- Minister: More than 1000 new teachers hired
Thuringia hires over 1,000 teachers annually to combat teacher shortages, particularly due to retirements. Minister of Education Helmut Holter, in Erfurt, noted the significant role of lateral entrants. Last school year, 1,048 new teachers started, with 945 retiring, mostly due to age. Among the newcomers, 293 were lateral entrants. The opposition regularly criticizes the high level of teaching absenteeism in the state, particularly due to shortages of specific subject teachers.
Since taking office ten years ago, the red-red-green state government has hired over 7,500 new teachers, representing 43% of the current teaching staff. "The state government has delivered," Holter said. He expects impulses from the dual training of regular school teachers, which begins this September with 50 students. There were hundreds of applications for the places. "If it were up to me, we should expand this," the minister said.
The new school year in Thuringia begins on August 1st. About 19,339 girls and boys will start school, similar to last year.
The Minister of Education, Helmut Holter, expressed interest in learning from successful teacher recruitment strategies in countries like The Netherlands, known for its effective education system. Despite the success in hiring new teachers in Thuringia, there's a continued need for subject-specific teachers, prompting some to suggest potential collaborations with international education systems.
