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The results of the state election present Saxony-Anhalt with significant political and social challenges. In this situation, the State Association of Adult Education Centers (Volkshochschulen) in Saxony-Anhalt, together with its member institutions, reaffirms its identity and its educational mission.
The work of the adult education centers is fundamentally and unalterably based on the basic and human rights enshrined in the Basic Law and the state constitution. Adult education centers are and will remain places of democratic education and encounter—open to all people, regardless of age, social or ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual and gender identity, or disability.
The adult education centers in Saxony-Anhalt have a rich tradition. Many people know and trust them. Through their educational offerings, they contribute to the future viability of the state. They impart fundamental knowledge and skills as well as current and innovative expertise. They promote critical thinking, flexibility, and the ability to help shape social change.
As a state association, we affirm: Adult education centers are politically neutral. However, their educational work is not value-neutral. It is guided by democracy and its fundamental values, such as human dignity, freedom, equality, solidarity, plurality, and tolerance. It stands for an education that empowers people rather than molding them, encourages constructive criticism rather than suppressing it, and views diversity as an enrichment rather than a threat.
Education for a sustainable Saxony-Anhalt
With their diverse programs, adult education centers cater to the entire population. They enable people with different educational backgrounds to develop their skills and prepare for the working world and society of tomorrow. Open-mindedness is a key future competency in this regard. The economy of Saxony-Anhalt is also internationally interconnected and dependent on workers and skilled professionals from abroad. Adult education centers support immigrants in language acquisition, social orientation, and equal participation. At the same time, adult education centers keep regional traditions alive and strengthen identification with the state and its municipalities. They are places for lively and critical engagement with history—including the crimes of National Socialism and the repression under the SED dictatorship. Adult education centers provide scientifically sound knowledge about developments that are permanently changing our living conditions. This includes human-made climate change as well as digitalization and technological innovation. They empower people to critically examine information, evaluate different perspectives, and form their own judgments.
Together for democracy and cohesion
The state association and the adult education centers in Saxony-Anhalt stand with the many committed individuals, educational institutions, and civil society initiatives that advocate for democracy, human rights, tolerance, and social cohesion. We will continue to fulfill our educational mission reliably, even under changed political conditions. Adult education centers remain open places for learning, encounter, and democratic debate. Misanthropy, intimidation, and attacks on the liberal democratic order have no place here. We expect the members of the newly elected state parliament to live up to their responsibility for the future of Saxony-Anhalt. The state needs a capable government that respects the Basic Law, protects democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, promotes social cohesion, and guarantees the freedom of education, science, culture, and civil society. The state association and the adult education centers in Saxony-Anhalt remain reliably committed to democracy, open-mindedness, scientifically sound education, and free opinion-forming. We are non-partisan—and at the same time committed to the liberal democratic order, human dignity, and human rights.
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