On the current debate about the introduction of A13 for primary school teachers, the state chairwoman of the FDP Saar, Angelika Hießerich-Peter, states: The FDP Saar explicitly acknowledges the great importance of the work of primary school teachers. They lay the foundation for the entire further educational path and deserve fair payment.
At the same time, the FDP Saar warns against equating the justified upgrading of primary schools with a complete equalization of all teaching positions. Performance fairness does not mean pitting teachers from different types of schools against each other. Primary school teachers neither perform less nor less valuable work than teachers at grammar schools. However, they take on different tasks and bear different responsibilities.
According to the FDP Saar, the debate by the SPD, CDU, and AfD falls short because it considers the introduction of A13 in isolation and ignores the effects on the entire salary structure. "The question is not which type of school is more important. The question is how different qualifications, training paths, and responsibilities are taken into account in a fair salary system," explains Angelika Hießerich-Peter.
The FDP Saar points out that university studies and preparatory service already pursue different training objectives. While primary school teaching is aimed at imparting basic skills and the educational support of young children, secondary school teaching involves in-depth subject-specific training with the goal of guiding students to university entrance qualification. These differences continue later in the respective job profiles.
The FDP Saar therefore advocates understanding A13 not as an endpoint, but as a starting point for a comprehensive reform of teacher salaries. Those who demand A13 for primary school teachers must at the same time answer how the principle of performance and career progression should be maintained in the future. Differences in training, upper-level teaching, final exams, and preparation for university and science must not be completely leveled out.
Specifically, the FDP Saar calls for the enhancement of primary school teachers to be linked with a structural development of teacher salaries. Additional professional, examination-related, and organizational responsibilities must be taken into greater account again in the future.
“Fair pay for primary school teachers and equitable salary differentials are not contradictory. Our goal is a modern salary system that values all teachers while appropriately taking into account different training paths, tasks, and responsibilities,” concluded Angelika Hießerich-Peter.
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