- The Education Minister's strategies for addressing challenges in educational institutions.
Amidst rising student numbers and a scarcity of educators, Lower Saxony's Education Minister, Julia Willie Hamburg, from the Green Party, acknowledges the numerous challenges in the state's educational institutions. She stated this during a parliamentary session, "Things are quite challenging here. We're welcoming 19,000 new students this year alone." Alongside this, the student demographic is evolving, societal changes are accelerating, digital advancements are rapid, mental health issues among youth are on the rise, and there's a significant shortage of qualified professionals.
These complex issues can't be easily resolved, Hamburg indicated, but they are being addressed proactively. "We're taking action, and we're reliable," she affirmed. One strategy to tackle the teacher deficit is by increasing salaries in the state.
Teachers Across the State Receive Pay Bumps
Numerous educators commenced the new academic year at enhanced wage rates. The Ministry of Education mentioned that nearly half of the 71,000 teachers in the state's primary schools benefited from this salary raise. Furthermore, 2,460 new full-time positions are to be established within the year.
However, the AfD's education representative, Harm Rykena, expressed dissatisfaction with the pay increment. He argued, "We won't recruit a single more teacher with this." Moreover, the majority of benefits were extended to elementary educators, where there's no shortage, resulting in a lacking distribution elsewhere.
Moves Towards Fairness in Education
Minister Hamburg is taking the following measures to promote educational equity:
Social Index: More educators and staff will be deployed in schools where children and adolescents require significant support.
Start-up Program: At 390 schools categorized by the social index, with approximately 122,000 students, the number of students failing to meet the minimum standards in mathematics and German will be reduced by half.
However, the CDU's education representative, Christian Fühner, criticized the slow and bureaucratic implementation of the start-up program. Most schools will not be considered.
"Lack of Teaching Time is now Commonplace"
Fühner also voiced frustration about the consistent deficiency in teaching hours at schools. "Regrettably, the absence of teaching has become a common occurrence in our schools," lamented the CDU MP.
Teaching coverage has been a contentious issue in Lower Saxony for years. The ratio, calculated by the number of students to teacher hours, slightly improved to 96.9%, depending on the school type. At gymnasiums, it was nearly 100% as of August 2023, while it dropped to 91.6% at special needs schools.
Dispute Over 2,400 Pedagogical Staff
There has also been discussion regarding the future employment of over 2,400 pedagogical staff in schools. The CDU requested clarification on whether their jobs were at risk by the end of the year. Minister Hamburg confirmed the temporary contracts, stressing that it had been communicated from the outset. Ideally, she aims to expand the non-teaching workforce. Of the 2,400 pedagogical staff, the majority are part-time employees, equivalent to approximately 600 full-time positions.
Hamburg announced that with the expansion of all-day schools, schools will receive more funding for staffing and collaborations in the future. This will strengthen school budgets, enabling schools to retain their pedagogical staff beyond the end of the academic year.
As of now, the number of employees in school social work and pedagogical and therapeutic professions has expanded from around 11,300 in 2019 to around 17,000. The government plans to continue this trend. "I'm aware that the demand for non-teaching staff will continue to increase in the coming years, so we must keep expanding the workforce," said Hamburg.
The Hanover, being the capital city of Lower Saxony, is also affected by the education sector's challenges. The city's schools are witnessing a surge in student enrollment.
To address the educator shortage, the Ministry of Education is considering hiring additional non-teaching staff in The Hanover's schools.
