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»Our teaching provision looks very bad«: One day a week the class remains orphaned (symbol image)
Photo: Bodo Schackow/ DPA
Shortage of teachers in the Ammerland district in north-western Lower Saxony: According to several media reports, the Wiefelstede primary school is now introducing a four-day week for more than 300 pupils.
"Our teaching provision looks very bad, and we are not in a position to provide all classes with the same teaching," wrote headmistress Doris Tapken in a letter to parents, according to reports.
The reason for the cancellation of classes is a ban on employment that was issued to two pregnant teachers.
They are not allowed to teach because they could get infected with Corona.
In addition, another teacher is absent in the long term.
Last Friday, the school management reportedly announced that a substitution plan would come into effect from this Tuesday.
This provides that one of the years 2 to 4 must stay at home per day.
Because there are five classes in the first year, these are spread over two days.
The school should offer childcare for children who cannot be cared for at home.
It was not announced how long the regulation would apply.
Recently, the State Parents' Council of Lower Saxony spoke of a "desolate situation" in schools in the state and called for changes.
The number of lessons at schools in Lower Saxony has fallen to its lowest level since statistics began 20 years ago, as Minister of Education Julia Willie Hamburg (Greens) recently announced.
The value determined from the ratio of students to teacher hours was 96.3 percent as of September 8, 2022 - in the previous year it was 97.4 percent.
Other federal states are also currently looking for ways to at least partially compensate for the shortage of teachers.
Saxony-Anhalt is experimenting with the "4 plus 1" model, in which the children only come to school four days a week.
In addition, teachers should generally teach one hour more per week.
Saxony, on the other hand, wants to use more Ukrainian teachers in schools;
Brandenburg hopes that the profession will be made more attractive by lowering the standards for civil servants.
The Lower Saxony State Parents' Council proposed a completely different way on Tuesday to close the gaps in the teachers' rooms: it wants professional headhunters to search for teachers.
"Why not use headhunters who bring outside experts into the schools," asked the chairman of the state parents' council, Michael Guder, in an interview with the Oldenburger "Nordwest-Zeitung".
“There should be a corresponding budget for bonuses.” Because the country is saving millions because of the vacancies, he said.
"And it's about modern recruiting: young people no longer look in the school administration sheet to find job offers."
him/dpa