Corona program for Berlin universities

Students follow a lecture in a lecture hall.

With a five million euro special program, the state of Berlin wants to support its universities in dealing with corona-related deficits.

The funded measures and initiatives of the universities are intended to counteract dropouts or extensions of study time, as the Senate Department for Science, Health, Care and Equality announced on Friday. Accordingly, the universities can submit their applications until the end of May.

The background to this is that the pandemic has had a negative impact on both students and teachers in terms of learning performance and skills acquisition. For example, many students have taken fewer modules or fewer exams. Despite the digital continuation of teaching and examinations, not all courses and examinations could be held in full at some universities and in practice-oriented courses of study.

Permanent Secretary for Higher Education, Research and Gender Equality Armaghan Naghipour said, according to the release, that the pandemic has caused great difficulties for many students, especially at the beginning of their studies. "They had little opportunity to experience the university campus as a place of exchange, learning and togetherness." Berlin's universities were already committed to catching up, he said. "With the special program, we want to support them in this - very specifically with offers that directly benefit the students," Naghipour said.

One focus, for example, is to be on tutorials, student counseling or mentoring programs. In addition, it should be possible to expand examination capacities on a transitional basis, to make up for cancelled courses, and also to create additional teaching opportunities.