Ifo study: Little satisfaction with schools

People in eastern Germany rate schools among the worst in Germany, according to an Ifo study. Only in North Rhine-Westphalia was the rating even worse, the Munich-based Ifo Institute reported Tuesday. 19 percent of adults surveyed in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia gave the grade 4 or worse, 56 percent the grade 3. 24 percent judged with the grades 1 or 2.

Most people in the three federal states see the teacher shortage as the most important issue, the study said. Eighty-two percent of respondents even called the teacher shortage a serious problem. That was the highest figure of any region in Germany, it said. This was followed by a lack of money for education and the inertia of the system when it comes to change.

For the evaluation of the representative opinion survey of more than 5500 adults in Germany, the Ifo Institute divided the country into seven regions. According to the evaluation, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia ranked sixth out of seven in the evaluation of schools across Germany.