Higher Administrative Court: No Probationary Service for Far-Right Teacher-in-Training

A far-right student teacher may have her admission to the preparatory program for teaching at high schools revoked. This is according to a ruling by the Bautzen Higher Administrative Court (OVG). In this case, the Saxon State Office for Schools and Education had revoked the admission previously granted because the woman had regularly attended events organized by the “Institute for State Policy” (IfS), which is classified as far-right and anti-constitutional.

The school authority had doubts about the woman’s loyalty to the constitution and requested that the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution investigate her. The Office stated that, by attending IfS events, the woman was supporting an organization that pursues anti-constitutional aims.

Higher Administrative Court: Minimum Level of Loyalty to the Constitution Required

The trainee teacher’s appeal was unsuccessful. According to the case law of the Federal Administrative Court, a minimum level of loyalty to the constitution is also required in a training relationship governed by public law, the Higher Administrative Court stated in its reasoning. This applies in particular to trainee teachers in their preparatory service for the teaching profession, as school-age children and adolescents cannot escape their influence while they are practicing their profession. The Higher Administrative Court’s decision is final.