The AStA of HTW Berlin stands in solidarity with the student representative bodies in Saxony-Anhalt and supports their protest against the draft bill by the AfD Saxony-Anhalt to abolish constituted student bodies, as well as against the AfD’s attacks on democratic participation, student self-governance, and critical universities.
The student body of HTW Berlin sharply criticizes the draft bill by the AfD parliamentary group to amend the Higher Education Act (printed matter 8/6838). The motion provides for the complete dissolution of constituted student bodies and thus constitutes a central attack on the democratic structures of universities.
Until now, student bodies have been independent, democratically elected public-law corporations with their own financial autonomy and clear rights of participation. With their abolition, students lose their institutionalized voice. In the future, their interests would merely be considered within the university administration, without an independent structure or democratic self-governance.
The draft bill does not stand alone. It forms part of political demands by the AfD parliamentary group that seek to systematically roll back participation at universities. The abolition of democratically elected student representative bodies represents a step backward from established standards of university democracy.
We stand with the constituted student representative bodies of Saxony-Anhalt.
For democratic universities. For strong student representative bodies.
AStA of HTW Berlin