“The construction site is the educational policy, you are our client” – With this metaphor, the Minister for Education, Youth and Sport, Theresa Schopper, is greeted by the director of the Gottlieb-Daimler-Realschule, Beate Flemming-Nikoloff. The Friends of the Realschule invited the Minister of Education to the so-called classroom talks. Pupils, teachers and parents ask questions, and the minister answers questions. Many faces look expectantly towards the blackboard. The dividing wall between two classrooms was opened especially for the minister’s visit, so that everyone who was interested found space. “We’re looking forward to everything that isn’t in Wikipedia,” says Beate Flemming-Nikoloff, because the students did their research and prepared questions in advance.
Hornikel: Schorndorf invested 24 million in education last year
But first, Mayor Bernd Hornikel will speak up. The city of Schorndorf invested 24 million in education last year, and education is needed for democracy, says the mayor. Before MdL Theresa Schopper addresses those present, she is invited by the mayor to sign the golden book of the city of Schorndorf. The state politician comes to the topic: “Every fourth euro goes to schools,” she says. School is important for growing up to be responsible citizens, democracy, participation, the economy and prosperity in Baden-Württemberg. Those are the established facts.
Now to the problems: The minister mentions, among other things, language, a shortage of teachers and the “sandwich position” of the Realschulen. “Early childhood education and primary school are important points for me,” she says. Language deficits in secondary schools should be prevented at an early stage. In addition, the 62-year-old wants to open up the teaching profession for lateral entrants. The current shortage of teachers in Baden-Württemberg has a lot to do with the family planning of current teachers and a generational change. Almost half the staff has been replaced in the last decade, says the politician. The “sandwich position” describes the position of the Realschule between the Hauptschule and the Gymnasium. The Realschulen accept both children with a Hauptschule and a Gymnasium recommendation. The level of the Realschulen suffers from this. According to the minister, offering a secondary school diploma is a requirement of the secondary school association, which she also supports. The statement causes astonishment and horror in the classroom.
Teachers at the limit: Relief through social workers and psychologists?
The discussion starts. “Why do teachers get so many extra tasks?” asks a parents’ association chair. She means tasks that fall more into the field of activity of school social workers and psychologists. “The children today are much more diverse. There’s no getting around it. There are educational assistants and school social workers, but that cannot be completely outsourced,” Theresa Schopper replies. Another parents’ councilor is not satisfied with the answer: “More social workers could relieve the teachers. But that’s probably too expensive. Why is there one social worker for every 800 students?” she asks. “Two social workers for each class, we can’t do that,” says the minister. Rather, one must build on the existing teaching staff and train teachers. “We’re on target. That can’t be the solution. I briefly felt the need to ask for a raise,” says a teacher indignantly, and those present in the classroom laugh. The Minister of Education refers to the privileges of civil servants, such as the right to part-time work until a child is 18 years old. Due to the shortage of teachers, however, Schopper wants teachers to soon only be allowed to work less than 75 percent with justification.
The students of the Gottlieb-Daimler-Realschule also asked questions. They are more practice-oriented, less structural: “Why does school start at 7.40 a.m. and not later? Why do you only have three hours of English left? Why isn’t there a wider choice of religions in the classroom? Why aren’t we learning more languages?” ask Anna, Katharina, Adnan and Arda, who are in the ninth and tenth grades of the Realschule. The minister, who probably deals with more theoretical questions in everyday life, passes some on to her advisor. She assures the students that she wants to pursue their concerns.
Karl is in the tenth grade of the secondary school. He and his classmates are actually not interested in politics, he says. “I’m interested in computer science, after secondary school I want to go to the TG,” says the 16-year-old. Has the Minister of Education managed to get the students excited about politics?
