Federal Administrative Court rules hearing time illegal, finding GEW Sachsen-Anhalt in violation of judgment
The General Education Union (GEW) in Saxony-Anhalt has signaled its readiness for talks to address the teacher shortage and improve teaching conditions, following a ruling announced by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig.
The ruling, which was eagerly awaited nationwide due to the teacher shortage existing in other federal states, confirmed that the state government cannot interfere with existing part-time agreements through a one-sided increase in teaching commitment.
The case, heard on September 4, 2025, was brought by the GEW Saxony-Anhalt, a union representing teachers and education staff. The case concerned a regulation that required all teachers to teach one additional lesson per week.
Volker Thiele, a plaintiff in the case, stated that the increase in working hours was unjustified. Anke Prellwitz, another plaintiff, agreed that the teaching situation in the state cannot be improved by increasing teaching commitments by decree.
The state government is called upon to improve the working conditions of teachers through relief and deregulation, and above all to create better conditions for older teachers. The GEW offers constructive talks to tackle the teacher shortage and improve teaching conditions.
The Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt, Dr. Reiner Haselhoff, discussed the ruling in the context of the so-called preparatory course hours (Vorkursstunden). The additional hour instruction given by Minister-President Haselhoff for all teachers is rendered absurd by the ruling.
The written reasons for the judgment are not yet available. The GEW state chairperson Eva Gerth criticized the education summit for being a monologue and not discussing or implementing proposals to improve the teaching situation.
The additional hours can be paid out or redeemed at a later date, no earlier than the school year 2033/2034. The regulations for time compensation were not published until late August 2025, one year after the advance hours regulation came into force.
The state government is urged to make the teaching profession attractive again in the country. The current teacher shortage is due to political decisions in the past. The GEW is hopeful that the ruling will pave the way for a more sustainable and fair approach to teaching in Saxony-Anhalt.
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