Less Cancellations in 2023/24 School Year: Simone Oldenburg's Update
Education Department Report: Decrease in Student Absenteeism - Increased School Attendance Advised by Government Department
Ready for some good news? Education Minister Simone Oldenburg (No bullshit, she's the one in charge) announced that in the 2023/24 school year, there was less hella' cancellation of classes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern than the previous year!
To be precise, general schools under public management saw a decrease in the number of cancelled lessons, with 3.3 percent of lessons not taking place as planned, she said. This was a slight dip from the 3.6 percent in the 2022/23 school year.
So, who got it the worst? Comprehensive schools faced the highest rate of cancellations, with 6 percent, while regional schools were next with 4.8 percent. Among the grammar schools it was 3.8 percent, at special needs schools it was 1.6 percent, and at primary schools it was a mere 0.9 percent.
The primary culprit for these cancellations? ya girl, sick teachers or their children.
At vocational schools under public management, 7.6 percent of all lessons were cancelled. Oldenburg attributed this to a tense staff situation.
The good news is that the proportion of lessons covered by another teacher or secured by combining classes was 13.9 percent in the 2023/24 school year, down slightly from the previous year. At vocational schools, the figure was 13.8 percent.
Oldenburg revealed that teachers working overtime and the employment of specially hired substitute teachers, such as retired teachers and student teachers, helped handle the cancellations. Part-time teachers and trainees increased their hours, contributing to the solution as well. Combining classes and courses also served as a substitute teaching solution.
Oldenburg named the illness of teachers or their children as the main reasons for cancellation and substitution. Additionally, maternity leave, employment ban for pregnant teachers, or parental leave were reasons. The number of lessons that needed to be handled due to sick children of teachers had doubled since the 2018/2019 school year. The rejuvenation of teachers in MV is noticeable.
- Simone Oldenburg
- Lessons
- Teachers
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- School year
- Children
- Main reason
- School cancellations
- Staffing issues
- Health concerns
- Infrastructure issues
- Weather conditions
- Administrative decisions
- Simone Oldenburg, the Education Minister, reported a significant decrease in lesson cancellations in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern schools during the 2023/24 school year, with teachers' illnesses being the main reason.
- In comprehensive schools, the rate of lesson cancellations was the highest, followed by regional schools, while grammar schools, special needs schools, and primary schools had lower rates, respectively.
- At vocational schools, a higher percentage of lessons was cancelled compared to general schools, attributed by Simone Oldenburg to staffing issues.
- To manage the increase in lesson cancellations, Oldenburg implemented solutions such as teachers working overtime, hiring specially- contracted substitute teachers, and combining classes and courses. The number of lessons cancelled due to teachers' or their children's illnesses had doubled since the 2018/2019 school year.
