Toscani calls for school reform: Children need German language support!

Toscani calls for school reform: Children need German language support!

In a sharp criticism of the SPD state government, the opposition leader and Saar CDU leader Stephan Toscani targeted Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger and Education Minister Christine Streichert-Clivot. According to Toscani, the government has made strategic mistakes and failures. He expressed particular concern about the SPD's education and economic policy, especially with regard to the impending school enrollment of thousands of children who do not speak German sufficiently.

“Thousands of children will start school on Monday even though the necessary language skills are missing,” criticized Toscani. This is directly related to the cancellation of the “Early German Learning” language support program. Experts fear that the new approach of “everyday language education” could be problematic due to a lack of specialist staff.

Demands for language promotion

The CDU therefore demands that children be tested for their language skills before starting school. Children who do not pass the test should have to take part in a German support program. However, Toscani left unanswered how this remedial education would be financed and personalized.

In addition, the planned abolition of daycare parent contributions by 2027 was described as damaging to the quality of childcare. Here too, Toscani sees a need for action in the form of a concept that proposes 30 hours of free core care time per week, with parents paying for additional hours. The proceeds could be used to train and hire educators.

Toscani is also dissatisfied with economic policy. He calls Economics Minister Jürgen Barke a “talker and an impostor” and criticizes the fact that Saarland is in last place among the federal states in terms of economic development. Toscani is calling for a new business model that includes the development of new commercial and industrial areas and the promotion of promising companies.

He also takes a critical view of the transformation of the steel industry towards green steel. Toscani accuses Rehlinger of errors in the funding conditions and emphasizes that the production of green steel must also be possible with non-renewable hydrogen. He did not respond to a question about possible economic aid to support the steel industry.

Prices and costs for Ozempic in Canada

In another area, health care, the cost of the diabetes drug Ozempic is increasingly being debated in Canada. The price in Canada is relatively high compared to other countries. While Ozempic costs around $800 per month in the USA, the cost in Canada is lower but variable depending on the region.

The out-of-pocket cost for Canadian residents varies, as in most regions a portion of the cost is covered upon prescription. However, non-Canadian residents do not have the right to purchase Ozempic from Canadian pharmacists due to a ban on its sale. This ban came about because Americans are buying Ozempic in bulk from Canada and Mexico to take advantage of lower prices.