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Teacher shortage in Pirmasens: school lessons in jeopardy!
Pirmasens is struggling with a shortage of teachers and lesson cancellations. Current studies show the challenges for schools and students.
Teacher shortage in Pirmasens: school lessons in jeopardy!
Why are lessons canceled at many primary schools? The acute shortage of teachers is an issue that is drawing worry lines on the foreheads of those involved in education, not only in Pirmasens, but throughout Germany. At the Ruhbank/Erlenbrunn elementary school, headmaster Thomas Heckmann, who has been in office since 2007, reports a very tense personnel situation. The cancellation of classes leaves many children behind and often pushes teachers to their limits, which means burnout is not uncommon. However, Heckmann emphasizes that good schools can continue to fulfill their task despite the challenges of current education policy, as [Rheinpfalz](https://www.rheinpfalz.de/lokal/pirmasens_artikel,-pirmasenser-grundschulleiter-personal-auf-kante- stitched-_arid,5836599.html) reports.
But the situation has a promising future: from the 2026/2027 school year, all children in Germany will have a legal right to full-day care at primary schools. However, this regulation could further exacerbate the already existing shortage of teachers, warns the Education and Science Union (GEW). Its boss, Maike Finnern, predicts a shortage of over 110,000 teachers by 2030 and points out that hundreds of skilled workers will also be missing in the areas of child and youth welfare. Such figures are alarming and make it clear that something is really happening, especially since all-day care can be an important opportunity to strengthen the educational landscape in Germany.
A look at the numbers in the education system
This problem is also supported by comprehensive statistics. In the 2023/2024 school year, the part-time quota for teachers at general schools in Germany was 43.1 percent, a new high. In particular, over half of female teachers, 50.7 percent, work part-time. The working conditions are therefore not ideal and may lead to many teachers reducing their hours. Federal states such as Hamburg and Bremen even have part-time rates of over 50 percent, which has a negative impact on the provision of lessons, as deutsches-schulportal.de states.
It also turns out that a significant proportion of teachers are older. A good quarter are between 50 and 59 years old, which means that many will be retiring in the near future. This further complicates the situation. So educational institutions not only have to worry about the current gap, but also about the upcoming retirements.
The need for reforms
In order to counteract the crisis, the GEW is demanding the highest possible quality training and good working conditions. Further measures may be necessary to make the all-day offerings attractive for the coming years. The federal government has agreed to provide almost three billion euros for the necessary investments to ensure the smooth implementation of the legal right to full-day care. This is particularly important at a time when the shortage of skilled workers affects all areas of society.
The Education Council and other education policy actors must act quickly and decisively to overcome the challenges. This could include, among other things, a temporary reduction in the timetable or a reform of teacher training. It remains to be hoped that those responsible have a good hand and take the right measures to secure the future of education in Germany.