5 days ago
How thousands of teaching positions in a German state were lost to administrative error
More than 1,400 teaching positions in Baden-Württemberg have gone unfilled for years.
According to a joint statement by the state's Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance, the problem began in 2005 with programming errors at the education administration department – and was only spotted a week ago when the personnel software was updated.
Neither the Ministry of Finance nor the Ministry of Education can explain why the mistake went unnoticed for so many years.
What do we know so far?
In 2005, Baden-Württemberg's education authorities migrated to a new personnel management system known as DIPSY (
Dialogisiertes, personalisiertes Personalverwaltungssystem
).
According to a
press release
from the state's Ministry of Education, a programming error occurred during the data transfer, meaning that teaching positions which should have been marked as vacant were incorrectly logged as occupied.
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The error remained hidden for 20 years due to a mix of system complexity, procedural blind spots, and an absence of cross-checking controls. After the 2005 transition, the system simply rolled the flawed numbers forward annually, with no full recalculation or verification.
Periodic payroll and staffing reviews, as well as internal audits, all failed to spot the growing discrepancy.
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Estimates suggest that 'phantom' jobs accumulated at a rate of approximately 80–100 positions per year, according to reporting by
Bild
.
The scandal was finally uncovered when the state's education administration updated its personnel software.
During routine recalculations using a new program this month, officials realized that 1,440 teaching positions, purportedly filled for nearly two decades, were actually vacant.
What was the effect?
Baden-Württemberg's Finance Ministry claims no direct financial damage occurred as the salaries earmarked for the 'phantom' teachers were never paid.
Opposition politicians and
teachers' unions
are disputing this assertion, arguing that the long-term costs in educational outcomes – for pupils attending schools which weren't adequately staffed – may be significant.
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In addition, many newly qualified teachers across the state struggled to secure permanent jobs, while existing staff took on additional duties to cover shortages.
Unions argue that the chronic lack of personnel led to missing lessons, cancelled classes, and limited support for vulnerable pupils, including those at special education and counselling centres.
'For years, teachers have had to juggle to ensure compulsory lessons, and for years, children and young people have been sent home early because lessons have been cancelled and cannot be replaced,' reads a press release issued by the GEW teachers' union.
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Schools for special educational needs, primary schools, and secondary moderns are believed to have suffered most.
Who
is
responsible?
The programming error first occurred in 2005, under then-CDU Education Minister Annette Schavan, but a succession of governments, ministers from multiple parties, and senior officials all failed to notice or correct the problem.
A working group has now been established to clarify causes, accountability, and enact prevention measures to make sure nothing similar happens again.
In addition, Baden-Württemberg's government has pledged to fill all 1,440 positions as soon as possible – with priority for special needs, primary, and non-gymnasium secondary schools.
Teachers' unions are insisting that all unspent funds should be redirected into schools to address the education deficit, with swift hires before the new school year begins.
