Overview

• The state government announced that tablets will now be issued to students beginning in the eighth grade instead of the fifth as outlined in the 2028 plan.
• Söder unveiled the reversal after a cabinet retreat at Tegernsee, emphasizing that early schooling should focus on reading, writing and arithmetic.
• Culture Minister Anna Stolz argued that digital tools need clear pedagogical value and should be introduced at an older age.
• The Bavarian Philologists Association and education researcher Klaus Zierer welcomed the shift, while teacher unions warned it risks creating planning chaos in schools.
• Critics including Gymnasiallehrer Bob Blume caution that postponing digital integration could leave pupils behind in developing essential technology skills.