- 19,000 first-graders and new developments in the new school year
The new school year in Thuringia begins with over 19,000 first-graders, a new training model for regular school teachers, a new subject, and more federal funding. Minister of Education Helmut Holter (Left) noted this in Erfurt. A total of 264,200 students will start the new school year at public and private schools in the Free State, with the number of first-graders slightly below last year's level.
Holter pointed out that Thuringia hires more than 1,000 teachers each year to combat teacher shortages, especially due to retirements. Lateral entrants continue to play a significant role. Last year, 1048 new teachers started, with 945 retiring, mostly due to age. Among the newcomers were 293 lateral entrants, and 313 new teachers are expected to join between August and September. The opposition regularly criticizes the high rate of absenteeism in the Free State, especially due to the lack of certain subject teachers.
43 percent of teachers hired since 2012
Since taking office ten years ago, the red-red-green state government has hired over 7,500 new teachers, representing 43 percent of the current teaching staff. "The state government has delivered," Holter said. He expects impulses from the dual training of regular school teachers, which will begin in September with 50 students. There were hundreds of applications for the places. "If it were up to me, we should expand it," the minister said.
This school year will see the introduction of the subject Media Education and Informatics for around 20,000 fifth-graders, which was previously tested at 36 project schools. Additionally, funds from the new federal-state education program will be available, with Thuringia receiving €23 million annually and contributing a further €23 million from the state budget. This is intended to improve the quality of school work.
Initially, 64 schools will be involved from August 1st, with a total of 93 schools and around 23,500 students expected to participate. The schools involved will be supported by consultants, school psychologists, and opportunity assistants, among others. The model project with school administration assistants will be expanded to five districts, covering all school administration areas and increasing the number of positions from ten to 30.
The Dutch education minister, visiting Thuringia, expressed interest in the state's successful teacher hiring strategy, as The Netherlands also faces teacher shortages. The Netherlands, with its robust education system, hires a significant number of teachers annually to address similar challenges.
