Paper short abstract:

Unification provided the framework for a profound restructuring of caring responsibilities for school children in eastern Germany. These processes did not go uncontested and in this paper I will outline basic structures of conflictive views of parents and teachers on state involvement in education.

Paper long abstract:

Besides a new economic and political system, unification introduced the West German educational system to eastern Germany. As the two German states developed quite distinct approaches, especially with regards to state involvement into education, this remains a contested field.

While the West German state largely rejected intervention in education and family matters, the East German system was much more encompassing. In this paper I will outline the basic structures of conflicts between parents and teachers in this constellation. Based on their experiences in the GDR, many parents felt that their children were suddenly left without any support by their teachers. They feel that teachers were more engaged in leisure time activities, but also more open to parents in the past. Some feel that the new system establishes unjust social differences between children. In sum, parents are calling for more state-involvement in education. In contrast, teachers feel restricted by new legal regulations on privacy and much larger numbers of pupils. Thus, they no longer know anything about their pupils' private lives and in case of difficulties can not help individually. In addition, they feel unsure in their actions since from their perspective, in the early 1990s they were suddenly blamed by parents for wrongdoings. In short teachers criticise parents, but also the state, for not providing them with an adequate framework.