Particle.news

Berlin, GEW Seal Plan to Ease Teacher Workloads With 20-Pupil Classes

Full rollout depends on roughly €32 million in extra funding.

Overview

  • A signed agreement on Monday at the Rotes Rathaus between Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch and GEW co-leader Gökhan Akgün sets a package to reduce workloads for school staff.
  • Class sizes will drop to 20 in 140 primary schools that serve many children from poorer areas, covering about 35% of the city’s primaries.
  • All primary schools will get an instruction-free day for learning-development talks with families.
  • Teachers will receive one extra relief hour per week starting in the school year after they turn 63.
  • Berlin will invest to improve conditions for staff in all-day school care, with changes set to phase in from the 2026/2027 school year following last year’s three-day exam-time strike that led to talks.