School attendance in Saxony hitting record lows
In the heart of Germany, the education system in Saxony is grappling with a significant teacher shortage, resulting in approximately 1.6 million missed teaching hours last school year – a record high [1]. The Ministry of Education in Dresden has acknowledged the existence of enough teaching positions but laments the scarcity of adequately trained candidates in the market [2].
The teacher shortage has been a multifaceted issue. A proportion of lessons were missed due to teacher absenteeism, which reached 9.4% in the first half of the 2024/2025 school year [1]. Some schools and regions experienced even higher rates, leading to lesson cancellations and missed hours.
The issue has been particularly acute in rural areas and at secondary schools, creating considerable challenges in staffing [1]. Vacancies were more prevalent in rural areas, indicating difficulties in recruiting or retaining teachers outside urban centers [1].
Rising student numbers have also added to the pressure. The number of pupils increased by around 10,000 to roughly 534,000, including 37,000 first-graders [1]. This increase in demand has strained already stretched staffing levels.
Moreover, the implementation of updated curricula in German and mathematics, alongside new interdisciplinary teaching pilot projects, have likely increased the demand for well-prepared and available teachers [1].
Efforts to address this shortage include recruiting many new teachers and encouraging solidarity among staff to redistribute personnel, especially between elementary, grammar, and secondary schools. Education Minister Conrad Clemens aims to halve absenteeism to reduce missed lessons [1].
The education union GEW has referred to this situation as another alarm signal [3]. The Ministry of Education has published an overview detailing the missed teaching hours [4]. However, it is yet to be specified by the union which type of schools have been primarily affected by the shortage.
Additional factors contributing to the missed teaching hours include the inability to fill 1,220 full-time teaching positions [5] and the unusually high sick rate [6]. Planned teaching absences, due to teachers being absent, were also a contributing factor [7].
References:
[1] Sachsen: Schulkrise – 1,6 Millionen Unterrichtsstunden fehlen, [online] available at: https://www.morgenpost.de/schulen/article263654509/Sachsen-Schulkrise-1-6-Millionen-Unterrichtsstunden-fehlen.html
[2] Sachsen: Schulbehörde: Es gibt genügend Lehrerstellen, aber wenige ausgebildete Kandidaten, [online] available at: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/sachsen-schulbehoerde-es-gibt-genuegend-lehrerstellen-aber-wenige-ausgebildete-kandidaten/28368540.html
[3] GEW-Vorsitzender Kühnert: Sachsens Schulkrise ist Alarmsignal für Deutschland, [online] available at: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/gew-vorsitzender-kuehnert-sachsens-schulkrise-ist-alarmsignal-fuer-deutschland/28368550.html
[4] Sachsen: Schulbehörde veröffentlicht Übersicht über Unterrichtsstundenverluste, [online] available at: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/sachsen-schulbehoerde-verliest-unterrichtsstunden-uebersicht-veroeffentlicht/28368542.html
[5] Sachsen: Schulbehörde: Es gibt genug Lehrerstellen, aber wenige ausgebildete Kandidaten, [online] available at: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/sachsen-schulbehoerde-es-gibt-genuegend-lehrerstellen-aber-wenige-ausgebildete-kandidaten/28368540.html
[6] Sachsen: Schulkrise – 1,6 Millionen Unterrichtsstunden fehlen, [online] available at: https://www.morgenpost.de/schulen/article263654509/Sachsen-Schulkrise-1-6-Millionen-Unterrichtsstunden-fehlen.html
[7] Sachsen: Schulbehörde verliest unterrichtsstunden-uebersicht veroeffentlicht, [online] available at: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/sachsen-schulbehoerde-verliest-unterrichtsstunden-uebersicht-veroeffentlicht/28368542.html
The teacher shortage in Saxony, a result of inadequately trained candidates, absenteeism, and vacancies particularly in rural areas, has led to missed learning opportunities. Education Minister Conrad Clemens aims to address this issue by recruiting new teachers and encouraging staff solidarity, with the goal of reducing absenteeism and missed lessons. Efforts to improve education-and-self-development and learning in the region are essential for addressing the future demands of the system.
