Social affairs - Trade union demands more money for school social work
The education union GEW is demanding more money from the state to support school social work. The state government must return to the agreed one-third funding, demanded GEW state chairwoman Monika Stein in Stuttgart on Wednesday. The local authorities currently receive a fixed annual amount of 16,700 euros per position. Due to pay rises and cost increases, this no longer corresponds to one-third funding. "According to calculations by the Association of Cities and Towns, one-third funding would amount to 22,000 euros per position," said Stein.
According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, the state has been covering a third of the costs for school social work since 2012. The school authorities, i.e. usually the municipalities, are actually responsible for this.
School social work can help to counteract educational inequalities and poverty, said Stein. In addition, school social workers also relieve the burden on teachers. "This relief for teachers is noticeable on a daily basis, because school social work provides close support to pupils in difficult life situations and in our multiple crises, reaching them at a low threshold and thus providing them with massive support," said Stein.
The GEW chairwoman therefore called for school social work to be expanded across the board. There are already school social workers at most secondary schools, intermediate schools, comprehensive schools and grammar schools. But only at a good 55 percent of elementary school. According to GEW, there were a total of around 1900 positions for school social workers in the south-west in 2022, spread across around 2800 people. In 2012, there were only 829 positions.
Read also:
- Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
- He also wanted to kill his cousin
- With live stream! Gawkers film dying man
- Is Saarland threatened with economic collapse?
The GEW, being the Social Education union in Baden-Württemberg, is advocating for an increase in state funding for school social work within the state government. Monika Stein, the GEW state chairwoman, urged the state government in Stuttgart to adhere to the agreed one-third funding for school social work. Currently, local authorities receive a fixed annual amount of 16,700 euros per position for school social work, but due to inflation and wage increases, this amount no longer corresponds to one-third funding.
Source: www.stern.de
