From October 4th, pregnant teachers in Bavaria will be able to teach in schools again. The Ministry of Education confirmed this on request. School Minister Michael Piazolo (Free Voters) announced on Tuesday after the Council of Ministers that the corona-related ban on entering pregnant women should be lifted. However, he did not give any more details or a time. This vague information had recently triggered criticism from the teachers’ associations.
The Bavarian Association of Philologists called for clarity and concrete decisions. “The current statements by the Minister of Education on the use of pregnant women in schools fuel a lot of speculation and cause great uncertainty and annoyance among the pregnant women affected, the teaching staff and school management,” said the association’s chairman, Michael Schwägerl. It also met with a lack of understanding among many colleagues that this topic could not have been clarified before school started.
“We now need clear decisions as quickly as possible as to whether schools will be reopened to pregnant women and – if so – reliable regulations that ensure the protection of mother and child on site,” said Schwägerl. The education and science union also criticized Piazolo’s “desolate information policy,” which unsettles and confuses.
2900 teachers are currently pregnant
Piazolo had already announced at the press conference for the new school year the week before school started that something could soon be done on this topic. But it wasn’t until the first day of school that he became more specific. In the cabinet meeting, the decision was apparently made to lift the ban on pregnant women introduced in the wake of Corona. But there shouldn’t be any compulsion, Piazolo had explained.
Depending on the situation, the teachers should discuss this with their doctor and the school administration. Piazolo did not become more specific when asked, nor did he give any details of what the planned voluntary regulation could look like. “We will still determine the details, it will not happen overnight,” he said simply.
2900 teachers are currently pregnant, so far they have had to stay at home and teach digitally from there or take on administrative tasks. From the point of view of many headmasters, this is not a substitute for school lessons. The return of one or the other educator would alleviate the specific shortage of teachers in the schools. Especially since some headmasters report of colleagues who would like to come if they could. The Ministry of Education will now change the corresponding general decree.
Hans Rottbauer, employment law expert in the Bavarian Teachers’ Association, warned that the decision on whether a pregnant woman can return to school should only be made together with her doctor. Principals cannot be burdened with this responsibility. Even with a voluntary return, “the safety of the mother-to-be and the unborn child must be the priority,” said Rottbauer. Many pregnant women used to teach via video conference while so-called team teachers stood in the classroom. In view of the precarious situation, these must be kept in the schools and should not be dismissed.