Senate proposes trial run of surreptitious school video recording
In a significant move towards addressing the issue of teacher workload, Berlin's education authorities are planning to implement structured time-tracking systems for teachers to log classroom time, preparation, grading, and administrative tasks. This initiative comes after a ruling by the Federal Labor Court (BAG) in 2022, which stated that employers must introduce a system that measures the working hours of their employees.
The need for relief measures, particularly for teachers, has been emphasised by various stakeholders. School principal Maedebach highlighted the need for permanent relief, arguing that flat-rate teaching hours do not account for differences between subjects like music and sports. The Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW) Berlin conducted a study showing that teachers in Berlin work an average of 100 extra hours annually.
Potential relief mechanisms being considered include hiring additional support staff or paraeducators, adjusting class sizes or teaching hours, offering professional development and organisational support, providing compensation or time-off incentives for overtime or extra duties, and streamlining administrative procedures.
If Berlin's education authorities are conducting a working hours study, the logical next steps would be to collect comprehensive data through teacher self-reporting or automated systems, analyse workload patterns, and formulate policies or programs that address overload and promote wellbeing. Relief mechanisms should be tailored to the findings, focusing on both workload reduction and supportive resources.
Green politician Kruger suggests taking into account teachers' tasks outside of teaching hours to prevent overtime work. The Berlin Senate is open to a pilot phase to record working hours in schools, as recommended by the GEW. However, the Senate considers developing a sustainable, legally secure, and practical system for recording the working hours of teachers to be a complex task.
The Senate wants to discuss the matter further with trade unions and school leadership associations. Notably, the GEW, the Association of Berlin School Leaders (IBS), and the Association of Berlin Integrative Secondary Schools, School Principals (BISSS) have not yet been contacted by the Senate.
Meanwhile, the State of Berlin could have the legal competence to introduce a working time recording for its schools at the state level, according to Kruger. This move follows a ruling by the Higher Administrative Court of Lüneburg that the State of Lower Saxony must retroactively pay a retired principal for overtime work not accounted for in the current practice.
For precise updates on Berlin’s teacher working hours study outcomes and initiatives, it would be best to consult official Berlin school district communications or educational authorities directly, as no recent public details were found in the search results. The Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW) Berlin has been advocating for reducing class sizes through collective agreements for years.
In a positive development, Bremen has approved a pilot project for recording teachers' working hours digitally via an app for the school year 2026/2027. This could provide valuable insights for Berlin's education authorities as they move forward with their own initiatives. Green party representative Louis Kruger considers the Senate's change of direction to be correct, but expresses concern about the potential for more overtime and increased workload.
As the situation develops, it is clear that addressing the issue of teacher workload is a priority for Berlin's education authorities. By implementing structured time-tracking systems and exploring potential relief mechanisms, they aim to create a more sustainable and supportive environment for teachers in Berlin's schools.
- The implementation of structured time-tracking systems in Berlin's schools, aimed at reducing teacher workload, aligns with the conclusions drawn from a study by the Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW) Berlin revealing that teachers work an average of 100 extra hours annually.
- Beyond time-tracking, relief mechanisms such as hiring additional support staff, adjusting class sizes or teaching hours, offering professional development, providing compensation for overtime, and streamlining administrative procedures are being considered to promote health-and-wellness and education-and-self-development in teachers.
- As the Berlin Senate explores a pilot phase to record working hours in schools and contemplates developing a legally secure and practical system, they plan to discuss this matter further with trade unions and school leadership associations, including the GEW, the Association of Berlin School Leaders (IBS), and the Association of Berlin Integrative Secondary Schools, School Principals (BISSS).