Less School Hours Skipped in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: What Gives? 🧐🤷♀️
Reduction in Frequency of Classroom Shutdowns Announced by Ministry - School Attendance Decrease Reported by Government Office
A piece of delightful news has been dropped by Education Minister Simone Oldenburg: hardly any school hours were missed in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern during the 2023/24 academic year, she announced! Compared to the previous year, a brighter 3.3 percent of hours were unteachable, according to her statement.
A closer look, though, reveals a not-so-perky picture: comprehensive schools and regional schools recorded the highest proportion, with 6 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, top scorers on the list include gymnasiums, special needs schools, and primary schools, with 3.8 percent, 1.6 percent, and 0.9 percent missed hours, respectively.
So what's the deal? Teachers or their offspring caught a cold, apparently. You can blame the sickies for the majority of these school hours lost, according to Oldenburg.
Moving on to vocational schools under the public administration, 7.6 percent of all teaching hours were skipped, but that's still a drop of 0.2 percentage points from the prior school year of 2022/2023. The minister isn't shy about acknowledging the awkward staffing situation that's going on.
But fret not! With more OT from teachers, replacement teachers on the payroll (think retired teachers and student interns), and combined classes and courses, the number of missed hours was generously covered. Combining courses acts as a substitution, folks!
When quizzed, Oldenburg revealed that the main culprits for missed hours and coverage were sick teachers or their ailing children, with maternity leave, a ban on employment for expectant teachers, or parental leave also making the cut. The number of hours missed due to sick children has seen a double whammy since the 2018/19 school year, according to the minister.
Simone OldenburgTeachingMecklenburg-VorpommernSchool yearChildrenMinistry of EducationOvertimeAu pairsVirtual learningParental leave
- Simone Oldenburg, the Education Minister, announced that Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's schools managed to significantly reduce the missed school hours in the 2023/24 academic year, despite a noticeable increase in illnesses among teachers and their children.
- Interestingly, comprehensive schools and regional schools recorded the highest proportion of missed hours, followed by gymnasiums, special needs schools, and primary schools, while vocational schools under public administration saw a slight drop in missed hours, albeit still relatively high.
- Oldenburg attributed the majority of missed hours to sick teachers and their children, with the number of hours lost due to sick children nearly doubling since the 2018/19 school year.
- In an effort to ensure minimal disruption, the Ministry of Education put measures in place such as overtime for teachers, recruiting replacement teachers like retired teachers and student interns, and combining classes and courses, with virtual learning and au pairs also contributing to some extent.
