BZ editor Sabine Klier on the blatant lack of staff in Berlin daycare centers Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
By Sabine Klier
Parents, or especially single parents, have to go to work to support their families. They don’t park their children in daycare centers, they want the best care
Children who are only kept in custody because there are not enough educators – I find that extremely disturbing. 20 years ago, when my son went to daycare, there was pre-school education: with arithmetic, writing, gymnastics and even English. I don’t want to blow the horn: “Everything was better in the old days”, but it’s probably a fact. Nationwide, there is a shortage of 172,782 skilled workers in the state-owned daycare centers.
This number is frighteningly high. And let’s not forget: Parents, or especially single parents, have to go to work to support their families. They don’t park their children in daycare centers, they want the best care. But if there are not enough educators, there is no scope to discover and encourage the children’s talents.
The teacher shortage is an important issue that affects us all. Because today’s children are tomorrow’s adults. And they need education.