The German Federal Minister of Education and Research, Annette Schavan, appreciated the results of the new training funding report as a "good sign for the future capability of our country and a clear signal in combating educational poverty and the skilled labour shortage."
The report reveals that the public expenses for education in Germany have significantly increased over the course of the past years and that the Federal Government in particular has increased above average its investment in this area. Schavan said, "we invest in the talents of our citizens. This is the best provision for the future a country can make." In the past year alone, the Federal Government's share in public expenses for education increased from about 12 per cent to 14.6 per cent.
Many fields of education experience strong investment activity. For 2011, the training funding report accounts for a total budget of 106.2 billion euros for the Federal Government, the federal states and the municipalities. This is an increase by 19.5 billion eurso compared to 2005. Over the same period, the public expenses for education per citizen increased from 1,052 to 1,302 Euro. The significantly increased status of education is revealed also in relation to the government's total budget: Whereas in 1995 only 13.9 per cent of public expenses were invested in education, this increased to 18.8 per cent in 2011. Federal Minister of Education Annette Schavan commented, "the training funding report 2011 demonstrates that in Germany we have set the gears towards the future. This is a course we all should continue to pursue jointly and with determination."