwhile. According to this consideration, an efficient demand for education will only arise by foregoing school fees.

Institutional economics takes the opposite position . Here it is argued that by foregoing school fees an important incentive of the school as an institution is lost, namely to provide an optimal offer for the pupils. A high school fee is only accepted if a correspondingly high level of performance is achieved. Without school fees it is impossible to organize competition between schools. The educational voucher model addresses these concerns without affecting the demand for education.

Current situation

Germany

In Germany, with the exception of the European Schools  , there are no fees to be paid for attending public schools . The college fee is commonly referred to as the tuition fee .

School fees are usually charged for attending private schools (independent schools) . However, some private schools offer scholarships to enable children who otherwise could not afford to attend such schools to attend classes free of charge. Such scholarships are usually tied to certain achievements such as a certain grade average. The special prohibition, which has hitherto been ignored or not taken seriously in the recognition practice of the federal states, would result in a limit on the amount of school fees required to cover the necessary costs or requirements as to how this would be graded according to income. In one federal state ( North Rhine-Westphalia ) there is a de facto exemption from school fees for all substitute schools that receive 94% state financial aid (or 98% for private special needs schools). However, this is hardly controlled by the authorities, as u. a. Research by the WDR in 2017 revealed. In two federal states ( Bavaria and Saxony ) there is a school fee replacement for financially weak families.

School fees for private and ecclesiastical institutions are 30 percent deductible as a special expense after the deduction of accommodation, care and catering costs ( Section 10 (1) No. 9 EStG). Since January 2009, the maximum amount has been 5,000 euros.

Austria

In Austria, there are also no fees to be paid for attending public schools. Private schools and boarding schools with public rights may charge school fees with restrictions. The exceptions depend on how far the nearest public school is from the student's place of residence. Purely private schools recognized in the Schools Act are allowed to levy school fees independently and without limit.

Developing countries

In developing countries , school fees can be a barrier to schooling for poor children if their parents cannot raise the money. Burundi , Kenya , Malawi , Namibia , Tanzania and Uganda , among others , have abolished school fees at least for primary schools in recent years (as of August 2018), which has led to a sharp increase in the number of pupils and a temporary overload of the school system Classes. Sierra Leone has announced that primary and secondary schools will be abolished in September 2018. [outdated]

Web links

Wiktionary: School fee  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Wiktionary: School fees  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Constitution of the German Reich (“Weimar Reich Constitution”) of August 11, 1919. In: documentArchiv.de. Retrieved March 8, 2015 .
  2. ^ Sybille Grübel: Timeline of the history of the city from 1814-2006. In: Ulrich Wagner (Hrsg.): History of the city of Würzburg. 4 volumes, Volume I-III / 2, Theiss, Stuttgart 2001-2007; III / 1–2: From the transition to Bavaria to the 21st century. Volume 2, 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-1478-9 , pp. 1225-1247; here: p. 1231.
  3. ↑ On FG judgment 10 K 7404/01 “School fees for private schools in other EU countries, regardless of their amount, deductible as special expenses”. In: STB WEB. March 26, 2008, archived from the original ; Retrieved on May 27, 2018 : “The FG Cologne justified its different decision by stating that this“ special prohibition ”was not taken seriously in the recognition practice of the federal states. For example, there are state-approved alternative schools with a school fee of up to 30,000 euros a year. "
  4. ↑ Approval of private schools: Federal states disregard the Basic Law School policy and administrative practice cement the social isolation of private schools. Science Center Berlin for Social Research (WZB), November 16, 2016, accessed on May 27, 2018 .
  5. ^ Journal "Erziehungskunst": Private schools: Federal states disregard the Basic Law. In: erziehungsKUNST Waldorf Education Today. Association of Waldorf Schools, November 2016, archived from the original ; accessed on May 27, 2018 : “The majority of the federal states do not specify the special prohibition in their own state laws. It is therefore not clear to licensing authorities and school authorities how school fees can be determined and up to what amount they can be levied. ... The actual admission practice at the private schools for compliance with the special prohibition is not checked by a single federal state. "
  6. ↑ WELT: Rheine: Private school received grants despite school fees . In: THE WORLD . February 15, 2016 ( welt.de [accessed on May 26, 2018]).
  7. ↑ Westpol / Torsten Reschke: Private schools: How voluntary are parental contributions really? September 10, 2017 ( wdr.de [accessed May 26, 2018]).
  8. ↑ Private schools: The good company . In: ZEIT ONLINE . ( zeit.de [accessed on May 26, 2018]).
  9. ↑ Das Erste: Video "Education System: How the Boom in Private Schools Promotes the Division of Society" - Monitor. May 17, 2018, accessed on May 26, 2018 (German).
  10. ↑ Renate Hendricks , Member of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia / SPD: Does the practice of donations at private schools call into question the exemption from school fees? , February 15, 2006
  11. ↑ BBC News: Burundians flock to free schools
  12. ↑ UNICEF: On the Situation of Children in the World 2004, pp. 114–116: "No more school fees - the example of Kenya"
  13. ^ Sierra Leone launches free education program. NEws24.com, August 21, 2018.