"Custody" instead of pedagogy: educators sound the alarm
Berlin nursery school teachers from state-owned companies are sounding the alarm about staff shortages. According to the Verdi trade union, around 2,600 nursery school teachers have signed a collective threat report since the beginning of October, which is to be handed over to Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) this Thursday. She is expecting a further 400 signatures, said union secretary Tina Böhmer on Tuesday in Berlin.
The collective complaint is intended to show that the problem does not just affect individual educators, but is systemic. "We do not see any substantial trend reversal in political action and must therefore resort to more drastic measures," said Böhmer. State Secretary for Family Affairs Falko Liecke (CDU) described the action as "pure symbolic politics" that had little to do with reality.
Nursery teachers report that it is often just a matter of keeping the children in custody. "Educational activities are no longer possible. You are constantly going beyond your mental and physical limits," said Ulrike Schulz, for example, who works in a daycare center in Berlin.
Days when more than half of the staff are absent with a full complement of children are not uncommon. "You then hope that you can get through the day, that it will pass and start counting the hours," said Schulz. It's often just a matter of covering the children's basic needs. "Reading a book aloud - that's no longer possible," says Schulz. Instead of educational activities, often only free play is possible.
This situation means that the profession is no longer attractive and many young nursery nurses change jobs after a short time. But even long-serving colleagues are still retraining, said Böhmer. At the same time, many vacancies are unfilled because no suitable staff can be found.
"Talking up the fact that the system is always on the verge of collapse is not very motivating for young people to choose the childcare profession and does not do justice to the situation," said State Secretary Liecke. Own companies and independent providers have the task of providing good and attractive framework conditions.
According to the education administration, 36,700 educational professionals are employed in child daycare facilities in the state of Berlin, including around 7,400 in owner-operated facilities and around 29,300 in independent providers.
Across Berlin, the staffing ratio across all 2900 daycare centers was around 103%. Overall, it can be assumed that the city's needs are covered. According to union secretary Böhmer, around twice as many educational staff are needed to guarantee a sufficient staffing ratio.
- The trade unions, such as Verdi, are pushing for improved personnel situations in Kindergartens due to the high number of educators feeling overworked and considering leaving their roles, leading to staff shortages.
- Considering the dire situation in Berlin's Kindergartens, where personnel are often stretched beyond their limits and unable to provide educational activities, many trade unions, like Verdi, advocate for the recruitment of additional educators to improve the quality of early education.
Source: www.dpa.com
