Digital education for everyone – Tumo learning center in Frankfurt | hessenschau.de

There is drilling and hammering going on, mountains of construction rubble, old cables and dust are piling up on the ground: the empty shop space in the north-west center is still a large construction site.

But there, in the former Thalia store, between Douglas and Peek & Cloppenburg, a new learning center called “Tumo Frankfurt” is being built on more than 2,000 square meters. It is intended to eclipse everything that Frankfurt has so far had to offer in terms of digital education.

Digital know-how is often neglected in school

Laura Gevorgyan, project manager at Tumo Frankfurt, shows what is planned on her laptop: modern design, lots of concrete, glass workshop rooms that seem to float in the air. More of a start-up than a youth club. “Up to 1,000 children and young people can come and take part in the workshops here every week,” says Laura Gevorgyan.

She lists the ten modules that twelve to 18-year-olds can choose between – from music production and 3D design to programming and robotics to the development of computer games. Digital know-how that has long been in demand in many professional fields, but is usually neglected in school.

At Tumo, professionals from the respective industries lead the learning modules. In addition, so-called coaches support the young people in working independently.

All workshops are free

Tumo membership will be free for children and young people. “This is a very important part of the concept,” says Laura Gevorgyan. “All young people should benefit, no matter how much money their parents have, no matter whether they are in high school or not.”

Frankfurt's head of education, Sylvia Weber (SPD), assumes that it will be “hard work”. The location in the northwest center, between shops and cafés, where many young people spend their free time in the afternoons, is supposed to help.

In addition, Tumo is easily accessible from other parts of the city. “We also work with schools and the Ark so that as many young people as possible find their way to us,” says Laura Gevorgyan.

City politicians praise the project

It should start at the beginning of 2026, and the joy apparently extends across party lines. Weber, head of the education department, calls Tumo a “lighthouse project,” while Dana Kube (Greens), chairwoman of the Frankfurt Education Committee, speaks of an investment “in the creativity of our children” and hopes to attract more girls to research and IT.

The CDU-led state government will set up similar tumor centers throughout Hesse, also as an instrument to combat the shortage of skilled workers in the MINT sector.

Dependent on private donors

For a long time it was not clear whether the learning center would actually become a reality. Because one thing dampens the general enthusiasm: the costs. The financing concept is based largely on so-called third-party funds from private donors. A specially founded support association has been soliciting donations for two years and has been able to bring well-known foundations and companies on board – from the Crespo Foundation and the Polytechnic Society Foundation to the Metzler Bank.

With the old commitments, the first three years are secured – but this only applies to the operating costs, for which up to 1.4 million euros per year are taken into account.

The city is financing the renovation and rental costs

The city of Frankfurt is financing the renovation and the rental costs. At the most recent meeting of the Frankfurt city council, the majority of city councilors gave the green light for the investment.

The monthly basic rent for the space in the northwest center is more than 40,000 euros, and the renovation is expected to cost a good 800,000 euros. Head of Education Sylvia Weber has agreed on a rental period of 30 years with the operating company of the Northwest Center.

“Who knows what will happen in 30 years?”

The education policy spokeswoman for the CDU parliamentary group in Römer, Sara Steinhardt, believes that three decades of education are too long. “Who knows what will happen in 30 years?” Particularly in the fast-moving field of digitalization, such a long commitment is unreasonable. She thinks that Sylvia Weber, head of the education department, should have negotiated better or considered city-owned property for the learning center.

CDU warns against wasting taxpayers' money

The CDU also sees the risk that the city – and thus the taxpayers – will ultimately face even higher costs. “What do we do if third-party funding is missing after the first five or ten years? Does the city then have to step in?” The “inherently great technology center” is in danger of becoming a “million-dollar grave for tax money”.

Cheap costs due to longer term

The Frankfurt education department says that the long term meant the city was able to negotiate favorable conditions. And especially in order to ensure Tumo's success, it is important not to see the whole thing as just a temporary project, but to take on long-term responsibility.

“The risk is not very big. We are launching Tumo because we have no doubt that it will be successful.” In theory, the city could also sublet the space.

Only Kyiv had to close – because of the war

Project manager Laura Gevorgyan is convinced that the third-party funding will continue to flow after the first few years. “If we have already been able to convince so many sponsors of our work where there is nothing to see yet, then we will be able to do this even more when young people come and go here every day and the first success stories can be told.”

And: So far, no tumor centers worldwide have had to close – with the exception of Kiev, because of the war. “And this center will also reopen at the first opportunity.”