Education Senator in horror: Teacher letter ignored for months about bullying!

Education Senator in horror: Teacher letter ignored for months about bullying!

Berlin, Deutschland - Berlin's educational senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch gets under criticism after it became known that she only took note of a teacher of a teacher about bullying months after its receipt. The teacher of the Carl Bolle primary school had already sent his letter to the senator in December 2024 by enrollment by a colleague about bullying through pupils and false allegations by a colleague. However, this concern was only tackled in May 2025. Günther-Wünsch explained that as a "person of public life" she could not read every letter and rejected the allegations of discrimination. According to the teacher, it is a "complete system failure" because he has been on sick leave for around three months and the school management and the education administration criticized as not helpful. His lawyer documented events at the school in a nitious letter, while Green Member of the Green Daniel Wesener pointed out that the letter was apparently only read superficially and was forwarded to a biased employee.

background of discrimination in the education sector

The incidents not only show an individual problem, but are part of a more comprehensive discourse on discrimination in education in Germany. According to the federal anti -discrimination agency, disadvantages often occur in the field of education due to ethnic origin, racism and religion. A lack of accessibility, pejorative statements and discriminatory behavior of classmates, especially in the form of bullying, are everyday experiences. These problems affect not only teachers, but also students who often suffer from inadequate protection.

The general equal treatment law (AGG) mainly applies to employees in the public education sector, while protection for pupils and students in public schools is low. There is a certain protection in private sponsorship, but the legal situation remains unclear in relation to certain discrimination characteristics. In addition, the anti-discrimination agency proposes to revise the federal and state laws to close legal gaps and to ensure better legal protection.

recommendations for the prevention of discrimination

The discrimination problem is underlined by numerous reports and recommendations of institutions such as the anti -discrimination agency and the conference with the Ministers of Education. These require schools to actively act against discrimination and to promote the reduction of structural discrimination. Recommended approaches include the integration of the topics and (anti-) discrimination in classes and the creation of independent complaints.

Investigations show that experiences of discrimination have negative effects on learning success and can lead to psychological stress. There is a massive need for action in school practice in order to recognize discrimination and counteract it. Pupils with a migration background or special needs are particularly affected by these inequalities, since they are often restricted in their equal opportunities. The steady increase in experiences of discrimination is alarming and requires a determined action by the educational authorities.

In order to create a discriminatory -free educational environment, all actors in the school area must recognize discrimination and take measures to improve together. The reports and the current discussion illustrate that it is time for deep reforms in education to enable children and adolescents a fair and equal educational perspective.

For further information on discrimination on the field of education and measures for prevention, you can see the reports and analyzes of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Center ( Antidiskrimination office ) Federal Center for Political Education ( bpb )