The opportunity for the digital breakthrough

What schools and politics can learn from the COVID-19 crisis
 

The inadequate digitization in schools is discussed again and again. At the same time, there are hardly any topics that are currently debated as controversially as the reopening of schools and distance learning. However, there is agreement that the corona crisis has made the digitization deficit of German schools visible. The past few weeks have shown what works - and what doesn't. 
 
McKinsey took this as an opportunity to systematically record what has to be done in German schools and what it costs. The brochure "The chance for the digital breakthrough - What schools and politics can learn from the COVID-19 crisis" gives recommendations for action on how digitization can succeed in schools and what specifically needs to be done. The analysis explains how effective distance learning can be ensured in the short term, how distance and face-to-face teaching can be meaningfully combined in the medium term, and how the digitization of schools can be achieved in the long term. The opportunities offered by digital education can only be used if everyone involved makes a contribution. The authors therefore show which measures schools, school authorities, the federal states and the federal government have to take and what they cost: from equipping schools with hardware and software at short notice to developing a digital strategy as part of the DigitalPact.
 
An important requirement are personal laptops or tablets for all around 820,000 teachers and 10.9 million students in Germany. The one-off costs for purchasing these devices amount to around 6 billion euros - costs that, in our opinion, are definitely worthwhile as an investment in the education of our children. 

Authors: Anna Wiesinger, Sebastian Stern, Matthias Daub, Julia Klier and Viola Hartmann