Teachers are under increasing pressure. There are not enough staff, bureaucracy is becoming too much for many, it is becoming increasingly difficult for some to keep tabs on classes and teach well. Could it help if teachers received a bonus?
In a rare deal, Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann and the unions reject possible performance bonuses for particularly busy teachers. “This means a lot of effort, is error-prone and has not led to what was hoped for,” the prime minister rejected a corresponding proposal by Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP). Furthermore, the amount of the performance bonus is quite modest compared to the salary, she told the German news agency.
The federal minister, on the other hand, hopes for the creation of incentives given the dramatic shortage of teachers and not only by following “known paths”. “Performance-related pay could be a way to make work more attractive,” he says. This already exists in some states. He’s not really lived. Education is in the hands of the federal states. As federal education minister, Stark-Watzinger cannot make any specifics, but he can initiate debates.
However, the federal government’s idea met with little approval from the GEW teachers’ union. It would be nice if apprenticeships were made more attractive, so that young people voluntarily and enthusiastically decide on apprenticeships, said Monika Stein, president of the GEW in Baden-Württemberg. However, this cannot be achieved if only part of the teaching staff is offered a bonus. With a premium for only part of a college, above all it increases competition, criticized Stein. It’s not the right way. Rather, it is important to hire additional staff and relieve teachers. Good teachers don’t choose their profession for the money.
The SPD also warns of humour: “Performance bonuses carry the risk of ‘trouble in the teacher’s room’ without experience showing that they have any real positive effects,” said the party’s education expert of opposition, Stefan Fulst-Blei. Fair pay and fair working conditions should be a matter of course. “The state has to ensure the right framework conditions and Baden-Württemberg has a lot to catch up with.”
This is where Kretschmann comes in. “It’s because of the stressful working conditions,” he told dpa. “We need to talk about the general condition and attractiveness of the teaching profession.” Bonus or not: “The official still has to work with full effort,” said the green politician. “He IS in the Civil Service Act.”
The second largest education association in Baden-Württemberg, the VBE, is proposing an alternative to the bonus: “Teachers don’t need money, they need time,” said the state president of the education and training association , Gerhard Brand, of the dpa . It would be a reward for above-average commitment, even in free time, if, for example, the deputat, i.e. the number of compulsory hours, were reduced. A performance bonus, on the other hand, must be linked to criteria that are difficult to define in a uniform way. “You also get discord in the breakroom,” Brand said.
Federal Minister Stark-Watzinger, on the other hand, knows that the German Teachers’ Association is on his side. “You can definitely tell which teacher is good,” said national president Heinz-Peter Meidinger of “Bild” in early December. Most states already had laws allowing extra benefits for good teachers. However, these pots are not plentiful and only very few countries use this option. More funds are needed, Meidinger said: “The bonus should be able to cover ten percent of a salary.”
(dpa)
