Upon the proclamation of Saxony's Jubilee marking the commencement of the academic year 2025/2026, the SPD and Left parties call for concrete, lasting responses to the education system's challenges.
In an effort to address the chronic teacher shortage and modernize teacher training in Saxony, the SPD and the Left party have proposed a series of reforms. These reforms focus on improving teacher education programs, increasing support and resources for recruitment and retention, and enhancing the attractiveness of teaching careers.
The SPD's education spokesman, Gerald Eisenblätter, has expressed dissatisfaction with the Minister's praise for the hiring of 1,100 new teachers for the 2025/2026 school year, stating that further investments and reliable education planning are necessary. He also criticizes the practice of redeploying teachers, arguing that it provides only a temporary solution.
Eisenblätter calls for modernizing teacher training, implementing a teacher training law, and promptly enacting the proposals of Saxony Education 2030 to ensure the sustainability of Saxony's education system. The Left party, on the other hand, wants to see more comprehensive schools created, allowing for longer shared learning.
Luise Neuhaus-Wartenberg, the education spokeswoman for the Left party in the Saxon State Parliament, questions the attractiveness of the teaching profession in Saxony and the competitiveness of the local offer. She suggests that better wages, working conditions, or training opportunities could help make teaching careers more appealing.
However, specific reform proposals from SPD and the Left party about teacher training modernization and the teacher shortage in Saxony were not found in the search results. Further information from Saxony’s educational policy documents or party platforms might be required to gain precise details about these parties' proposed reforms.
Despite measures taken in the last legislative period to increase the attractiveness of the teaching profession and expand teacher training places, the teacher shortage in Saxony's schools remains a significant challenge. Tens of thousands of school hours are still being missed, particularly in high schools.
Eisenblätter has also expressed concern about the lack of long-term planning for teacher needs and the need for common problem-solving solutions, developed with all sides and leading to necessary goodwill. He warns against manipulating the numbers to downplay the actual need and welcomes the announcement of a new teacher demand forecast.
International recruitment strategies and strengthening skilled workforce pipelines are general efforts being made to address shortages by attracting talent globally. However, more comprehensive and detailed reform proposals are needed to effectively combat the teacher shortage and modernize teacher training in Saxony.
The SPD and the Left party, in their proposed reforms, aim to modernize teacher training and address the teacher shortage in Saxony, not just through international recruitment strategies, but also by implementing a teacher training law, prompt enforcement of Saxony Education 2030 proposals, and ensuring better wages, working conditions, or training opportunities for teachers to make teaching careers more appealing, as called for by Luise Neuhaus-Wartenberg from the Left party. Further, Gerald Eisenblätter, the SPD's education spokesman, emphasizes the need for long-term planning, common problem-solving solutions, and reliable education planning to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of Saxony's education system.
