- Minister of Education and Culture gives outlook for new school year
Before the start of the new school year in Lower Saxony, Minister of Education Julia Willie Hamburg will inform about the situation at schools today. At the press conference in the state parliament, the minister is expected to present figures - for example, how many of the advertised teaching positions have been filled. The new school year in Lower Saxony begins next Monday.
As of July 22, according to the Ministry of Education, slightly more than 1,200 out of 1,467 advertised positions have been filled. The ministry described this as a good value and expressed confidence that more positions would be filled in the coming days. The recruitment process will continue even after the start of school.
The state government is countering the teacher shortage, among other things, with higher pay. At the beginning of the new school year, the salary of many teachers will be increased, moving them to a higher pay grade. According to the Ministry of Education, around 35,500 teachers will benefit from this. In comparison, more than 71,000 teachers teach at Lower Saxony's general schools.
In full-time employment, this means an increase of several hundred euros per month. In addition, the state budget for the coming year provides for 2,460 additional positions at schools to enable all teachers who complete their training in Lower Saxony this and next year to be offered a position.
The number of students in Lower Saxony's general schools is expected to rise further to around 890,000 students in the new school year, according to a forecast by the Ministry of Education. This is an increase from around 877,000 students last school year and around 868,000 two years ago.
Meanwhile, education unions continue to view the situation at schools with concern. The Education and Science Union (GEW) spoke of a high workload for teachers. Sick leave is increasing, many are retiring early or reducing their working hours. "All of this are obvious factors of a spreading fire," said GEW state chairman Stefan Störmer.
The Ministry of Education in Lower Saxony is also working to fill teaching positions in The Hanover. As of recent updates, approximately 1,080 out of 1,380 positions in The Hanover have been filled.
With the increase in salary for many teachers and additional positions being created, the teacher shortage crisis in The Hanover is anticipated to improve.
