Bavaria’s teachers complain that they are constantly overworked due to the corona pandemic, the shortage of teachers and the extra work with Ukrainian children. “There is no light at the end of the tunnel,” complains Simone Fleischmann, president of the teachers’ association BLLV. In order to change that, she demanded three measures from the state government on Tuesday: Firstly, there must already be forward-looking measures for corona management for the new school year, since the state government’s declared goal is not to close any more schools.
Secondly, more attractive working conditions should be created in the long term. An important point is the same salary for teachers of different types of schools. Elementary and middle school teachers should no longer earn less than their colleagues at junior high schools and high schools. Thirdly, the state should fulfill its duty of care towards its teaching staff and not act according to the motto “they can do it anyway”.
In 2020, according to the BLLV, 800 full-time capacities were missing at primary, special and secondary schools. In the current school year, the missing positions have been replaced by other staff, a total of 576 full-time positions. There are currently 17 different professional groups working at Bavarian schools. Not only trained teachers teach and look after children, but also remedial teachers, school nurses, foreign language assistants, school attendants and students in higher semesters or who have completed the first state examination are employed in schools.
In March 2022, an average of 15 percent of teachers at primary, special and secondary schools were absent due to illness or disability, but only 0.7 percent of the lessons were canceled. This means: extra work for the teachers present. However, this is currently not paid out in elementary, middle and special schools. The BLLV calls for this to be changed and for overtime to be remunerated. In addition, the health of the teachers, who currently have to compensate for the shortage, must not be endangered.