Teacher shortage - The minister considers part-time workers in schools necessary
Brandenburg's Education Minister Steffen Freiberg considers substitute teachers essential in light of the teacher shortage. "We cannot do without substitute teachers or teacher trainees", said the SPD politician to the German Press Agency. This is the case throughout Brandenburg. He advocated for fair treatment. "We must treat our colleagues in substitute teaching with the same respect as all others", said Freiberg. "We don't take everyone in as substitute teachers. All substitute teachers must pass the basic qualification to be employed permanently."
On the last school day before the summer holidays, nearly 316,700 girls and boys at 938 schools in Brandenburg received their certificates. The holidays end on August 31.
There are currently as many substitute teachers in Brandenburg's schools as ever before. In the 2023/24 school year, about 17.7% of all teaching staff at public schools were without teaching qualifications. In rural areas, this was almost 24%.
Program for teachers over 63
The Education Minister is optimistic about the coming school year despite the teacher shortage, as several measures are in place. Freiberg mentioned the 63+ program for the continued employment of teaching staff, a new recruitment campaign, and the Land Teacher Scholarship. "63+ will take effect for the first time in the coming school year", said he. "I know that a three-digit number of colleagues are in contact with the state school authorities, which is not included in our forecasts."
Freiberg sees more opportunities: "For retired teachers, we have created opportunities for them to earn more in retirement - until now, this was counted towards pension or retirement benefits", he said. "We have also provided an opportunity for active teachers to give additional instruction on a regular basis at full pay." 257 job offers have been announced for the next school year - the 2023/24 school year began with around 540 job offers.
Criticism from CDU and FDP
A new alliance of unions, parent and student representatives warned of growing educational deficits for students and teacher overload. The initiative assumes that only half of the teaching positions in the state will be filled with fully qualified teachers by the year 2030. This calculation is viewed skeptically by Freiberg.
The CDU in the state parliament expressed dissatisfaction with the education policy of the coalition partner about two months before the state election. Effective action against the teacher shortage is not enough, said CDU education politician Gordon Hoffmann. He cited language tests in kindergartens, a stronger focus on German and Mathematics, and the compulsory issuance of grades from the third grade as examples. The FDP criticized the lack of teachers, their excessive workload, excessive bureaucracy, and too few students entering the teaching profession.
- Steffen Freiberg, the Education Minister in Brandenburg, believes that substitute teachers are crucial in addressing the ongoing teacher shortage.
- Freiberg emphasized the importance of treating substitute teachers with the same respect as all other teachers due to the teacher shortage in Brandenburg.
- During the last school day before the summer holidays, over 316,700 students received their certificates at 938 schools across Brandenburg, which is a region in Eastern Germany.
- Freiberg is hopeful about the upcoming school year, despite the teacher shortage, as several measures have been implemented, including the 63+ program, a new recruitment campaign, and the Land Teacher Scholarship.
- The CDU in the Brandenburg state parliament has expressed dissatisfaction with the education policy of the coalition partner, citing concerns about language tests in kindergartens, a stronger focus on German and Mathematics, and the compulsory issuance of grades from the third grade.
- The FDP has criticized the lack of teachers, their excessive workload, excessive bureaucracy, and the low number of students entering the teaching profession, due to the teacher shortage in Brandenburg.
