Baden-Wuerttemberg
Ministry examines fees for international students
4/11/2023 5:21 p.m
Prospective academics from abroad have had to pay money for their studies in Baden-Württemberg for years. At the same time, concerns about the shortage of skilled workers are growing. Now the economy wants the fees to be abolished.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – According to the Ministry of Science, the fees for international students in Baden-Württemberg are under scrutiny. The need for tuition fees and whether these could currently be suspended is currently being examined intensively, a spokesman said on Tuesday on request. It is decisive, for example, how many students from abroad complete their studies and then work at least temporarily in the country as skilled workers.
The Ministry of Science expects a report from the so-called Monitoring Advisory Board in June. This body has been examining the effects of the regulation since the fees were introduced. The last such report was in March 2021.
Previously, the economy had called for the end of the fees due to the shortage of skilled workers. “Even if the lion’s share of the lack of specialists comes from dual training and further education, we will need 74,000 specialists and managers with certain university degrees in the state by 2035 alone,” said Christian Erbe, President of the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BWIHK). the German Press Agency in Stuttgart. It is clear that this deficiency cannot be remedied without numerous foreign specialists.
Unlike in the other federal states, the number of foreign students has fallen by 8.8 percent since the fees were introduced, said Erbe. They are therefore counterproductive and not a modern tool in the fight for skilled workers. The BWIHK is the umbrella organization of the chambers of industry and commerce in Baden-Württemberg and claims to represent around 650,000 companies.
According to the ministry spokesman, the test is not a consequence of the BWIHK requirement. In view of the enormous need for skilled workers, it is rather essential to attract as many qualified and motivated people as possible to study in the south-west. That is why we are currently dealing with the entire course of studies for students from abroad: from the admission requirements and tuition fees to English-language courses and the opportunities of dual studies, which create proximity to companies.
The economy has been complaining for years about not being able to find qualified employees. Numerous positions remain vacant. At the same time, baby boomers are gradually retiring from the workforce. The BWIHK’s Skills Monitor, which was updated last year, forecasts a gap of 903,000 skilled workers for 2035.
BWIHK boss Erbe therefore also suggested creating additional incentive instruments to persuade young academics from abroad to stay. “Too many are still leaving us immediately after graduation. Our companies, with their international orientation, offer the best career and life prospects,” he said. In his opinion, in order for them to stay in the south-west economy, the general conditions for these people, especially after they have completed their studies, must be made significantly more attractive.
Support came from the Education and Science Union (GEW). The GEW state chairwoman Monika Stein said: “The Greens want to stand for innovation and govern nationwide the only federal state in which there are tuition fees”. It is absurd that the campaign “The Länd” should recruit specialists from abroad, but the universities would not open the doors to talented young people from all over the world. Science Minister Petra Olschowski (Greens) should reject the inheritance of her predecessor. The SPD parliamentary group also spoke out in favor of abolishing tuition fees.
The first green-black state government under Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) introduced the fees for the 2017/18 winter semester. Since then, newly enrolled students from non-EU countries have had to pay 1,500 euros per semester in addition to the usual fees. But there are exceptions, for example for students from poorer regions. The decision attracted considerable criticism at the time.
