Overview

• At Gymnasien there will be no regular Abitur cohort in 2025/26 due to the switch back to G9, with roughly 32,000 graduates expected from Gesamtschulen and Berufskollegs in 2026 and the first G9 Abitur at Gymnasien in 2027.
• The ministry cites well over 10,000 temporary teacher secondments this year and about 7,000 vacancies statewide, with further redeployments likely to cover gaps.
• NRW is prioritising basic skills: the Skribi writing tool will be piloted at 100 primary schools from autumn, handwriting and correct spelling move into focus, and the ‘Schreiben nach Gehör’ approach is no longer applied.
• A central student feedback portal launches this autumn to gather anonymous insights on school climate for quality development, and a new digital offer, Mein Anfang auf Deutsch, supports newly arrived pupils in alphabetisation and early language learning.
• Planned training reforms include making Deutsch als Zweitsprache an independent teaching subject and expanding practical components in teacher education, while Feller also presses for summer holidays to start no earlier than July in future federal arrangements.