As of: February 27, 2024, 12:33 p.m
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A strange practice has become widespread in schools across the country.
A labor law specialist calls this “fodging” and would have expected such a tradition to occur in other countries.
Berlin – Normally, rolls, cheese and coffee do not play a significant role in final exams outside of training in the food industry.
For many aspiring teachers, however, the reality is different.
Long before their exams, they ponder the choice of breakfast for their examiners.
An unusual ritual has become established at various schools in Germany.
Exam candidates and their colleagues in the traineeship prepare bread rolls on the day of the exam and provide the exam committee with fruit, sweets and drinks.
A young teacher told
IPPEN.MEDIA
that she found this humiliating.
Another called it a “huge mess.”
Greetings for teacher examinations: a necessary evil?
There is no official mention of this practice.
However, instructors often indicate that such a breakfast is expected and that it may even have an influence on the exam result - even if only indirectly.
The examinees are therefore faced with the decision of either having a satisfied or a hungry and possibly disgruntled examiner in front of them.
“It’s better to serve something decent,” a teacher probably suggested.
Prof. Dr.
Michael Fuhlrott is a specialist lawyer for labor law in Hamburg.
© private
A phenomenon that raises questions: “I would expect something like that in countries with corrupt systems, but not here.”
The spread of this breakfast ritual has become increasingly clear in recent years, reports the Union for Education and Science (GEW).
Although a clear position is taken against such practices, as emphasized by the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Education, they still take place.
Michael Fuhlrott, a specialist lawyer for labor law, is dismayed by this: “It really shocks me, it makes me scratch my head,” he explained in an interview with
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
“I would expect something like that in any country with corrupt systems, but not here.”
The legal limit: “feeding” is not only inappropriate, but punishable
“There is at least a suspicion of acceptance of benefits here,” says Fuhlrott.
The legal classification of this ritual is by no means harmless.
It affects the criminal offenses of accepting benefits and bribery.
Even if it seems questionable that state-certified examiners allow themselves to be bribed by a simple breakfast, there is at least an initial suspicion here.
“We also talk about baiting,” explains the legal expert – a term that seems particularly apt in this context.
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Consequences of reporting can range from fines to imprisonment.
“The state is particularly sensitive when it comes to civil servants.
Sure, you can accept a coffee or a ballpoint pen.
But then it stops,” explains Fuhlrott.
In the past, this behavior has led to penalties, as in the case of a Berlin teacher who had to pay 4,000 euros for accepting a gift from her high school graduate class.
While such gifts are common and well-intentioned, they can put teachers in a precarious position, Fuhlrott said.
Appreciation or duty?
Breakfast in the context of an exam “It’s about a specific exam situation on which a career depends.
“I consider the degree of reprehensibility here to be significantly greater than if a teacher accepts a farewell gift,” explains the labor lawyer.
Things get particularly explosive when the examiners demand breakfast.
Although this is not always the case, one examiner, who wishes to remain anonymous, told
IPPEN.MEDIA
she was grateful for such gestures.
“The examination office gives us a coffee and we pay for it afterwards.
If a test candidate arrived in the morning with sandwiches, we would never accept it,” says Fuhlrott.
This ritual has led to a strange cycle in some schools: examinees believe they are expected to prepare breakfast.
Once the rich breakfast is served, some examiners may find it uncomfortable to decline.
It would therefore be important for school management to stop this idiosyncratic practice - also for their own benefit.
“If a school management just tolerates something like that, it doesn’t necessarily make itself punishable.
But it is a breach of official duty and can potentially lead to disciplinary consequences,” warns specialist lawyer Michael Fuhlrott.
Against the background of the discussion about unusual practices in everyday school life, new horizons are opening up through digitalization in the education system.
One example of this is the introduction of Instagram School Communities, a feature that allows teachers and students to share information and successes in a safe space, as NEXTG.tv reports.
This could be a way to strengthen communication within the educational community, away from the distractions of social media.
At the same time, it is important not to lose sight of the structural conditions of the teaching profession, such as the salary structures of teachers in Germany.
These vary regionally and depend on numerous factors.
An awareness of these framework conditions is essential in order to fully understand the value and challenges of the teaching profession.