Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr reported on November 11, 2026, that only one quarter of 14-year-olds are meeting reading and math goals. Alarmingly, half of 14-year-olds who speak German as a first language are currently unable to read proficiently.
Wiederkehr attributes these results to mobile phone use, COVID-19 after-effects, and migration from disadvantaged families. While English skills are improving due to early primary school instruction, the 'Chancenbonus' program now supports 400 local schools.
The minister aims to reduce the failure rate to 15 percent by 2030. To achieve this, he proposes extending primary school, with a pilot project starting in 2027, though he currently lacks the parliamentary majority required to pass the necessary reforms.