Berlin/Düsseldorf (dpa/lnw) – Around 340,000 more students are expected to be taught at schools in North Rhine-Westphalia by the mid-2030s than today. Their number could increase from around 2.45 million at present to 2.79 million in 2035, according to a forecast published by the Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK) on Friday.

According to the information, the number of schoolchildren throughout Germany will increase by one million by 2035. The development is justified with “recently steadily rising birth rates” and immigration.

The projections are regularly updated and published by the KMK. They are the basis for calculations on the development of teacher requirements. Rising student numbers are repeatedly mentioned as one of the reasons for the teacher shortage.