Next Thursday, 13 June, an open all-day event in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, will see a strike, according to WAZ.
The Free Welfare Association says this affects the OGS offer from Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Avo), Caritas and the Protestant Church. Over 90 per cent of the facilities in Bochum remain closed while no emergency care is available. OGS providers in Bochum will lose around 1.6 million euros this school year. In the coming year, Free Social Care predicts a deficit of around 14 per cent.
Mark Schaaf, a spokesperson for the independent charity, says the state is doing nothing and the city is not responding appropriately while parents are facing serious consequences. He says that for years the organisations have been asking the governments of the various states of North Rhine-Westphalia to put together a legislative package that would conceptually lead to the opening of day schools in the future. However, the exchange is particularly difficult with the current state government.
Schaaf explains that while other municipalities are compensating for the failure of the state government, in Bochum negotiations reached an impasse. The independent charity describes the consequences of the lack of financial resources in such a way that both early childcare centres and a reliable primary school are on the brink. According to him, the situation is “so dire that the organisation will have to stop working with children by 3 p.m. at latest, but in the worst case scenario, a complete closure awaits.”
The evangelical church district has been offering school care in various formats at many locations in Bochum and Herne for more than 20 years. The organisation works with school management and local education leaders to design the school as a living space for the students. The programme runs through meals in the canteen, homework help and group activities in art, music, sport and environmental education.
The organisation’s officials say the strike is supposed to be a wake-up call.
