Back to school in Germany can cost up to 300 euros per child in materials

Lela Griessbach is a teacher from Berlin who juggles caring for her two children and preparing for her university classes. Every year, she and her husband receive a list from the school with the materials they need before their children return to class. It can cost up to 300 euros per child.

“The first time I saw the list, I was shocked because there are so many things to buy,” Griessbach told ‘Euronews‘. “On the one hand, it’s fine. It’s a very good approach and you know what your child needs, but it’s very expensive.”

Free canteens in Berlin

Families with children in schools face rising costs in Germany.

The National Statistics Office He said school supplies such as pens and books increased by 5 to 13 percent in July last year compared with the previous year.

Parents who need financial support can get195 euros for material school per child, but the Child Protection Association from Berlin says that is not enough. The backpacksespecially those designed specifically to protect children’s shoulders and back, can cost up to 150 euros.

Prices also vary from state to state. In Berlin, school meals are free up to sixth grade. In Hamburg, they cost a maximum of 4.35 euros.

More and more Germans are choosing private schools

Students can receive Free education in Germanyfrom early childhood education to college. However, more and more parents are choosing to pay to send their children to private schools. One expert says this could be due to the Increased immigration in Germany.

“When you ask them what’s better in private schools, they say the educational program or the curriculum or something like that,” he explains. Marcel Helbigprofessor and director of the Department of Structures and Systems of the Leibniz Institute for Educational Pathways“But in most cases of private schools in Germany, the proportion of immigrants, the proportion of poorer children is lower, and that could be a factor,” he told ‘Euronews‘.

Inflation has hit its lowest level in more than three years in Germany, but Griessbach, a working mother, is still feeling financial pressure.

She says parents get more support in her native Georgia, where relatives play a bigger role in childcare. “I get the impression that costs are going up because everything is more expensive. So I think it’s automatically more expensive every year,” Griessbach said. On top of all the costs, she also has to pay for an after-hours nanny while she’s working.

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For more information, watch the Euronews report in the player above.

Additional sources • Enrique Barrueco (Voiceover)