- Critical Voices and Requests Pose Challenges for the Upcoming School Year by SPD Group
Kicking off the fresh school year on Monday, the SPD group in Schleswig-Holstein lambasted the state government's education policy and pushed for improvements in teaching personnel. For example, SPD representative Martin Habersaat considered expanding DaZ classes (German as a second language) from 16 to 18 students, arguing that the existing strategy hasn't yielded satisfactory outcomes in integration and language proficiency. However, he emphasized, "It's not right to just slash resources here."
The faction's education representative urged that this school year sees the successful implementation of comprehensive language level tests for four-and-a-half-year-olds, followed by binding assistance measures for these children until they commence school. He reasoned, "The successful Hamburg model needs to make its way to the north of the state border; only then can we curb the downward spiral in every area of education studies sustainably."
On the issue of substitute teachers, Habersaat proposed a shift in approach to combat absenteeism and teacher shortages. He suggested retaining qualified, long-term substitute teachers, rather than dismissing them after five years. Schleswig-Holstein should take stock of its disappointing Abitur rankings, where it consistently placed last in the national rankings, Habersaat insisted.
Moreover, the SPD member brought up the considerable funding gap in schools, amounting to billions. He urged the state to envision and define the vision for the school of the future and provide guidance for municipalities to construct it. "So far, school costs and conditions have too much influence based on location luck."
The SPD group plans to advocate for improved resources in DaZ classes at schools, as current class sizes of 16 students haven't led to satisfactory integration and language proficiency results. The faction hopes to implement comprehensive language level tests for four-and-a-half-year-olds in schools, followed by binding assistance measures, emulating the successful Hamburg model.
