School students' advocates push for daily internet speed tests in educational institutions
In the ever-evolving landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic, the daily rapid test obligation for teachers and students in schools across Germany has largely been lifted, as of August 2025. This shift away from mandatory testing in schools began on March 1, 2023, with the discontinuation of remaining requirements for negative rapid tests.
Initially, free rapid tests were offered during the pandemic waves, but these were phased out by October 2021 for most of the population, except children, teenagers, and certain vulnerable groups. As a result, the strict daily or frequent rapid test mandates in schools are no longer enforced nationwide.
This transition reflects a move from universal frequent testing to more targeted testing strategies. The German government, with widespread vaccination coverage and lower infection rates in the mid-2020s, has lessened the urgency to increase test production. Current policies favour symptom-based or exposure-based testing, so large-scale escalation of test production is no longer a priority public policy focus.
However, Jessica Rosenthal, the federal chairwoman of the Jusos, has called for a reinstatement of the daily rapid test obligation for teachers and students. She believes that final theses should lead to improvements, not deterioration, and argues that opening schools without testing is not acceptable.
Rosenthal proposes that companies should be obliged to produce rapid tests if necessary, and she suggests that schools and daycare centres should have priority when it comes to test supply. She advocates for a culture where everyone gets tested every morning, and she emphasises the importance of dialogue with companies, as many are ready to produce rapid tests.
Moreover, Rosenthal supports giving students a guarantee that they will not slip in grades with presence final exams under pandemic conditions. She calls on the ministers of education to introduce the rapid test obligation in all federal states, ensuring the safety and academic progress of students across Germany.
As an industrial location, Germany has many opportunities to produce tests and increase capacities. However, currently, there are not enough tests for two tests per week, highlighting the need for increased production and supply. Rosenthal's proposal aims to address this issue, ensuring that schools and daycare centres are supplied with tests before testing in retail and other places.
This call for reinstating daily rapid tests in schools reflects Rosenthal's commitment to maintaining a safe and productive learning environment for Germany's youth, even as the pandemic response policies transition to post-pandemic management.
- Despite the German government's shift towards targeted testing strategies, Jessica Rosenthal, the federal chairwoman of the Jusos, advocates for the reinstatement of daily rapid tests in schools, as she deems it vital for maintaining a safe and productive learning environment.
- In her proposed plan, Rosenthal suggests that companies should be obliged to produce rapid tests if necessary, prioritizing schools and daycare centres for test supply, and she emphasizes the importance of dialogue with companies that are ready to produce rapid tests.
- Additionally, Rosenthal supports giving students a guarantee that they will not slip in grades with presence final exams under pandemic conditions, calling on ministers of education to introduce the rapid test obligation in all federal states, ensuring the academic progress of students across Germany.
