Teacher Shortage: More Educational Support Staff to Alleviate Class Cancellations in Saxony-Anhalt Schools
Strategies for classroom tools to minimize teacher absence and missed lessons. - Streamlining educational tools to enhance productivity and minimize interruptions
Tired of empty classroom seats? Saxony-Anhalt is stepping up its game, hiring 200 additional staff to bolster support for secondary, comprehensive, and grammar schools. Who are these new hires, and what do they bring to the table? Meet the Pedagogical Teaching Assistants.
"We're on the hunt for pedagogical teaching assistants. These individuals will lend a helping hand in subject teaching while also offering organizational support," said Education Minister Eva Feußner (CDU). These versatile assistants are set to clock in 60% of their workday in the classroom and 40% in a supporting role, with at least one new hire per school. Want to join the team? Applications are open until June 20, with the first staff members potentially starting in the new school year.
Lack of teachers tends to rear its head more frequently in secondary schools when compared to primary and grammar schools, according to the Ministry of Education. Regardless of the school form, the teaching supply currently stands at 87.6%—a number that the coalition has aimed to reach 103% to accommodate illness cases, parental leave, and further training.
Fearing a teacher's plate becoming too full, Feußner envisions these new hires taking over less critical tasks, allowing teachers to focus on mandatory lessons. The amendment to the School Act, soon to pass the state parliament, will create this new role while granting organizational and legal equality to pedagogical teaching assistants.
So, what can these assistants do? Their diverse areas of application encompass teaching assistance, classroom supervision, school organization, practical learning day accompaniment, school trip support, and managing after-school offerings. But remember, they're not set to stand in for teachers. "They're not destined to jump in and start teaching math from tomorrow," said Feußner.
When it comes to qualifications, social workers, social pedagogues, educators, and therapeutic educators with at least three years of pedagogical experience with children are encouraged to apply. Given the strong pool of applicants from the last pedagogical employee recruitment, Feußner anticipates a steady stream of applicants for this new position. The Local Tax Office will underwrite the funding for these positions using unexpended funds from unfilled teacher positions.
Around the Left political group, the criticism leans towards viewing this measure as merely a stopgap solution. Education expert Thomas Lippmann from the Left parliamentary group stresses the importance of hiring personnel with the appropriate teaching qualifications to ensure quality education for students.
So, here's to brighter classrooms and less filling-in of empty seats in Saxony-Anhalt! With these new Pedagogical Teaching Assistants on board, teachers can focus on the tasks that matter most, resulting in a more engaging learning experience for students.
The pedagogical teaching assistants, set to join Saxony-Anhalt schools, will focus on providing educational support and organization, with at least one new hire per school. Their diverse roles will span teaching assistance, classroom supervision, and learning day accompaniment, among others.
This new community policy, aiming to alleviate class cancellations, encourages applications from social workers, social pedagogues, educators, and therapeutic educators with minimum three years of pedagogical experience. Their mission is to aid in personal-growth and learning through various education-and-self-development initiatives, fostering a stimulating environment for students.
