Worried outlook

Up to 70 percent of teachers will soon be retiring

200,000 pupils now receive their report cards(Bild: stock.adobe.com – Lukassek)

Upper Austria's schools can look back on the past school year with satisfaction: Almost all candidates successfully passed their A-levels. However, the shortage of teachers persists. Although there are currently fewer vacancies than in the previous year, many will become vacant in the coming years, up to 70 percent at some schools.

The summer vacation begins on Friday for 200,000 pupils and 21,000 teachers at Upper Austrian schools. The end of the school year is particularly pleasing for the 6097 high school graduates: Around 99 percent of them passed their exams. "The generation that experienced the coronavirus has now passed their school-leaving exams," said Education Director Alfred Klampfer, who took stock of the school year with Education Officer Christine Haberlander.

Lateral entrants told
1615 new teachers were employed at schools this year. 112 transferred to schools from other professions, 89 of them to compulsory schools, 23 to AHS and BHS. Only three of them left their new jobs during the year. Christian Rößner, who teaches at MS Münichholz in Steyr, reported on his experiences on behalf of all lateral entrants: "The challenges are great." But he is still grateful to have this opportunity. "It's valuable that the lateral entrants bring new input into the schools." He and four other teachers at his school, who come from other professional fields, have "arrived well in the system".

School psychologists are missing
29 lateral entrants have already registered for the next school year. A total of around 100 teaching positions still need to be filled. "The situation is more relaxed than last year, a surprisingly large number have applied for the positions. But the next wave of retirements is imminent, affecting up to 70 percent of teachers in some schools," says Klampfer, looking to the future with concern. There is still a shortage of teachers, especially in compulsory schools. It is even more difficult to find enough psychologists. "Filling the positions for the planned expansion of school psychology is taking longer than I expected. We are feeling the shortage of specialists," describes Haberlander.