- Revised legislation upon teacher education aims to boost the number of instructors in MV.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is revamping its educator education program to match the future need for teachers in the region. "We can't keep on letting around 70% of students who want to become teachers drop out or switch to another field during their studies anymore," stated Science Minister Bettina Martin (SPD).
The bill was earlier approved by the cabinet during their meeting in Schwerin, and will now be discussed with professional associations. Following this, it will be sent to the state parliament for debate, with a vote predicted in May 2025.
Harsh academic requirements and a lack of practical connection in the past were the main reasons for many educator trainees dropping out, according to Martin. Out of the roughly 1,250 annual students in MV, less than half make it to the first state exam.
The new law aims to address this issue and will also combine study tracks for gymnasium and regional school teachers. This move had faced criticism from the opposition beforehand, but Martin argued that it had resulted in more appeal and better study results in other federal states. She firmly denied claims that the Red-Red coalition wanted to shut down the gymnasium in MV.
By 2030, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is projected to be short of approximately 2,600 teaching staff, with a shortage predicted for years to come. Martin acknowledged that the changes would not bring immediate results, but some, like those in vocational school teacher training, would take effect sooner. Overall, the state plans to invest an additional €25 million into the universities in Rostock and Greifswald to facilitate the implementation of the reform by 2030.
The SPD, represented by Science Minister Bettina Martin, is strongly involved in the educational reform in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. During the discussion of the bill with professional associations, Martin emphasized the importance of addressing the high dropout rate of educator trainees, with the SPD backing the new law to improve the educator education program.
