On this page you will find everything about the current reform of the Bavarian Higher Education Act and how we reacted to it.
Update on the BayHIG
On 21.07.2022, the Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (BayHIG) was passed by the Bavarian State Parliament. Since our last review many points have been improved and incorporated, but not all. We continue to see major problems, for example, that the topic sustainability has not been consistently improved or that the study grants are not stipulated in the law. Tuition fees for non-EU foreigners have also been allowed.
Our existing criticism in bullet points
- Possible tuition fees for non-EU foreigners
- No legal fixation of the study grants
- No dynamization of study grants: we exactly receive the same amount of money per student like in 2013, while personnel costs, for example, have increased significantly
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Topics such as sustainability and internal administration of the universities were only half-heartedly tackled, there are no concrete goals
Innovations
But there are also positive points that allow us to become more innovative and modern:
- Promoting equality
- Anchoring the rights of the Bavarian student representative bodies
- The issue of sustainability is addressed at all
Further information
In addition, the LAK Bayern (Bavarian student representative bodies) has issued some press releases to which we would like to refer:
Our review from summer 2021
Here you can find our major criticisms of the draft of the Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (BayHIG) in a short explanation. This criticism refers to the draft from summer 2021, since then the draft law has changed. Due transparency and to be able to understand the development, we leave the criticisms online.
Basic democratic structures & participation
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In committees, there is a majority of professors. This means that the other status groups (including students) could count even less.
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Deans are no longer to be democratically elected
- The University Council (which, among other things, is composed, on the proposal of the Presidential Board, of external members) shall be able to adopt the basic regulations of the university.
Study grants
The draft law does not include the study grants. Study grants are financial resources of the Free State of Bavaria that are available for universities to improve study conditions. The money is not capacity effective, i.e. the money is not for creating study places, but for improving the existing places. So far, these could be distributed equally by the student representatives and used to improve teaching.
Tuition fees for non-EU foreigners
Tuition fees are to be introduced for non-EU foreigners. We are convinced that this will also prevent particularly gifted students from studying here and thus reduce diversity and research strength.
Restrictions on fundamental rights during tests
Art. 114 of the draft law stipulates the following sentence, which we view extremely critically:
On the basis of this law, the fundamental right to inviolability of the home (Article 13 of the Basic Law and Article 106 par. 3 of the Constitution) may be restricted.
In our opinion, such an unquestioning and general restriction of fundamental rights in the form of a free ticket cannot be part of a Higher Education Art.
Anchoring sustainability:
Although sustainability is generally mentioned as a term, we miss a further structural anchoring of sustainability, e.g. in form of sustainability reports or sustainability officers.
(Status: 15.07.2021)
July 2021: Postcard campaign - now it's your turn!
So that YOU can also express your dissatisfaction with the planned Higher Education Act, we have started a postcard campaign. Simply fill it out - and we will send it to the State Ministry for Science and Arts for you!
Here you can find the form: sv.tum.de/postkartensaktion
Summer semester 2024
When?
Wednesday, May 15; 10 am - 11 am SVV; 11 am - 2 pm Student Club Fair (in Garching)
Where?
Lecture in person: 1200 Carl-von-Linde Main Campus, MW001 Garching; Life streams
: HS16 Weihenstephan, U7b Straubing, 1901.02.201 Heilbronn; Link for the livestream on your own device can be found in the Moodle course (german: live.rbg.tum.de/w/svv/46851 ; English: live.rbg.tum.de/w/svv/46848)
As part of the Student Assembly, we will inform you about current developments in university policy and upcoming events.
Whether tuition fees, study grants or developments in teaching at TUM, we will report and then take the time to answer any questions you may have about your studies.
After our presentation, we will be available to answer your questions. The SVV takes place as a lecture with an interactive part.
After the SVV there will be a small Student Club Fair for the first time this year from 11 am to 2 pm, in front of the lecture hall in Garching, where you can get to know some of the several 100 student clubs at TUM or ask people from the central student representation further questions!
We are looking forward to seeing you!
You will find the slides after the livestream in the Moodle course!
May 2021: first draft of the Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (BayHIG) is published
On May 18, 2021, the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Arts published the first draft of the new Higher Education Act.
For further information please visit the website of the Ministy.
Media
A selection of media appearances of the reform of the Higher Education Act.
February 2021: Our policy paper key points
Position Paper: Amendment of the Bavarian Higher Education Act
TUM, News, Pressemitteilung |
Press announcement
Since the Bavarian Ministry of Science and Arts published the key points of the planned reform of the Bavarian Higher Education Act in October 2020, a broad and constructive discussion about the future direction of the Bavarian higher education landscape has flared up. In this discussion, the perception of the next generation of scientists, who are currently in training, is unfortunately only taken into account to a limited extent. At the Technical University of Munich, for example, this generation forms the largest group with approximately 45,000 students and approximately 7,000 doctoral candidates, who share similar ideas for an innovative Bavarian university landscape.
For this reason, the Student Council and the Graduate Council have dealt intensively with this issue and jointly drafted a position paper outlining their vision for the future development of the Technical University of Munich. The contents were developed by working groups, discussed in regular meetings of the representative bodies, and finally passed in parliamentary processes as a position paper by the Student Council and the Graduate Council.
The nine-page paper is not to be understood as a pure critique of the published key points on the reform of the Bavarian Law for Higher Education. Rather, it is intended to express the requirements of the next generation of scientists regarding this reform and to serve as an invitation to a constructive dialogue.
October 2020: Key issues paper on Higher Education Act reform
On October 20, 2020, the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Arts published the first ideas and visions for the new Higher Education Act in a key issues paper. More freedom, transfer and entrepreneurial activity of colleges and universities were focussed.
For further information please visit the website of the Ministry.