Overview
- At a Heidelberg party congress, the CDU adopted an election program giving school leaders tools ranging from structured feedback and binding development plans to graded sanctions for persistent underperformance.
- The platform also promises transparent criteria and evaluation instruments to recognize engagement, reliability and exceptional work by teachers.
- CDU education spokesman Andreas Sturm acknowledged that sanctions are legally limited for civil servants, noted high sickness levels and proposed incentives such as offering training during school holidays.
- The education union GEW called the CDU “not electable,” accused it of reviving the “lazy teacher” trope and cited overbooked training offers and a lack of substitute capacity, especially in primary schools.
- SPD education lead Stefan Fulst-Blei criticized the approach and pressed for additional school psychologists, secure funding for social work and higher sickness reserves to prevent class cancellations ahead of the March 8, 2026 state vote.