Overview
- The Hessian government officially unveiled the Bildungschancenpaket on Monday by adding €50 million and creating 680 new teaching positions to change school timetables and curricula.
- The new subject 'KI und Digitale Welt' will be mandatory for grade 5 in the next school year and for grade 6 the following year with plans to extend into higher grades later.
- All fourth graders will receive a compulsory 'Medienführerschein' to teach safe internet use, personal data protection, and how to identify AI‑generated content.
- The package moves earlier-stage support into the timetable by adding a seventh weekly German hour for first graders from 2028/29, daily reading time for grades 3–4, and early math 'Mitlauf' and 'Basiskurse' to catch learning gaps.
- Officials say 200 previously cut posts will be restored and two tranches of 100 extra positions will be targeted to schools with high social need, but teacher unions warn of a shortage of trained informatics teachers and unclear guidance on whether new lessons will replace existing class time.