Minimizing Missed Class Time: A Success Story in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Reduced number of lesson postponements reported by the Ministry - Reduced Pupil Non-Attendance Noted by Authorities
Yo, here's a breakdown of what's been going on in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania when it comes to missed school hours. Education Minister, Simone Oldenburg, shared some good news for the 2023/24 school year - a decrease in the percentage of hours missed compared to the previous year, resting at 3.3%.
Now, let's dive into the numbers:
- Comprehensive schools and regional schools experienced the highest percentage of missed hours, accounting for 6% and 4.8% respectively.
- Grammar schools and special needs schools saw 3.8% and 1.6% missed hours, respectively.
- Primary schools had the lowest rate with only 0.9% of hours missed.
The main culprit behind these absences? Good ol' sick days, chiefly affecting teachers and their kin.
At vocational schools under public administration, the situation was a little hairier with 7.6% missing hours - a slight improvement from the previous school year. Minister Oldenburg points to a tense personnel situation as the cause.
The percentage of hours covered by another teacher or secured by combining classes was evaluated at 13.9% throughout the 2023/24 school year. A decrease from the previous year. At vocational schools, 13.8% of hours were for coverage.
The strategy to address these missed hours seems to be threefold:
- Teachers stepping up with overtime, now incentivized by higher pay.
- Employment of specially hired substitute teachers, such as retired teachers or student teachers.
- Increased hours from part-time teachers and trainees, as well as combining classes and courses.
Oldenburg attributes the primary reasons for missed hours to teacher and child illness, maternity leave, employment ban for pregnant teachers, and parental leave. Surprisingly, the number of hours lost due to teacher's kids being sick has more than doubled compared to the school year 2018/2019, hinting at the aging workforce in MV.
- Simone Oldenburg
- Education
- Teachers
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- School year
- Children
- Causes
- Schwerin
- BMBF
In an effort to reduce missed school hours in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the education ministry has introduced a three-pronged strategy. This includes incentivizing overtime for teachers, hiring specially hired substitute teachers, and increasing hours from part-time teachers and trainees, as well as combining classes and courses.
Moreover, the ministry is emphasizing the importance of health-and-wellness, recognizing teacher and child illness as primary reasons for missed hours. To address this, science-based community policies for vocational training in health disciplines could potentially help maintain a healthier workforce in the future.
