Berlin teachers under pressure: two million hours of unpaid work!

Berlin teachers under pressure: two million hours of unpaid work!

Berlin teachers are increasingly under pressure, as the current study shows, which was created as part of a project by the University of Göttingen and GEW Berlin. Every year, the teachers provide around two million unpaid over -working hours, which corresponds to an enormous commitment to education. Almost two thirds of the teachers state that they regularly do unpaid work. The situation for full -time forces is particularly acute: 30 percent regularly work more than 48 hours a week, which violates the Working Hours Act. Teachers at high schools and those who teach in high schools with two languages ​​are particularly affected.

The reasons for this increased labor intensity are diverse. They range from lack of staff to a heterogeneous student body to the progressive digitization of education. According to GEW Berlin, the pressure on the teachers is getting bigger, but they do not find enough heard in politics. Working conditions have been deteriorating for years, and the unclear recording of the actual working hours contributes to uncertainty.

stress due to lack of personnel

In the past school year, around 1,000 teachers terminated their job in Berlin, a number that has doubled in the past five years. Everyday work in schools in the capital is characterized by time pressure and overload. Part -time employees often provide additional unpaid hours to cope with the high flood of tasks. According to the GEW, this urgently needs to be addressed. The Senate is asked to record the working hours of the teachers and to make binding regulations with the staff councils to enable relief.

The current working time study, which began on August 28, 2023 and included thousands of teachers and hundreds of schools, is intended to help get a realistic picture of the workload. It aims to determine the design needs of the working conditions of teachers and to pronounce corresponding recommendations. Dr. Frank Mußmann from the University of Göttingen emphasizes that this comprehensive time recording is of great importance for various school forms.

The pressure on the education system

The study on working hours of teachers takes place at a critical time. Professor Dr. Kai Maaz, director of the Dipf, emphasizes that the education system is under pressure through construction and renovation measures as well as the shortage of skilled workers. The integration of refugees is a permanent challenge that can hardly be mastered without sustainable concepts. Digitization also requires new approaches in the educational process.

While the education expenditure has increased by 46 percent in the past ten years, the proportion remains low in relation to GDP. In 2022, the number of educational institutions was 6 percent higher than in 2012, at the same time the number of educational participants rose to 17.9 million. Nevertheless, the school achievements show stagnating or falling tendencies, which underlines the urgency of measures in the educational landscape.

The GEW therefore not only calls for the recording of real working hours, but also the consideration of the stresses that teachers have to experience every day. Anne Albers from GEW Berlin emphasizes that scientific studies are necessary in order to understand the actual extent of working hours and to be able to offer appropriate support.

The education system in Germany faces major challenges that require comprehensive and well -thought -out measures. The developments described make it clear that a sustainable solution is necessary to meet the requirements for teachers and to secure the quality of education in the long term.

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GEW Berlin describes the situation ... Dipf emphasizes that ...