Education - State Parents' Council: Woidke should make education a top priority
In view of the problems at schools, the State Parents' Council has called on Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) to make education a top priority. In an open letter to the head of government, the committee refers to the poor performance in the Pisa study, but also to the difficult situation in the classroom.
In the letter to Woidke, which was published late on Tuesday evening, the state parents' council wrote that there were reports from school parents describing massive absences from lessons, lessons taught by teachers from other subjects for long periods of time, overcrowded classrooms and increasing violence in schools. "There can be no 'business as usual' and no resting on the laurels of the measures taken so far - which we do not believe are sufficient."
From the point of view of the state parents' council, there should be a new teacher model calculation to realistically determine the need for teachers. The parents' council also believes that changes to teacher training courses, more positions for school psychologists and the nationwide equipping of schools with digital devices are necessary.
German pupils performed worse than ever before in the Pisa study in 2022. Both in reading and in mathematics and science, these were the lowest scores ever measured for Germany in the Pisa study.
There is also a shortage of teachers in Brandenburg. Education Minister Steffen Freiberg(SPD) wants to ensure that teachers retire later. It is also possible to pay extra allowances from 2024 in order to avoid losing civil servants. In addition, a second training location for student teachers has been created in Senftenberg alongside the University of Potsdam.
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Woidke's council suggests that he should pay particular attention to the issues in Brandenburg's schools, as they've reported severe problems such as frequent lesson absences, teachers teaching unrelated subjects, overcrowded classrooms, and increasing violence. The poor performance in the latest PISA study further underscores the need for urgent action in the education sector.
Addressing this crisis, Woidke could consider advancing changes to teacher training programs and increasing the number of school psychologist positions. Additionally, equipping schools nationwide with digital devices and implementing a new teacher model calculation could help realistically determine the need for teachers.
Given that Brandenburg is also facing a shortage of teachers, initiatives like encouraging teachers to retire later or offering extra allowances could be beneficial. Woidke's party colleague, Freiberg, is already working on this, as he's launched a second training location for student teachers in Senftenberg.
Dietmar Woidke's SPD party governs both Brandenburg and Berlin, which participated in the PISA study alongside Brandenburg. Given Berlin's better showing in the PISA study than Brandenburg, it's crucial for Woidke and his party to address the root causes behind Brandenburg's lower scores and implement effective solutions to improve the quality of education in the region.
Source: www.stern.de
