They will provide inspiration to the children and teenagers supported: You can make it too!
The Foundation compiled a presentation entitled "Germany as a knowledge-based society: Targeted investment increases competitiveness" on how difficult the situation is for schoolchildren and students from disadvantaged families.
Prof. Dr. h. c. Roland Berger, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and founder of the Roland Berger Foundation, introduced the first recipients of the "Fit for responsibility" program today: 14 students who are successfully overcoming difficult personal circumstances. Their fields of study vary widely – from business administration to physics, from languages to theater and social sciences. These students are the best examples of how goals can be achieved with courage, commitment, perseverance and talent. This first group of scholars will serve as pioneers for future younger scholarship recipients of the Roland Berger Foundation.
"Knowledge is Germany's most important resource – the future of our country depends upon it," said Roland Berger as he introduced the presentation entitled "Germany as a knowledge-based society: Targeted investment increases competitiveness". He went on to say, "Unfortunately, our educational system has not been set up accordingly." As the Roland Berger Foundation's documentation showed, the German education system has a significant social imbalance: Over 80% of all children whose parents have a university education go on to university. However, only about 20% of children whose parents don't have a degree go on to earn one themselves. "Intelligence is equally distributed among all walks of life," Berger pointed out. "Young people are missing out on personal opportunities – and our country is also missing out on immense intelligence potential, which could help us gain a global edge."
This view was echoed by educational expert Prof. Ludger Wößmann, Ph.D. and Trustee of the Roland Berger Foundation: "Good investment in education benefits the economy, but also the individual. A good education is the best insurance against unemployment."
Support for the students is tailored to their individual needs. The core of the program is the one-on-one guidance provided by mentors. Berger himself wants to personally mentor the first 14 scholarship recipients. "I'm looking forward to getting to know these young people," said Roland Berger. "I founded my first company when I was a college student. I want to serve as an example that inspires them to set concrete goals and carefully weigh the risks involved."
With the "Fit for responsibility" scholarship program, the Roland Berger Foundation supports gifted children and young people from disadvantaged families – initially in the pilot regions of Upper Bavaria, the Ruhr Area, Berlin and Brandenburg. The selection of 160 children and teenagers, ranging from elementary school to high school, will be concluded by the end of June. So far 600 applications have been received.
For more information please refer to: www.rolandbergerstiftung.org
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact:
Claudia Piatzer (Project Manager)
Roland Berger Foundation
Mies-van-der-Rohe-Str. 6
80807 Munich
Telephone: +49 89/3213 3934-20
E-mail:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Roland Berger Foundation, headquartered in Munich, is an independent public foundation under German civil law. It was founded by Prof. Dr. h.c. Roland Berger on March 27, 2008. The Roland Berger Foundation is endowed with a foundation capital of EUR 50 million and has an Executive Board and a Board of Trustees.
The Foundation has two objectives: first, the Foundation is committed to recognizing, promoting and protecting human dignity and human rights around the world. To this end, the "Roland Berger Human Dignity Award – to promote peaceful cooperation in the world", endowed with EUR 1 million, is awarded every year. Second, the Roland Berger Foundation supports talented young people from less privileged backgrounds. The Roland Berger Scholarship program makes it possible for them to obtain a high-quality education and thus lead a self-determined life.