Overview

• Brandenburg schools recorded a 2.23% instructional loss in the first half of 2024/25, slightly improving from 2.5% in the prior year but still above pre-pandemic levels of 1.8%.
• Out of 929,200 hours of teaching missed due to absent teachers, 774,300 hours (11.4%) were covered by substitutes, including career-changers and retirees.
• The shortages are concentrated in specific schools, exacerbated by long-term illnesses and a lack of subject-qualified replacement teachers.
• The SPD-BSW coalition plans to mandate one additional teaching hour per week starting in spring 2026, exempting special and vocational schools.
• Years of underinvestment in teacher training, an aging workforce, and rising student numbers have contributed to the chronic staffing crisis.