A teacher writes on a blackboard in a school.
Image: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
Should teachers be civil servants? No, says the taxpayers’ association. Yes, says the teachers’ association. Because otherwise even fewer would choose the profession.
Dhe German Teachers’ Association has rejected criticism of civil servants in schools and teaching. “Anyone who wants to abolish civil servant status is consciously accepting an even greater shortage of teachers,” said association president Heinz-Peter Meidinger to the newspapers of the Funke media group. In times of a massive shortage of teachers, civil servant status is also an aspect that could make a positive difference when young people choose a career.
The President of the Taxpayers’ Association, Reiner Holznagel, had previously described official status in school operations as unnecessary.
In the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” Meidinger pointed out the bad working conditions for teachers. “Teachers in Germany often teach like they’re on an assembly line.” He added: “In large classes with a heavy workload, you have to wind down your program as if it were automated – the main thing is that the lesson has taken place.” Too often there isn’t enough time to reflect or think of something new.
