Bernd MayerProjects

 After the project ended in 2003, I had the feeling that we failed finally. But over a longer period of time that was not the case - something has changed. Young people are now far better prepared for the world of work than they were 20 years ago. The Indonesian economy is growing steadily, just like the population. 250 million people live on 13.000 islands, about 140 million people living on Java alone. The area of Java is about 120.000 km2 only which is comparable to the area of the former German Democratic Republic with a population of 17 Mio. In addition, Java hosts several active volcanos where nobody can live. Another example illustrates the extent of the archipelago: If you stick a measuring rod into the earth in Banda Aceh at the northern tip of Sumatra and do the same in Jayapura on Irian Jaya, the angle between the two rods would be 45 degrees. The distance is about 6000 km. 

Over 100 languages and dialects are spoken, all world religions are represented and practiced - with Islam as the dominant religion. Under these conditions it is an achievement that it is possible to teach a common national language to all. The rate of illiteracy is below 10% (for comparison: in Egypt nothing has changed in the last 25 years, the rate there is still over 30%).

The year 1998 was unforgettable: President Suharto had to resign after 32 years in office, the exchange rate of the currency collapsed dramatically within a few weeks and the gross national product decreased by 13 %. Nobody in Europe can imagine this - but the people mastered this difficult phase and public life did not collapse. In 1999 the first free elections since the 1960s took place. Slowly daily life started to improve again. 

I was already back in Germany when the tsunami hit the country at the turn of the year 2004 / 2005. In the province of Banda Aceh more than 200,000 people lost their lives. I was a member of a team of German experts who examined the damage to schools in spring 2005 and designed a reconstruction programme for the schools. The images of the destruction have been engraved in my brain for the rest of my life. The program seems to have been successful - it contributed to the pacification of the province, which was in civil war for a long time, and to the fact that young people in the north of Sumatra were able to acquire a broad-based basic vocational education. 

The traces of the war against the USA are still visible today - it is not only the deforested areas, but also the people themselves who suffer from genetic changes and the resulting deformities due to the use of Agent Orange. I believe that it was only under President Obama that the USA provided a sum of money for financial compensation, which was insufficient. Anyone who visits the country and who is interested in history should visit the Museum of War Remnants in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City. For me, it’s been an eye-opening experience revealing the incredible atrocities of the Vietnam War.

What projects have been supported by German funds for development cooperation in Vietnam? In short: a lot! Among other things (e.g. support to environmental protection and waste water treatment) the improvement of vocational training in the country. When I had the opportunity to work in Vietnam in 2007, the aim of our project was to modernize 12 vocational schools and training centres. Technical learning systems and machines were procured for approximately EUR 10 million, which provided the institutes and schools with a new foundation for their educational offerings. Vocational training is always a long-term undertaking - it takes years to see whether something has changed for the better. In the case of Vietnam, one can assume that the support has had an effect. The country has systematically expanded its technology base, similar to China, and provided many inhabitants with an improved standard of living. 

It’s been very supportive until today that there are still a number of Vietnamese who speak German. This is due to the country's relations with the former GDR and the Boat people, who were saved by the rescue operation of the ship Cap-Anamur. The Germans are still well respected in Vietnam - and the Vietnamese are often referred to as the "Prussians of Asia" because they are so incredibly hard-working. 

The tourist-viewpoint belongs to the city of Jinja in Uganda. In 2004 and 2006 I held several seminars there for trainers of private training institutes. A very colourful mixture of attendees was this: hairdressers, carpenters, employees of the beekeepers' association, waiters, cooks, mushroom growers, beauticians, bricklayers ... the goal was to teach young people or adults a trade or an activity which they can earn an income with. As an exception, KfW supported private training providers rather than state actors - and that was a great decision! The 120 trainers we hosted in the seminars were highly motivated and very interested in the methodological content and exercises. It's just a pity that there was no chance to meet the participants again a year later to ask them whether they were successfully applying the subjects they had learned. 

I was very impressed by the people in Uganda. Almost everyone I met was curious and open, they wanted to improve their lot by their own efforts. Already at the beginning of the millennium, Uganda was considered very successful in the fight against AIDS and in promoting education. The disadvantage of the country is the lack of sea access - everything has to be imported via Kenya or via Lake Victoria. An efficient train connection would make sense. Using the railway infrastructure thathe British had already laid, there have been repeated attempts to reactivate the connection to Kenya. But a regular train service is not functioning because the powerful lobby of freight forwarders and truck drivers show no interest. So the train station of Kampala is almost abandoned and deserted in the middle of the city. 

Nevertheless: Uganda has managed to develop peacefully after Idi Amin's reign of terror. This alone is a great achievement compared to other countries on the continent. One can only hope that it will remain so when President Museveni, who has been in office since 1991, resigns - which he will probably not do. Unfortunately, he is not the first head of state  to fail in building up a successor.  

