Prien Presents Education Report: Gap Between Background and Opportunities Remains Wide

As early as age two, children's vocabulary differs according to the mother's level of education, the report says. At school entry, around 20 percent of differences in language skills can be attributed to social background. Children of single parents and from families with a migration history are significantly more likely to leave school without a qualification, according to the report, and receive a Gymnasium recommendation less often, even with comparable performance.

Fewer Reach Minimum Standards

At the same time, research clearly shows that educational inequalities can be changed, said co-author Kai Maaz of the Leibniz Institute for Research and Information on Education. Following the PISA shock in 2000, competencies in Germany measurably improved over roughly ten years, and social differences decreased – before this development stalled. Now the figures are stagnating or partly deteriorating.

The report identifies several problem areas: "immer mehr Schülerinnen und Schüler in Deutschland die Mindeststandards im Lesen und Rechnen" are failing to meet minimum standards. Competencies in reading, mathematics, and the natural sciences have overall weakened. At the same time, the proportion of teachers without recognized qualifications in schools has nearly doubled within ten years to around 12 percent. The authors speak of a growing shortage of qualified staff.

Access to early childhood education also shows clear disparities. While around half of children under three from families with high levels of education attend a daycare center, the figure for children of parents with low levels of education is only about 20 percent. Prien said on this: „Wir haben einen drastischen Ausbau der Kitas geschafft. Aber dort, wo sie besonders gebraucht werden, ist es immer noch nicht genug."

Unequal Distribution of Daycare Access

In international comparison, educational success in Germany depends particularly strongly on social background – measured by parents' education, occupation, and income. According to the report, these differences continue into vocational training and university studies, for example in the form of higher dropout rates. Co-author Maaz warned: „Zu viele junge Menschen erreichen grundlegende Kompetenzziele nicht. Das verweist auf längerfristige strukturelle Probleme bei der Sicherung dieser Kompetenzen und damit auf eine zentrale Schwäche des Bildungssystems."

Maaz called for a consistent political response. „Stellen Sie sich vor, Sie gehen zum Arzt, kriegen eine Diagnose, dass der Fuß gebrochen ist – aber es passiert nichts. Jede Diagnose macht nur Sinn, wenn daraus etwas folgt." Education must be at the center of state future policy, "nicht als Randthema, sondern als zentrale Zukunftsinvestition." Prien likewise stressed that closing the gap is "eine Aufgabe über mehrere Wahlperioden."

According to the report, for the period 2024 to 2026 the states have taken 347 measures and the federal government an additional 13 to reduce social inequality in education. These include more quality in daycare as preparation for school, nationwide all-day expansion up to the fourth grade, targeted language support and tutoring offerings, and continuous further qualification of pedagogical and teaching staff.

Pressure on Federal and State Governments

Prien announced that she wants to bring the Quality Development Law envisaged in the coalition agreement between CDU/CSU and SPD into cabinet before the summer break. Among other things, the law is intended to introduce mandatory language and developmental diagnostics for all four-year-olds. Individual states such as Baden-Württemberg are already pressing ahead with compulsory daycare for the last year before school entry, Prien said on ARD television.

In Berlin, the Senate Administration for Education also commented on the report. Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) pointed out that eastern and central German states are particularly well positioned when it comes to early childhood education and all-day expansion. „Da haben wir eine gute Infrastruktur, eine gute Versorgungslage." At the same time, she cautioned that too few states still ensure consistent language support following a mandatory language test – according to the report, currently only 8 out of 16 states do so.

Sharp criticism came from the opposition. Nicole Gohlke, education policy spokesperson for The Left, spoke of a „Bildungs-Roulette, bei dem die Herkunft über die Zukunft entscheidet." She called for the abolition of the so-called cooperation ban, which restricts permanent cooperation between the federal and state governments in education. Greens chair Franziska Brantner also demanded greater commitment from the federal government.

Criticism from the States and the Opposition

The report also addresses the expectations of the population. According to it, nine out of ten adults want more staff for schools and daycare centers, more equal opportunities, and uniform educational standards. 87 percent of children in Germany are in favor of nationwide uniform educational standards, according to a survey.

Henrik Neumann, principal of a secondary school in Dresden, described the situation on the ground on Deutschlandfunk. If students have deficits, teachers urgently need to hold parent meetings and recommend tutoring, „oder über Alternativen gesprochen werden, die nicht an der Schule angeboten würden." The report makes clear that such individual help alone is not enough to overcome structural inequalities.

Overall, the authors of the education report draw a sobering conclusion: „Wenn man die Gesamtgeschichte der letzten 20 Jahre betrachtet, muss man relativ ernüchtert feststellen, dass wir heute da stehen, wo wir vor 20 Jahren gestartet sind." The publication on May 26, 2026 and Prien's accompanying remarks on June 15, 2026 on Deutschlandfunk's program make clear that the issue of educational inequality is at the very top of the political agenda.