Head of philology: “Teachers are fleeing”

Goslar (dpa) – Less staff, more tasks, more stress: the situation in Lower Saxony’s schools has become more tense for both children and young people as well as teachers. The crises from Corona to war were reflected in everyday school life, said Christoph Rabbow, chairman of the Lower Saxony Philology Association, to the German Press Agency. What is necessary is to relieve educators of bureaucracy, more health education for students and greater efforts to recruit prospective teachers.

“We are already in a shortage of teachers,” said the head of philology, who teaches mathematics and chemistry at a high school in Stade. “The system has come under increasing pressure over the past 30 years, and Minister Hamburg is not to blame for that.”

The so-called teaching provision in Lower Saxony was 96.3 percent at the beginning of September 2022 – this was the lowest value since recording began 20 years ago.

The Ministry of Culture has still not communicated the current value, criticized Rabbow. Given the large number of additional tasks, many young teachers started with a reduced number of hours. Mathematicians, computer scientists and natural scientists, among others, looked for alternative jobs in business. “Teachers are fleeing. We’re seeing this more and more.”

The Lower Saxony Philology Association is a professional representation of high school teachers and trainee students and has more than 8,000 members. Education Minister Julia Willie Hamburg (Greens) is also expected to attend the Philology Day this Wednesday in Goslar. The motto of this year’s association conference is: “Designing a healthy school with relief and appreciation”.

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