From next year, grandparents in Germany will be allowed to take paid leave to look after their grandchildren in an attempt to help young parents stay in education.

The German Government has passed new legislation enabling grandparents to take a break from employment to look after their grandchildren. The law is part of a government scheme to encourage young parents, in particular teenage mothers, to finish their education or training, which will ultimately help them to find work. Teenage pregnancies are an increasing problem in Germany.

The new law, which has already been passed by the Bundestag, parliament’s lower house, is due to come into force in January 2009.

Grandparents who can prove they are complying with the rules of the initiative will be given two-thirds of their pay for up to 12 months.

Germamy has seen a rise in teenage pregnancy rates and the number of one-parent families, resulting in many young mothers dropping out of education. This often leads to poverty and low standards of living.

It is his hoped the “grand-paternity” scheme will alleviate the problems associated with youngsters dropping out of school and not completing their education.

The new legislation follows the highly successful paternity leave scheme which was implemented by the German Government in January 2007. 

It has resulted in a fifth of new fathers in Germany taking time off work to look after their children while receiving two-thirds of their normal pay for up to a year.

Perhaps other countries, Great Britain for example, which has the highest rate of teenage births in Western Europe, will follow in Germany’s footsteps and implement similar rules.

Granting fathers longer paternity leave and grandparents paid leave should help young mothers establish a brighter future not only for themselves but for their children as well.

Gabrielle Pickard for RT

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