Teacher Shortage: Criticism of Late Response from Ministry

The Court of Audit (RH) criticized the Ministry of Education's handling of the teacher shortage in a report published on Friday. Although the department had already predicted shortages in 2009, "extensive and systematic measures" were lacking. The actual teacher shortage was mainly compensated by additional services, teaching outside one's subject area, and special contracts. The 2022 initiative "Klasse Job" received praise with some reservations.

Teacher Deployment in Federal, Upper Austria, and Tyrol Considered

For its report, the RH took a closer look at teacher deployment in the federal government as well as in Upper Austria and Tyrol from 2018/19 to 2023/24. It found that the ministry's forecasting model was inadequate. Forecasts for the distribution of teaching subjects were only available for federal schools (AHS, vocational middle and higher schools/BMHS), but not for individual subjects, schools, or school types in the compulsory school sector (especially primary and middle schools) due to a lack of data.

According to the RH, there is also no high-quality and accurate forecast for the number of teaching graduates. The reform of teacher training in 2013, which also led to an extension of the study period, "possibly contributed" to the expansion of the teacher shortage according to the Court of Audit. In 2023/24, there were nearly 6,900 advertised teaching positions compared to 5,600 bachelor's and master's graduates from teaching programs, and for 267 open positions, there were no applications in 2023/24 according to the report.

Although the number of open positions was small compared to the approximately 127,000 teachers, this is mainly because the actual teacher shortage was compensated by overtime, teaching outside one's subject area, and the use of not fully qualified teaching staff, according to the RH. The RH believes this is not only unsustainable but also endangers the quality of teaching.

Additional Services Equivalent to 7,000 Full-Time Positions

According to the report, there were additional services equivalent to 7,000 full-time positions in 2023/24, which is 20 percent more than in 2018/19. The proportion of teachers with special contracts has risen to nine percent, and especially in compulsory schools, much teaching was done by individuals trained for other subjects.

The "Klasse Job" initiative, launched in autumn 2022 with eight measures to counteract the teacher shortage in the short to long term, was "implemented late" from the Court of Audit's perspective but should be continued to meet personnel needs in a timely and targeted manner in the future and ensure the quality of teaching. The RH sees room for improvement in the model for career changers who have completed a related degree and were deemed suitable by a commission. The ministry must ensure that more certified individuals apply and work long-term as teachers.

Levers Against Teacher Shortage

The Court of Auditors also sees a lever against the teacher shortage in reducing part-time rates, after all, almost 40 percent of the teaching staff did not have a full-time position in 2023/24, especially women. "Binding strategies to reduce part-time rates are indispensable," emphasized the Court of Auditors in its report.

Martin Netzer, Secretary General in the Ministry of Education, was self-critical in the Ö1 "Midday Journal". The administration had not reacted quickly enough to the impending teacher shortage, the resources were "not always sufficient", "the measures not always accurate enough". In the meantime, however, the ministry is on a good path, he referred to the currently many applications for open teaching positions and the great interest in the lateral entry program.

For the top teacher unionist Paul Kimberger (FCG), the ministry "slid into a huge problem with open eyes". The conditions are no longer attractive for young people, better salaries and conditions, smaller classes, and more support in schools are needed. The lateral entry model is an important addition, but nothing beats fully trained educators. Kimberger is critical of the Court of Auditors' demand to reduce part-time rates, as many teachers can no longer manage a full teaching commitment due to health problems.

Wiederkehr Sees Confirmation

Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS) sees the report as confirmation that "continued decisive action" is necessary to overcome the personnel shortage. "My declared goal is for the teacher shortage to be history by the end of this legislative period at the latest!" Wiederkehr was quoted in a press release. He is committed to making the teaching profession more attractive and improving the quality of teaching; the absolute priority is teacher training. The ministry has already initiated reforms. Teacher training is to become more practice-oriented, efficient personnel management of the 6,000 schools is being worked on, and the lateral entry program is to be further developed. He is confident that he will soon be able to present the first noticeable progress in combating the teacher shortage, said Wiederkehr.

FPÖ education spokesperson Hermann Brückl saw the Court of Auditors report in a press release as evidence of "the long-standing failure of the ÖVP education ministers", and there were only lip service from the SPÖ department heads. From the current NEOS Education Minister Wiederkehr, there are again - as in his time as Vienna's City Councilor for Education - only media-staged announcements. "It is to be hoped that the current Court of Auditors report will now act as an initial spark," said Brückl.

"The System is Overheating"

"The system is overheating," warned Green education spokesperson Sigrid Maurer. The high part-time rate is a cry for help, the high proportion of non-specialist teaching a sign of a "system at its limit", the use of inexperienced teaching students "reckless". Maurer called for clear responsibilities, modern personnel management, and courage for structural reforms, including in the timetable and subject structure.

(APA/Red)

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