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Berlin Education Senator Unveils Plan to Cut Teacher Workloads, Close Skills Gaps
Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch and union partners detail plans for quality improvements, redistributed support and reduced workloads.
How we reported this
Berlin officials have announced a series of education measures focused on raising standards in core subjects and managing teacher capacity. Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch has outlined a new quality strategy that requires standardized evaluation of learning progress in German and maths to increase the proportion of pupils meeting national minimum standards.
Plans for Workload Relief and Hotspot Support
Katharina Günther-Wünsch has proposed eliminating designated support hours at schools to redirect teacher capacity toward hotspot schools. This move has drawn opposition from parent councils and school leadership organizations. A support package signed with the GEW union will begin gradual workload reductions starting in the 2026/2027 school year, including smaller class sizes in challenging areas and an extra day off for primary school learning progress meetings.
Compulsory Year and Qualification Targets
Officials introduced an 11th compulsory school year for students under 18 without a clear future plan. The measure targets the 8.7 percent rate of school leavers without qualifications recorded in the last school year. A school construction initiative has already delivered approximately 53,000 additional seats by the 2025/2026 school year, reducing the shortage of places from 26,100 to 24,100.
These steps reflect coordinated efforts by the education administration and the GEW union to align resources with areas of greatest need. The quality strategy emphasizes measurable progress in German and maths while the workload package provides structured relief for teachers from the 2026/2027 school year onward.
Implementation will proceed through existing school networks, with parent councils and leadership groups continuing to engage on the redistribution proposals. Families can consult school administration offices for details on how the new evaluation requirements and compulsory year options apply to individual students.