Shortly before the start of the school year, there are fewer teaching positions available in schools than in the previous year. According to the Minister of Education, the reasons for this are more career changers and fewer part-time workers.
At the start of the new school year next Monday, there will again be a shortage of teachers in Baden-Württemberg, but significantly fewer than in previous years. There are currently 250 vacancies, said Education Minister Theresa Schopper (Greens). Shortly before the start of the last school year, there were still 565 vacancies, while the year before there were 890 teachers missing.
Schopper said she was confident that the gap of 250 unfilled positions could still be closed. “I think we are very well prepared. We have calculated what kind of capacity we need,” said the Minister of Education in an interview with SWR. The recruitment of teachers will continue until the end of September.
Expansion of study places and 18-point plan
The minister cited the expansion of university places, especially in primary schools, as one reason for the decline in the teacher shortage. In addition, almost 400 career changers will be starting at schools in the state in the new school year. An 18-point package announced last year, which included, among other things, a restriction on part-time work for teachers, is also having an impact: since this school year, teachers can only work less than 75 percent with a justification. This measure has created a total of around 230 jobs.
Even though the shortage of teachers has been somewhat alleviated, the Ministry of Education still has a lot to do. These are the most important construction sites at schools in BW:
Baden-Wurttemberg
Challenges for Minister of Culture Schopper
Where things are going wrong at schools in BW in the new school year
How do we deal with artificial intelligence or a lack of teachers in the classroom? The new school year brings with it major construction projects that BW’s Minister of Education Schopper must deal with.
From.3.9.2024
19:30
SWR News Baden-Württemberg
BW SOUND
Increased student numbers make teaching more difficult
Nevertheless, it will be a “Herculean task” to ensure that classes are available everywhere, says Schopper. This is also due to the increased number of students. For example, primary schools will have to cope with an increase of 15,000 students. Student numbers there were already high last year. 500 additional classes will have to be formed at primary schools for this. The reason for the high number of students is the high birth rate and continued high immigration.
GEW demands more commitment in dealing with young skilled workers
The education union GEW expects the state government to do “more than just appeals and warm words” to ensure that there is a teacher in every classroom at the start of the school year throughout Baden-Württemberg. Every unfilled position is one too many, it said in a press release. In addition, no one knows where the staff for the planned educational concepts and the ever-increasing number of students will come from.
When it comes to recruiting young talent, the state government could learn a thing or two from trades and businesses, the GEW added. The union would also like to see more ideas, such as scholarship programs for students who, in return, would have to commit to teaching in rural areas for a while.
The way it treats its 4,000 or so trainees is showing Generation Z that working in state service is not particularly sexy.
The GEW also criticises the practice of dismissing trainees during the summer holidays: “We don’t know of any other employer who dismisses their trained specialists after their training in order to save money for six weeks.”
