Vocational school teachers in the southwest have the impression that more and more students are not attending classes. “We are receiving reports from all over the country about students disappearing. Many young people who are required to attend vocational school after completing or dropping out of a general education school do not make it to vocational schools at all,” said the deputy chairwoman of the Vocational School Teachers’ Association (BLV), Michaela Keinath, in Stuttgart. During the school year, more and more young people are also simply disappearing and staying away from classes.
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“This has increased enormously in the last one or two years,” said Keinath. At vocational high schools, this affects around 10 percent of students, and in other areas of the vocational school system, it can be up to 20 percent, said Keinath. The BLV did not provide any specific figures.
Association: Consequence of the Corona pandemic
The deputy head of the BLV cited the consequences of the corona pandemic as one of the reasons for the students’ absence. Many students stayed away from class because of psychological stress. “Many can no longer deal with their problems. It is then easier to actually stay at home in bed.”
The school administrations would then have the arduous task of reaching the missing students, said Keinath. This would not be possible. “It should not be the job of teachers to locate missing students,” criticized Keinath. More support is needed, for example from administrative staff.
SPD education expert Stefan Fulst-Blei called for more support for vocational schools through school social work. “This is the only way we can counteract the apparent increase in school absenteeism.” This is “a creeping catastrophe” and plays too small a role in the debate.
Vocational school teachers in the southwest have the impression that more and more students are not attending classes. “We are receiving reports from all over the country about students disappearing. Many young people who are required to attend vocational school after completing or dropping out of a general education school do not make it to vocational schools at all,” said the deputy chairwoman of the Vocational School Teachers’ Association (BLV), Michaela Keinath, in Stuttgart. During the school year, more and more young people are also simply disappearing and staying away from classes.
