educational state of emergency

The government in office since 1974 under Chancellor Helmut Schmidt cautiously continues the internal reforms introduced by Willy Brandt.

In the Federal Republic of Germany more and more complaints are raised about a major "educational state of emergency". According to constitutional law, the individual federal states, which retain cultural sovereignty, are above all responsible for educational policy. A general and complete educational reform fails because of differences between the federal government and the states and among the states themselves. Comprehensive schools, which were demanded as alternatives to the classical three-tiered school system, are successfully established in only a few federal states. Not even a universal legitimization of graduation certificates can be achieved.

In January of 1976, German universities undergo considerable reforms when the Federal Diet passes the University Framework Law. On the bases of the Federal Educational Assistance Law (BaföG), which the social-liberal coalition passes that same year, pupils and students from families with low incomes can receive financial support.

Under Chancellor Willy Brandt the rights of employees had already been broadened by the Industrial Relations Law and the Personnel Representation Act. In 1976, the Federal Diet passes the Codetermination Act, which - in accordance with the "Coal, Iron and Steel Industry Codetermination" of 1951 - now gives employees in enterprises with more than 2,000 employees an almost equal (equivalent) co-representation on the supervisory board of the company. At the same time work begins on a major legislative endeavor, the Social Law Code (SGB), which compiles and harmonizes all essential social law regulations.

During the Schmidt administration, the debate over legally regulating the termination of a pregnancy, the reform of § 218 in the Penal Law Code (StGB), supplies material for conflict. In 1974, the Federal Constitutional Court rejects the grace period solution envisioned by the social-liberal coalition. It would have allowed for a legal decision to terminate a pregnancy ("abortion") within the first three months after conception. In 1976, an "indication solution" is introduced which makes a legal termination of pregnancy subject to preconditions (i.e. a counseling session).