‘The teacher shortage is the worst it has ever been’

Across the country, schools are struggling to find enough teachers to cover growing enrolment. Critics say that the federal states have ignored the problem for far too long.

German states are struggling to combat an increasing shortfall in teachers. Experts say that a cut back in funding for teacher training at universities combined with a growing birthrate and higher immigration have contributed to the problem.

“The authorities didn’t wake up to the predictions [about growing enrolment] soon enough,” says Heinz-Peter Meidinger, head of the German Teachers’ Federation. “Politicians and the federal education ministry should have told the universities not to reduce their teacher training courses so sharply.”

Meidinger adds that federal states, which are responsible for education policies, were slow to react to a rise in the birth rate. “There should have been a push to hire new teachers at a much earlier stage.”