Wiebke Jaeger is 23 and works part-time for 12 hours a week, helping young refugees with job applications. At the same time, she is studying Politics and Society at the University of Bonn. Jaeger is one of the reported 66% of students across the country who work to finance their studies — and at the moment, many of them are not particularly pleased with the Federal Minister of Research, a member of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) party.

Jaeger explained her position to DW: "I was frustrated, because once again cuts are set to be made in the social sector, and decisions are being taken over the heads of young people. When Dorothee Bär says that students are privileged and do not really need an increase in BAföG [state assistance for studies], that is quite an audacious statement for a federal research minister."

Germany's BAföG reform in jeopardy

What is currently causing considerable frustration among many of the nearly three million students in Germany is, above all, Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär's reasoning for why the reform of the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG), as set out in the governing coalition agreement, is not a priority for her at present.

Bär argued: "It is no tragedy if students take on jobs alongside their studies — many even gain valuable experience for life and their careers in the process." She went on to say that there will be no fully cushioned, all-inclusive course of study, as she termed it, as the situation of students in Germany is, in her words, "very privileged."

The background: Germany's coalition government, comprising the center-right Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), had agreed to raise the housing allowance included in BAföG for students no longer living with their parents from the current €380 to €440 per month ($438 to $507) starting in the upcoming winter semester. From 2027 onward, BAföG standard rates were also set to be gradually increased from the current €475 ($548) to the level of basic income support (currently €563, or $650). The additional costs of the reform for the current legislative period were estimated at just over €1 billion ($1.15 billion).

Part-time work long the norm for most students

Vasco Silver is one of roughly 500,000 students in Germany who receive state support for their studies. At €740 ($856), the monthly funding received by the physics and astronomy student in Bonn is slightly above the average rate of €657 ($760). Although support levels have risen steadily in recent years, they still fail to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

This is why the 27-year-old father and student also works eight hours a week on the side — rent, in particular, consumes a large share of his income. "BAföG is supposed to ensure that anyone can study, regardless of their social background. But it is simply no longer fulfilling that role." It angers him when the German research minister suggests that students can always just work a bit. "The reality is that two out of three students already do. Everyone in my circle who receives BAföG also works part-time."

One in three students at risk of poverty

For many students, life is anything but privileged. According to the Federal Statistical Office, more than one-third are in fact at risk of poverty. Alongside rising prices, it is above all skyrocketing rents that are pushing students into financial hardship. On average, they spend €512 ($591) per month on rent alone — and in major cities such as Munich, Hamburg or Frankfurt, that figure can easily be around €300 higher.

Can Germany really afford to cut back on education of all things, and in doing so risk losing many of its brightest minds? In Wiebke Jaeger's circle, a fellow student just dropped out entirely because he was no longer receiving BAföG. The situation is compounded by the fact that the administrative process for financial support is often slow and cumbersome — Jaeger and Silver have both had to wait up to six months for a decision. What frustrates Jaeger most of all, however, is the way the government communicates, along with the lack of concrete proposals to ease the financial burden on students.

"I cannot remember the last time I heard a statement from the German government and thought: 'Good, that's the right approach.' Instead, it is always the same: cuts are made somewhere, and a particular social group is singled out, portrayed as too lazy, or told it should simply do more. That is not how to make policy that motivates people to participate in democracy."

Students shut out of debate

It remains unclear whether the BAföG reform will ultimately be implemented — the SPD has urged its coalition partner to adhere to the provisions laid out in the coalition agreement.

The opposition, meanwhile, is ramping up the pressure: The Left Party has introduced a motion in parliament titled "A BAföG that allows people to live and study." It is calling for a return to a full, non-repayable grant, as was the case until 1974. Currently, students must repay 50% of the state support they receive for their education, up to a maximum of €10,010 ($11,568).

For the time being, Vasco Silver says he would at least like to see a research minister who actively advocates for students' concerns. He would ask the minister: "Ms Bär, why are you not fighting for students and for science? Why are people talking about us instead of with us? We young people are prepared to make compromises, as long as they do not always come at the expense of the same generation."