There is a Serbian republic on the national territory with its own administration, which in principle feels more a part of Serbia than of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Bosnians, mostly Muslims, also have their own republic with its own administration. There is such a thing as a national government, but it can hardly govern the two regional republics. As if it wasn't complicated enough, there are also areas where the majority of the population is Croatian. 

In the end, nobody is happy or satisfied with the state structure, which is massively supported by the EU, similar to Kosovo. First and foremost, it should remain peaceful. And secondly, the country should be prepared to join the EU. One of the projects that is supposed to promote accession was on the subject of "energy efficiency". We organised training sessions on this topic for local politicians and authorities who are to implement energy legislation adapted to EU regulations. Again, I don't know what became of it, because the success of such projects is very rarely checked. 

Again on Sarajevo. Despite the wounds of the war, this is a beautiful, incredibly diverse city, with a rich cultural life. Only when people cooperate peacefully and in trust something can be achieved that will move the country ahead. It would be desirable that the city develops this positive energy for the country's inhabitants. Too much has gone wrong in the Balkans since 1914 - sometimes it looks as if Europe or the EU is trying to compensate for their guilty conscience.

There is a shortage of STEM teachers in schools and there is a shortage of young talents at universities. Companies can fill their vacancies for engineers and technicians only with difficulty.

Initiatives have been launched by different organizations, e.g. by foundations, associations, individual companies and the Ministries of Culture and Science. A National STEM Forum was created as a common platform for all those involved. Nevertheless, in spring 2019, the Institute of the German Economy, publisher of the STEM Spring Report, reports that more than 300,000 positions that can be attributed to the STEM segment of the labour market have not been filled. 

The key to boosting the STEM subjects lies in the general education schools. In 2007, Baden-Württemberg was the only federal state to introduce a new subject at grammar schools - science and technology. Since there are no technology teachers at general secondary schools, the state initiated a large further training series for teachers, of which I also contributed a part. More than 500 high school and secondary school teachers learned the basics of automation technology, which is considered a key technology. The company Festo Didactic sponsored these further training courses in cooperation with the education authorities. In addition, we cooperated with numerous, so-called extracurricular learning centres, set up by foundations, associations and companies, which developed a wide range of courses for students in their region - from "rocket tests" with plastic bottles to the programming of small robots. Particularly noteworthy are facilities such as the GARAGE in Leipzig, the EULE in Schwäbisch Gmünd, the Wissenswerkstatt in Friedrichshafen, the Science College Haus Overbach in Jülich and the Energy Experience Centre in Aurich. 

Certainly, something has changed in the STEM landscape in the last 10 years. But much more needs to be invested to keep our country in a leading scientific and technological role. The major challenges for climate protection, the expansion of renewable energies and mobility are all related to the intelligent use of technology. 

The bazaar is overflowing with jewellery dealers, as the country has abundant gemstone and semi-precious stone deposits. The food is incredibly varied - Asian fusion at its best, with influences from Thailand, China and India. 

The question remains, what am I doing there at all? Myanmar with its 55 million inhabitants is also interested in a well-functioning system of vocational training. Young people should be given an alternative to the universally favoured academic education. This is not easy - the parents would prefer to send all their children to university rather than to a production plant or construction site. That is why the governments of Myanmar and Germany have agreed to modernise vocational schools and train teachers accordingly. A total of 3 schools are being supported with funds from KfW. They will receive new technical rooms and laboratories for metal and electrical trades as well as for the wood and construction sectors. 

The project is still in the start-up phase - but in a year's time the first results will certainly be visible, as the new equipment is to be put into operation and the teachers will have attended their first courses. 

there is virtually nothing that can be done because of civil war and social unrest and bad governance. Meaningful action must be medium and long-term and requires orderly governance with a basic administration. 

In 2017, shortly before the German federal elections, the idea of the "Marshall Plan for Africa" has been promoted. The original programme, named after George C. Marshall, US Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1953, helped the ailing West European economy to get back on its feet after World War II with the help of loans and raw materials supplies. The Federal Government and the Minister in charge Gerd Müller have similar plans for and with Africa. Above all, private money should be more and more mobilized for investments. 

Part of this concept is apparent in SIFA, the Skills Initiative for Africa. Young people in the first batch of 8 countries on the African continent are to be trained in such a way that they have good career prospects and do not set off for Europe. So far, I have had the opportunity to examine 5 project applications from German companies - all of them will have an impact, but they are only a drop in the ocean. As with the STEM issue, much more would have to be invested, in this case, not only by Germany, but by the international donor community - the World Bank, the European Union, the African Development Bank as well as bilateral organizations. This is a very big challenge as everybody knows!