Overview

• In Rhineland-Palatinate, all written and oral homework checks must be announced when assignments are set, ending unannounced tests including quick vocabulary quizzes tied to homework.
• Education minister Sven Teuber cites transparency and lower anxiety as goals, while GEW and VBE welcome the move and the Philologenverband, CDU and the German Teachers’ Association object over curtailed teacher autonomy and learning discipline.
• Rhineland-Palatinate reports about 45,000 teachers with 99.6% of posts filled, leaving 146 positions to be staffed during the school year.
• In Hesse, a ban on private use of smartphones, tablets and smartwatches is now in force across public schools, applied strictly in primary grades with exceptions in secondary schools.
• Hesse is also introducing a school AI chatbot and adding staff, raising teaching posts to 61,660 and expanding school psychology roles, though unions and opposition say headline gains do not fix qualification gaps.