Shortage of Teachers in German Schools Reaches Alarming Levels

According to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, around 61,000 teachers did not complete a recognized teaching qualification examination in the 2021/22 school year. This corresponds to a share of almost nine percent. A year earlier the proportion was six percent. The proportion of vocational schools is even higher. There, 20 percent of the staff consisted of lateral entrants.

The shortage of teachers is expected to worsen as the number of teaching graduates with a master’s or state examination degree is declining. The number of new students also fell by more than three percent year-on-year.

This message was sent on October 4th, 2023 on the Deutschlandfunk program.