By Stephen Peter
Are there good grades for this? The capital wants to poach teachers from other federal states. The Senate passed a bill on Tuesday to make teachers civil servants.
In 2004, Berlin abolished the tenure of teachers. Since Franziska Giffey (44, SPD) took office, it was clear that the decision made at the time would be reversed. In July, 220 teachers who were new to the teaching profession were made civil servants. Now up to 16,000 educators can follow. And that even up to the age of 52 (instead of the usual 45)!
“A good day for the Berlin school, a good day for the Berlin teachers,” said Giffey. “After 18 years, a mistake has been corrected, as a result of which young teachers have left. Now they don’t have to go away to be civil servants.”
There are currently 890 teachers missing in Berlin. “Over the years, 4,000 teachers have left us,” said School Senator Astrid-Sabine Busse (65, SPD). Now she expects 3,000 to 4,000 teachers to return – which annoys school authorities in other federal states. “We’re already hearing dissatisfaction from Brandenburg,” admits Busse.
There is also resentment in Berlin – because hiring thousands of teachers is not cheap. According to an estimate by the education administration, pension payments could total more than four billion euros by 2049.
“No school will be equipped with WLAN faster than this, no classroom will be renovated,” criticizes Roman-Francesco Rogat (33, FDP). “An absurd election gift that does not improve the situation.”
Additional problem: too few teachers are trained in Germany. That’s why Senator Busse wants to abolish the numerus clausus (admission restrictions): “So that young people who want to become teachers can really study.”
Nice gift: All seventh graders should get a tablet from the next school year (the brand decides on a tender). Busse: “We are already testing at 18 schools that you can write an exam on the iPad.”