According to the Education and Science Union (GEW), the shortage of skilled workers in the education sector is getting out of hand. “In the next five to six years we will be short of 200,000 employees in early childhood education and 250,000 in schools,” said GEW chairwoman Maike Finnern before the start of the GEW trade union day in Leipzig on Tuesday. If the vicious circle of overload and shortage is not broken, there is a risk of an even greater shortage of teachers.
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Finnern demanded better working conditions and a reduction in stress. Almost 92 percent of the teachers currently reported that they were overloaded. In addition, there is a dropout rate of up to 50 percent in some teacher training courses. “Without attractive framework conditions, we will not get any offspring,” emphasized Finnern.
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At the trade union day of the GEW in Leipzig, 432 delegates from 16 federal states will also discuss the challenges posed by the corona pandemic, how to deal with war refugees from Ukraine and a different distribution of federal funds from the digital pact. The trade union convention of the largest organization in the field of education only takes place every four years.
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In the coming years, GEW expects up to 400,000 children and young people from Ukraine to be cared for and taught in day-care centers and schools. “This increases the shortage of skilled workers again, because tens of thousands of specially trained teachers are needed for this,” explained Finnern.
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