Berlin (dpa/bb) – In the new school year, more students are learning in Berlin than ever before. At general schools, the number rose by around 6,500 to 395,110. There are also 80,180 vocational students, around 1,100 more than a year ago. This was announced by Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) on Wednesday with a view to the new school year, which begins next week.
The increase is not least due to Ukrainian war refugees. According to the senator, around 7,500 students from Ukraine learn at Berlin schools, including around 7,000 at general education schools. A total of 11,175 refugee students are taught in 914 welcome classes – an increase of a good six percent compared to the previous year. Another 1,100 young refugees are on waiting lists, it said.
The number of school beginners is falling slightly: in the new school year there are 37,470, around 700 fewer than a year ago. Six were added to the 700 public schools in the portfolio, so there are now 706. Including the independent institutions, Berlin has 1044 schools. Around 4,000 new school places were created for the 2023/2024 school year.
The shortage of teachers is still an urgent problem in Berlin – as in other federal states. As Günther-Wünsch explained, 3225 teachers were employed in 2444 full-time positions, many of whom work part-time. That is 144 more teachers than a year ago and, according to the senator, more than initially expected. Among the new employees are a number of lateral entrants. According to the GEW education union, two-thirds of the new teachers have neither a teaching degree nor a school subject.
The senator was unable to quantify the size of the deficit, i.e. the gap between the need for teachers and the full-time positions actually filled. In May she had expected a deficit of 1,460 jobs, 500 more than a year ago. The exact number will not be known until September, according to Günther-Wünsch. You expect the value to be below the number expected at the time.
Against the background of comparative tests in which Berlin schoolchildren regularly do poorly in national comparisons, Günther-Wünsch named better educational quality as one of their central goals. Achieving standard standards in reading, writing and arithmetic for all pupils in the first years of elementary school must be the top priority in Berlin’s educational policy.
At the moment, Berlin’s students are a long way from that. Every third grader can hardly read or do arithmetic, as shown by comparative work in the third grade last school year. According to the education administration, almost 35 percent of the students did not reach the minimum standards in German reading. In German language use it was even 46 percent. In mathematics, 37 percent did not reach the minimum level.
The results of comparative tests in the eighth grade are also highly problematic. 61 percent did not succeed in solving the simplest tasks in German related to reading. In mathematics, 77 percent did not meet minimum standards when it came to measuring and 65 percent when it came to functional relationships. According to the education administration, the results at the high schools were slightly better.
“These results are unacceptable for me,” explained Günther-Wünsch on the comparative tests called Vera 3 and Vera 8, which are regularly collected nationwide.
Among other things, she is planning so-called functional positions at elementary schools for mathematics and German. In the short term, measures such as project days are to be integrated into the content of German and math lessons. There are also plans to increase the minimum number of class tests in German and mathematics from three to four per school year.
“In order to deal with this education crisis, the entire Senate must make education a priority,” explained GEW country manager Tom Erdmann. A joint effort and more investment are needed. In primary schools in particular, everything must be done to ensure that fully trained teachers are in charge of classes. A “control to cushion inequalities” is also necessary. “Because the shortage of teachers is particularly evident where the social and educational challenges are greatest.”
There are a total of 32,423 full-time positions for teachers in Berlin’s schools. 41,480 people are currently working there as educational staff, including 34,525 teachers and 5,363 educators.
Günther-Wünsch also provided information on the status of teaching staff, which Berlin reintroduced a year ago in order to attract more teachers. According to this, by the end of July 400 teachers who were already working in the schools were made civil servants. Another 9,500 so-called existing teachers who have been employed so far want to become civil servants and have submitted a corresponding application. The senator announced that there would soon be compensation for disadvantages for educators who, for example, cannot be civil servants for reasons of age.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:230823-99-930294/5
2023-08-23 18:00:18
#Student #record #schools #teacher #shortage #remains #problem
