Dachau's school authority director Albert Sikora explains what the situation is like at schools in the Dachau district and how he assesses Richard Reischl's letter of fire.
Dachau - The fire letter from Hebertshausen Mayor Richard Reischl to Michael Piazolo not only reached the Minister of Education, but also many people in the Dachau district and beyond, according to Reischl - and set an example. In his letter, Hebertshausen's community leader criticized developments in the education system. Primary and middle schools in particular have been "systematically broken reformed" for years. Piazolo then invited Reischl over for coffee to talk to him about his brand letter.
Bavaria's educators, on the other hand, are not after a coffee chat; The Bavarian Teachers' Association has called for Bavaria-wide campaigns against the measures taken by the Ministry of Education to remedy the shortage of teachers at basic, middle and special schools. This includes, for example, an increased number of hours for primary school teachers or a later retirement age.
In an interview, Dachau's school office director and former secondary school principal, Albert Sikora, explains what the situation is like at the schools in the Dachau district and how he assesses Richard Reischl's letter.
Mr. Sikora, is Richard Reischl right with his brand letter?
Mr. Reischl wrote this letter as father, politician and mayor of the Hebertshausen community. In this Brandbrief he described his needs and fears, which do not only refer to the current changes by the Ministry of Culture. That is, of course, his right, and he addresses discussion areas about which we would like to enter into a dialogue.
Is there a teacher shortage in the Dachau district?
In the district of Dachau in primary and secondary schools, we were provided with teachers in the current school year in a way comparable to the previous years. The supply of teachers in Hebertshausen is also satisfactory.
Do you support the changes made by Michael Piazolo?
In order to maintain the high quality at our primary and secondary schools, it is a viable way to temporarily increase the mandatory teaching time by one hour and then "reimburse" it later. This has also happened in the past. In a few years there will be more graduates from universities. In the meantime, we have to ensure that classes are provided. There are various measures here, such as increasing the mandatory teaching time in primary school and increasing the minimum part-time.
Are the measures for elementary and middle school teachers justified?
It is a fact that the existing applicants cannot meet the needs across Bavaria. The causes for this are manifold. Against this background, measures to ensure the provision of instruction are essential. The concept tries to take into account different interests in responsibility for the teachers and students, but also in the interest of the quality of the lessons. For this reason, instruments that would be fundamentally possible should not be implemented: Neither an increase in class sizes nor a reduction in the hourly table or the use of side entrants on a large scale is intended.
Why aren't middle schools so attractive anymore?
First of all, it should be noted that the middle school has a comprehensive, individual and differentiated range of education, which in addition to the regular classes also includes middle-maturity classes, preparatory classes and practical classes. This is an offer that is quite attractive. The perception you mentioned is due to social development. Unfortunately, in these cases, educational success is only equated with the highest possible school leaving qualification, without taking into account that this is much more than just imparting knowledge.
What can you do about it?
Here it is important to emphasize the quality of the middle school again and again through offers, information and committed work on site. The middle schools offer the class teacher principle. The teachers can build a different relationship with the students. This is extremely important so that the students feel that they are in good hands. There is a close exchange between the craft businesses, the chambers of crafts and the middle schools. These explain the importance of practical professions. The cooperation with the craft businesses and other external partners must therefore be shown and communicated further in order to bring about a rethink among people.
Could middle school die out in the future?
I don't think so. For us in the district, the numbers in middle school have been very stable for years. A "loss" of the middle school, with all the competences that this type of school conveys, would be very, very unfortunate. We currently have ten middle schools in the Dachau district with around 3000 students.
Interview: Leyla Yildiz