Lower Saxony starts in 2026: Tablets for students under criticism!

Lower Saxony starts in 2026: Tablets for students under criticism!

Prime Minister Olaf Lies has announced that Lower Saxony's students will be provided with tablets on loan in the 2026/2027 school year. This project is part of an election promise from the SPD in autumn 2022, which aims to provide every school child in Lower Saxony with free tablets. Despite the positive announcement, there are concerns, among others expressed by CDU state parliament member Björn Thümler, who doubts the late implementation date. He criticizes the unclear details about the number of tablets and the loan period and points out that the tablet is not yet considered a recognized learning tool.

According to current information, the planned introduction of the tablets will begin in grade 7, followed by higher grades up to 10th grade. It remains uncertain whether new devices will also be provided for the upper school. According to the Ministry of Culture, which is led by the Greens, the schedule is “very ambitious in terms of time.” The financing of the tablets will be regulated by an examination of the digital pact for the introduction of the devices, with annual costs in the three-digit million range for the state of Lower Saxony.

Digital competence and criticism

Thümler emphasizes the need for modern digital equipment in schools and the further development of digital teaching. He sees digital literacy as a fundamental skill for the coming decades. At the same time, he warns against relying exclusively on digital media and calls for a balanced mix of analog and digital teaching methods. The Lower Saxony Association of Cities also expresses criticism of the lack of infrastructure, particularly the inadequate connection to the fiber optic network, which makes the implementation of the project more complicated.

The CDU, which describes the announcement as a “pure smokescreen”, is calling for a clear strategy for digitalization. The State Student Council, on the other hand, welcomes the introduction of tablets as a step towards greater educational equality. In the current situation, many parents often have to pay for digital devices themselves, although some schools have already introduced iPad classes or abolished them.

Overall, it remains to be seen how quickly and efficiently the planned tablet deployment will actually be implemented and whether the necessary infrastructural requirements can be created for this. A challenge that poses important questions not only for schools, but also for the political landscape in Lower Saxony.

For more information, see the articles from Wesermarsch district newspaper and NDR.