After the summer holidays, it's time to cram again: With the start of the new school year in Thuringia, the classes are getting fuller and the search for new teachers is desperate.
Erfurt (dpa/th) - After the six-week summer vacation, classes will start again this Monday at Thuringian schools. According to the Ministry of Education, more than 251,000 students will be studying at 967 general and vocational schools in the new school year. Compared to the previous school year, the number of pupils increased slightly by 1.1 percent.
The school year begins without additional pandemic measures such as compulsory masks or mandatory tests. Education Minister Helmut Holter (left), however, recommended wearing masks voluntarily indoors. A mask requirement, which some teachers wanted, cannot currently be ordered for legal reasons.
According to the information, there are currently around 1.7 million tests in schools. These could be used if necessary if the infection situation worsens - for example if a new, dangerous variant should prevail. Schools are currently only allowed to be tested if there is a reason to do so - i.e. if students show symptoms.
In order to ensure the lessons for the newly arrived students from Ukraine, classes are now being increased to up to 30 students. According to a forecast, up to 10,000 Ukrainian schoolchildren are expected in Bavaria by the end of the year. This exacerbates the already serious shortage of teachers. According to the CDU faction, at least 500 more teachers are needed for the expected 10,000 additional students.
At the start of the school year on Monday, the state traffic police again drew attention to the dangers in road traffic. According to statistics, schoolchildren who are out and about on foot or by bike are particularly at risk. In 2021, 49 students had an accident on Thuringia's roads, 20 of them by bicycle. The TÜV Thüringen advises parents, especially of first graders, to practice the way to school and back with their offspring. The traffic experts warned motorists to drive prudently.
