Launch of Ruhr Teacher Training Scholarship

A broad alliance composed of two foundations, the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) and the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia wants to systematically recruit students on teaching degree programs to work in schools in challenging neighborhoods in the Ruhr region. Together with the Ministry of Education and the UA Ruhr, the two foundations RAG-Stiftung and Wübben Stiftung Bildung have developed a scholarship program via which students receive financial support during their studies and are at the same time systematically prepared for working in schools in challenging neighborhoods.

To set the seal on their collaboration, Dorothee Feller, Minister of Education, Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, Chairperson of the RAG-Stiftung, Dr. Markus Warnke, Managing Director of the Wübben Stiftung Bildung, Professor Wiebke Möhring, Vice President Academic Affairs at TU Dortmund University, Professor Martin Paul, Rector of Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) and Professor Barbara Albert, Rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), signed a Letter of Intent in Düsseldorf on 12 September, which sets down the cornerstones of this joint project.

Important role for teacher training in the region

“With around 1,700 Master’s students graduating in teaching degrees each year, the UA Ruhr plays an important role in teacher training in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, both for the Ruhr region and beyond,” say the three participating universities. “Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the University of Duisburg-Essen and TU Dortmund University are already working together very successfully in this area too. A current example is the Ruhr Conference project talents4teachers/teachers4talents, which aims to recruit high school graduates from all kinds of backgrounds for teaching degree programs and to support them especially at the start of their studies. With the Ruhr Teacher Training Scholarship, we can now make a further contribution to more educational equality in the Ruhr region.”

The Ruhr area is a region of opportunity

Dorothee Feller, Minister of Education, says: “The ‘Ruhr Teacher Training Scholarship’ will contribute to ensuring fair educational opportunities in challenging neighborhoods in the Ruhr region too. By systematically supporting schools that have to master particular challenges, we are once again pursuing the approach of treating unequals unequally. I am very grateful for the tremendous commitment of the RAG-Stiftung, the Wübben Stiftung Bildung and the three Ruhr universities. Together we are showing that North Rhine-Westphalia is an excellent place for education and that the Ruhr area is a region of opportunity.”

As one of its main cornerstones, the scholarship program provides for monthly support of €300 for 70 students at each of the three UA Ruhr universities from 2024 and 2025 onwards during their Bachelor’s studies, i.e. a total of up to 140 students on various types of teaching degree programs. The RAG-Stiftung is making over €1.5m available for this. Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, member of the RAG-Stiftung’s executive board, emphasizes: “Particularly at schools in challenging neighborhoods in the Ruhr area, there is a disproportionately large number of young people who would traditionally have benefited from educational opportunities and jobs in mining. Through our joint scholarship program, we can recruit urgently required teachers for precisely these schools and deploy them there. This improvement in educational opportunities will benefit many children and enable them to profit from continuity in their teachers’ support. And it constitutes a long-term contribution to promoting education and securing skilled workers in the Ruhr area, which is a common and major concern for us foundations.” The Wübben Stiftung Bildung is making funds available for the networking of the scholarship holders.

Detailed press release by the Ministry of Education of North Rhine-Westphalia

Website – Ruhr Teacher Training Scholarship

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