Prof. Lin-Klitzing, the shortage of teachers in the federal states is striking.

More and more lateral and career changers are being hired, some with questionable qualifications.

So far, however, there has been a consensus among the countries that certain standards must not be undercut.

Which were they?

Heike Schmoll

Political correspondent in Berlin, responsible for “Bildungswelten”.

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The standard was the scientific degree master or state examination.

This master's degree or the state examination could also be acquired as a post-qualification, but without this qualification there was no official teaching position and no qualification to take the Abitur or to teach in the upper secondary school.

The countries have not yet been able to agree on a definition of career changers and lateral entrants. Could you still name a crucial difference?

The lateral entrants are usually hired without a corresponding teaching qualification for the teaching profession and are then further qualified on a part-time basis.

The career changers usually have a university degree for at least one subject and can be qualified in a second subject.

In Brandenburg, 30 percent are already teaching lateral entrants.

This is three times the national average.

The state has now agreed with the GEW that bachelor graduates will also be taught at general education schools and upper school centers and that they will be employed as civil servants.

The GEW basically wants a salary of A 13 for primary school teachers, but here an A 11/12 salary for high school teachers.

As chairwoman of the German Association of Philologists, do you understand the logic?

I don't understand this logic at all, neither on the part of the GEW, that a bachelor's degree is now sufficient as the final academic qualification for the teaching profession, nor that the Ministry for Education, Youth and Sport under Britta Ernst (SPD) has drafted a bill for the official appointment of teachers exclusively with the GEW, without also involving the responsible state association of Brandenburg of the German Association of Civil Servants (dbb).

It is also not logical to expressly include lateral entrants for the upper school with a salary according to A 11/A 12 in the draft law, although the predominant deficiency is in the primary school area.

Was the dbb at least listened to?

The dbb has contacted the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in the state of Brandenburg, saying it should have been involved and the deadline has been extended to November 18.

And accordingly, the dbb Brandenburg has also expressed and criticized Potsdam with clear words.

The draft, which the state of Brandenburg intends to adopt in January, states that bachelor's graduates can take part-time coursework of 45 credit points in an eighteen-month certificate qualification and then teach as an education officer.

The certificate qualification is essentially about subject-didactic training content, but that can hardly replace subject-specific basics?