Teaching absenteeism in Saxony to decrease noticeably

Saxony wants to noticeably reduce teaching absenteeism in the new school year. The many new teachers at the schools would also contribute to this, said Minister of Education Conrad Clemens (CDU) in Dresden. Securing teaching remains a major challenge, as does the distribution of staff. There were vacancies in rural areas in particular. Overall, however, there are 438 more people in the teaching profession than in the previous school year.

According to Clemens, secondments from elementary school and grammar schools to secondary schools are particularly necessary. "A big thank you goes to the head teachers and teaching staff in the state for their willingness to go along with us in our efforts to provide a good education for all pupils." It is important to show solidarity - especially for secondary schools and schools in rural areas.

Cancellation of lessons is an ongoing issue in Saxony

Cancellation of lessons is an ongoing issue at schools in Saxony. Clemens announced in spring that he wanted to halve absenteeism. In the first half of the 2024/2025 school year, the proportion of missed lessons to the total number of lessons was 9.4 percent. Depending on the type of school and region, however, this figure was significantly higher. At that time, there was a shortfall of at least 1,400 teachers with full-time jobs to cover the demand. Clemens assumes that the measures taken in the meantime will soon have an effect.

In the new school year, the number of pupils will increase by 10,000 to around 534,000. For around 37,000 first-graders, a new phase in their lives begins. Updated curricula come into force in the subjects German and mathematics. They take into account nationally binding educational standards and are intended to help strengthen basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic. In addition, a pilot project for interdisciplinary teaching is to be implemented.