On Friday, it will be particularly quiet at a secondary school in the north of Leipzig. Protesting teachers express their displeasure at the Saxon Ministry of Education's plans to increase the workload by remaining silent for two hours. Some of them are even considering sealing their lips with tape.
This protest action is part of the wider "100 schools in 10 days" campaign initiated by the education union GEW Sachsen. It is a direct response to the tour by the new Minister of Culture Conrad Clemens (CDU), who wanted to gain an overview of the school situation in the Free State with his "100 schools in 100 days" initiative.
Silence is not the only sign of protest: on Thursday, teachers across the state wore red clothing as a symbolic 'red card' against the ministry. More and more schools are developing creative ways to draw attention to the burdens caused by the planned additional work.
The ministry's push to oblige teachers to take on more teaching hours in order to reduce absences is particularly controversial.<>Teachers are only allowed to make up for the extra work they have done after several years. However, no later compensation is planned for older teachers, upper secondary school teachers and trainee teachers - they are to take on more teaching hours permanently.
