Education: The proportion of teachers without a teaching qualification is increasing

Education
The proportion of teachers without a teaching qualification is increasing

In German schools, more and more teachers are teaching without a recognized teaching qualification. In the 2021/22 school year, 8.6 percent of teachers at general education schools were so-called lateral and lateral entrants, as the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden announced. Around 60,800 of the 709,000 teachers had not completed a recognized teaching qualification.

In the According to statistics, the proportion in the 2011/2012 school year was 5.9 percent. At that time, around 39,300 of the total 669,800 teachers at general schools were lateral and lateral entrants. According to the Federal Office, the increase is a result of the shortage of teachers.

Lateral entrants are people who have not completed a teaching degree and who are accepted into school service without a traineeship. In contrast, career changers are required to complete a traineeship. According to statistics, 20.8 percent of the total 124,000 teachers at vocational schools did not have a recognized teaching qualification in the 2021/22 school year.

“Despite the high demand for trained teachers, the number of teaching graduates with a master’s or state examination degree is declining,” explained the Federal Office. In the 2022 exam year, around 28,700 teacher training students passed their final exams – more than ten percent fewer than ten years earlier.

dpa