- The Alliance calls for school-wide and permanent social work
A coalition of business, social organizations, educators, parents, and students is advocating for firmly established school social work in all schools in Saxony-Anhalt. Currently, there are nearly 460 school social workers in the nearly 900 schools, said Antje Ludwig, chair of the Free Welfare Association League in Saxony-Anhalt and managing director of the Paritätischer. They have fixed-term contracts and funding is secured until 2028. The successful system must be transferred from a pilot project to permanent and comprehensive support in schools, said Ludwig. Legal anchoring and permanent funding are necessary.
The number of school dropouts has not significantly decreased since the beginning of school social work. However, according to the coalition, the conditions in schools, such as teacher shortages, have not improved either. Therefore, it is all the more important to have contact persons for students in conflicts, mediation programs, and support for parents, for example in applying for funds from the Education and Participation program - which school social workers provide.
The Action Alliance School Social Work is calling for uniform quality standards. Stefanie Klemmt, managing director of vocational training at the Industry and Commerce Chamber of Magdeburg, said: "We demand reliable measures for school social work and its carriers, because vocational maturity requires not only knowledge transfer, but also social competence and an understanding of democratic values." The Action Alliance will now approach the parties to achieve its goals. The next state elections in Saxony-Anhalt are in two years.
The Action Alliance School Social Work aims to establish uniform quality standards in all schools, recognizing the importance of school social workers in fostering social competence and democratic values. Despite the initial implementation of school social work, the dropout rates have not significantly changed, suggesting a need for further improvement in overall school conditions.
