- In Brandenburg, there's a vacancy issue with teachers, as 455 full-time positions remain unoccupied.
Brandenburg is in a bind when it comes to teachers for the upcoming school year. There are still 455 full-time teaching positions that remain vacant, as per the Education Ministry. As of August 29th, only 378 positions have been advertised, as mentioned by Education Minister Steffen Freiberg during a press conference at the State Chancellery. The discrepancy between the two numbers is due to ongoing recruitment processes and some positions yet to be listed, according to the ministry's explanation.
Although the situation is not much better compared to last year, Freiberg, an SPD politician, foreseen the inability to completely fill the gaps. At the start of the school year last year, around 460 teaching positions were still unoccupied.
The teacher shortage remains the state's biggest concern, affecting all schools within it. Nonetheless, Freiberg assured that the core teaching schedules would be maintained. If necessary, elective subjects will be minimized, and in extreme cases, support hours will be canceled. The impact varies, with larger schools having an easier time compensating than smaller ones, said Freiberg.
An increase in student population is one of the reasons for the teacher shortage. Approximately 5,000 more students will be enrolled in the upcoming school year, attributed to strong birth cohorts and influx from Berlin, as per the minister's statement.
A total of 1,512 teachers have been hired permanently, while 1,601 have been hired on a temporary basis. Over half of these are lateral entrants, making up nearly 1,700 teachers. Freiberg expect brandenburg and perhaps the entire eastern German region to rely on lateral entrants in the long term, with their share increasing continually.
With the upcoming school year, more teachers will be working in Brandenburg schools than ever in the past 20 years. According to Freiberg, "We are still hiring. The numbers are dynamic."
New strategies to tackle the teacher shortage have also shown results. For instance, the 63+ program, which helps in the continued employment of teachers, has decreased the number of retirements. The U70 model, offering incentives for already retired teachers, is also shown initial success, said Freiberg. By the current point, more than 430 current and former teachers have signed up for these two programs.
Freiberg was optimistic about the success of the 63+ program, remarking that "I didn't expect so many colleagues to accept this offer right away." His satisfaction comes from the fact that the offer seemed to resonate with many.
Despite the recruitment efforts, 67 more teaching positions remain unfilled heading into the new school year. Consequently, some experienced teachers may need to take on additional responsibilities, expanding their teaching responsibilities beyond their primary subjects.
