Education or redistribution? Discussion to combat poverty in Hamburg!

Education or redistribution? Discussion to combat poverty in Hamburg!

On Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 7 p.m., a discussion event will take place in lecture hall H of the Department of Social Economics in Hamburg, organized by the cross-university campaign “BAföG for All” in cooperation with ver.di Hamburg. The event is led by Sandra Goldschmidt, the regional district manager of ver.di Hamburg, and is dedicated to the topic “BAföG for everyone – with education and science for a humane crisis solution!?” This discussion is particularly relevant in the current social debate about education and social justice. The focus is on the belief that education is a fundamental right for everyone and indispensable in the fight against poverty and social inequality. This is seen as a reaction to increasingly neoliberal policies that oppose the welfare state and thus human dignity.

Education as the key? A critical view

The idea that education is automatically the solution to social problems is questioned by many experts. According to an article by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, education is often propagated as the panacea against poverty and social inequality. However, this view could lead to a one-sided perspective that ignores the complex causes of poverty. In particular, it argues that responsibility for one's well-being is often unfairly placed on socially disadvantaged individuals, while the structural and capitalist causes that lead to poverty are ignored, as in a contribution by bpb.de is explained.

The challenge in Germany is that poverty is often associated with educational deficits without clearly identifying the underlying causes. The more recent discourse therefore calls not only for an improvement in educational institutions, but also for a redistribution of material resources in order to fundamentally improve the living conditions of socially disadvantaged groups. This is essential to break the cycle of poverty and increase opportunities for all people. Education alone cannot reduce material inequality, which is a major cause of social division.

The discussion in Hamburg will help shed light on different perspectives and develop strategies that cover both the education sector and the necessary social and economic changes. Because without real redistribution of wealth, the claimed “miracle weapon of education” will not be effective against the pressing problems of poverty and social inequality.