Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – At almost every second school in Baden-Württemberg, at least one position was vacant at the beginning of the current school year, and at around every fourth school there were even two or more full positions. This is the result of a new study for which the social research institute forsa interviewed around 1,300 school principals nationwide on behalf of the Education and Training Association (VBE) – 253 of them from Baden-Württemberg.
On average, each school was missing 1.1 teachers, nationwide it was even 1.6. “These are anything but good starting conditions if you assume that illness-related absences are to be expected throughout the school year,” said VBE federal and state chairman Gerhard Brand in Stuttgart.
According to the study, four out of five school management boards (81 percent) fear that they will be severely or very severely affected by the lack of staff in the future. Brand warned that school administrators could resign. “What they need now is more staff and more time,” he said.
“School managements have a clear fear that the shortage of teachers will continue to increase,” said Brand. In addition, the number of lateral entrants has increased significantly, i.e. people without a classic teaching qualification. While it was still 18 percent in 2018, this value has more than doubled to 39 percent by the end of last year,” said Brand. “This development is leading to deprofessionalization and, with it, a continuing loss of quality in education.”
Among other things, the VBE calls for better support during studies and traineeships, additional study places, better study and working conditions and higher salaries for primary school teachers and existing teachers at secondary and secondary schools. However, the country will not be able to avoid using career changers or side entrants. “If you approach it the right way, career changers can help to alleviate the shortage of teachers and improve the provision of lessons,” said Brand. But it is not possible without high hurdles.
